Monash University > News and Events > Monash Memo

Wool industry backs Monash research

16 July 2008

The financial impact of footrot is estimated at A$100 million a year. Photo courtesy of Australian Wool Innovation.

Monash University scientists have started clinical trials to find a vaccine against footrot in sheep.

The trials have been made possible with funding of A$663,000 from Australian Wool Innovation (AWI).

Footrot is a highly contagious disease that attacks the feet of sheep causing severe lameness and loss of body condition.

It is prevalent in many countries around the world and, in Australia, the financial impact of the disease on the wool and livestock industry is estimated at $100 million a year.

The vaccine trials will take place over three years at Monash University's Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Structural and Functional Microbial Genomics and at the University of Sydney.

Chief investigator Professor Julian Rood said it was an exciting development for his team of researchers.

"The trials are the culmination of eight years of collaborative work on the pathogenic bacterium that causes footrot -- Dichelobacter nodosus. We analysed the bacterium's complete DNA sequence to identify proteins that are potentially exposed on the surface of the causative bacterium and therefore more likely to elicit an immune response," Professor Rood said.

"The approach, called reverse vaccinology, identified 90 proteins in the footrot bacterium that are potential antigens for a new cross-protective vaccine. This funding will allow us to pinpoint those proteins that will target the disease in a vaccine application."

Professor Rood said the centre's approach has made significant inroads in the development of a vaccine for footrot.

"The AWI funding means the development of a marketable vaccine is likely to happen a lot sooner -- ideally within a decade."

Australian Wool Innovation's Program Manager of Animal Health, Productivity and Welfare Dr Johann Schröder said footrot had long been the bane of Australian woolgrowers and prime lamb producers.

For further information please visit the ARC Centre of Excellence in Structural and Functional Microbial Genomics website.