Scientists were then able to estimate how often the two species spread TB. They found that badgers play an important role in the transmission of the disease in this area. In October, peer-reviewed, scientific evidence highlighted the effectiveness of badger culling in reducing outbreaks of bovine TB in cattle. Prof Christl Donnelly, from University of Oxford and Imperial College London, who led the Downs et al study, said the latest paper provides an interesting and important new perspective on the challenging problem of bovine TB in cattle and badgers.
They were quite clearly pathological, and Michael believed that the best explanation for them, given their appearance and their position inside the skull, was meningitis caused by M tuberculosis. Here was evidence for a human ancestor suffering from TB, half a million years ago. Back to the present, and TB has scarcely been out of the news for the past few weeks.
The Great Badger Cull has become one of the hottest political potatoes of the year. So what is the scientific evidence? Well, it seems pretty clear that badgers do help spread bovine TB. But that also seems to be where the certainty ends. Bovine TB in the UK has been going up and up — but how much of that is due to better diagnosis?
And could culling badgers really help to reduce it? A study published in the journal Nature in showed that culling badgers reduced the rates of TB among cattle in the area where the cull took place — but increased it in neighbouring areas. For the government, that was enough. But some scientists are now concerned that the cull — particularly if carried out by free shooting, which hasn't been trialled, or if targets are missed — could make matters worse.
For this winter, the badgers are safe. Like Caesar presiding over a bizarre gladiatorial contest, environment secretary Owen Paterson granted the badgers a stay of execution, at the eleventh hour. Blue, you might think, is a popular colour in nature. But IS it really blue? James Duncan explores a Kind of Blue Follow SussexWildlife. We use cookies to collect and analyse information on site performance and usage, to improve your browsing experience and show personalised content.
You are free to manage this via your browser settings at any time. To learn more about how we use the cookies, please see our cookies policy. Sussex Wildlife Trust is working hard for nature at this challenging time but we can only do so with your support. Using data from an undisturbed population of badgers in Woodchester Park in Gloucestershire and nearby cattle farms, this study provides the first direct evidence of transmission between badgers and cattle.
It is an area where tuberculosis is known to occur frequently in both cattle and badgers. The researchers analysed the entire genetic make-up of the bacteria from badgers and cattle, a process known as whole genome sequencing.
They combined this with detailed information on where the cattle and badgers lived, when they were infected, and whether they could have had contact with one another. Scientists were then able to estimate how often the two species spread TB.
They found that badgers play an important role in the maintenance of the disease in this area.
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