2013 Research Opportunities - Health
Using a One Health Framework to promote food security in Eastern and Southern Africa
The majority of the world’s rural poor rely on raising livestock for their day to day living. Livestock contribute to both poverty alleviation and food security. 70 to 80 percent of rural households in Southern and Eastern Africa raise poultry. Poultry meat and eggs provide high quality protein and micronutrients that are more easily taken up by the human body than plant based nutrients. They also provide cash income to purchase food. These benefits are of notable significance to vulnerable community members such as growing children and people infected with HIV.
Poor quality agricultural production can be detrimental to human nutrition, for example contaminated meat and crops treated with poorly regulated pesticides can cause human illness and as a result avoidance of vital food resources by family groups or communities. These issues become especially raw in the overarchingly food insecure environments in rural Eastern and Southern Africa.
In search of robust evidence that can be used to maximise poultry and crop value chain efficiency and household food and nutrition security, we are currently in a research partnership funded by the Australian International Food Security Centre. The research seeks to answer the following questions.
- Can deliberate and strategic linkages between family run poultry production and crop farming improve the socio-economic and biological efficiency of both operations?
- Can family poultry production and trade be increased by supplementing the birds’ feed intake with by-products from crop farming?
- Can increased efficiency of family poultry production and trade contribute to ecologically sustainable agriculture and improved food security and human nutrition?
Further Information: The project is based at the Camden Campus.
Eligibility:
The successful applicant must apply for and be awarded a scholarship (stipend) for example, an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) Scholarships Home Page for Australian and New Zealand residents.
For International applicants, AusAID scholarships are available for eligble students. Students must have a scholarship which covers full tuition fees and a living allowance.
Scholarships will commence in 2013.
Further Information:-
A/Prof Robyn Alders
Johne’s disease in relation to MAP infection in both cattle and sheep
We are offering two Australian Livestock Industry Biotechnology PhD Scholarships for studies to commence in 2013. The PhD scholarships are for research into Johne’s disease and will be located at the University of Sydney, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Camden, NSW. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to study several aspects of Johne’s disease in relation to MAP infection in both cattle and sheep. Working within a large multidisciplinary and supportive team, the projects will use an established experimental infection model where MAP-exposed animals can be followed throughout the course of the disease, as well as the study of natural infection on commercial farms. These studentships’ will provide successful candidates with mentorship opportunities as well as career-readiness training and there is potential for the PhD students to work with international collaborators and to attend both national and international conferences.
There is opportunity for students to study several aspects of Johne’s disease including:
Vaccine development: Currently there is one vaccine licensed for use in the prevention of Johne’s disease in sheep but this vaccine is not 100% effective and has significant safety issues associated with its administration. We are in the process of examining and developing new formulations for vaccines and studies in this area will enable a student to examine the process of vaccine development as well as the genetic responses of host animals to vaccine administration with a view to identifying and enhancing the optimum immune response in relation to vaccine efficacy.
Genomic analysis of the host response to Johne’s disease: There is indication that there may be a genetic element in the host response to MAP and either resistance from or progression to clinical Johne’s disease. It is known that many immune modulations occur during mycobacterial infection, related to both the host and pathogen responses. Findings to date in cattle by our group have revealed the involvement of several immune pathways. It will be possible to study in detail these novel cellular mechanisms and how they impact upon disease outcome.
Persistence inside cells: Currently, the cause of the lengthy sub-clinical phase of Johne’s disease is largely unknown. Within the animals, mycobacteria are localised within macrophages, where they are capable of persisting for long periods in a dormant state, ‘unseen’ by the host’s immune system. It is thought that several genes and proteins made by the MAP organisms during the process of dormancy and subsequent activation could be a bridge between sub-clinical and clinical infection. Studying these processes could aid in the development of new therapeutics or vaccines.
Eligibility
These scholarships are available only to Australian or New Zealand residents who are also eligible for an APA/UPA scholarship. Application for an APA/UPA scholarship must be successful in order to receive this award Scholarships will commence in 2013.
Scholarship terms
The scholarship provides a tax free ‘top-up’ amount of $15,000 per annum as a stipend for three years and is in addition to the tax free APA/UPA award of $23,728 p.a. (2012 rate). The total value of the combined scholarship is $38,728 per year tax free. Separate applications are required for the APA/UCA and the Australian Livestock Industry Biotechnology Scholarships (ALIBS).
Interested candidates may contact the supervisors for further detailsDr Auriol Purdie, Dr Douglas Begg , Dr Kumi de Silva, Dr Karren Plain and Prof Richard Whittington.
To apply for the ALIBS, please submit a letter of application and relevant supporting documentation outlining your suitability to by the 31st October 2012.
The development of a new rapid test for determining the serogroup and virulence of footrot affecting Merino sheep
Current phenotypic virulence detection tests are not reliable and the agreement between the available phenotypic tests is poor. There is a need for a test for virulent footrot which offers more consistent results, or at least results that closely match the clinical potential of isolates of D. nodosus to cause disease. Genetic tests for the virulence factors of D. nodosus may overcome some of the limitations of the phenotypic tests. They may be more stable, are not likely to be influenced by the physiological state of the organism, and may be quicker and cheaper, particularly if tests can be devised that do not require prior microbial culture, and that can be applied directly to field samples like lesion swabs. In this project the whole genome sequence of D. nodosus will be examined to identify markers for virulence and serogroup, and tests devised. The tests will be applied in laboratory studies of archival samples, and in current pen and field trials. This study will also involve studying and analysing data collected from 12 farms over five years, to correlate within-flock prevalence and severity of footrot with microbial characteristics. The study is a high priority for the sheep industries in Australia.
Eligibility
These scholarships are available only to Australian or New Zealand residents who are also eligible for an APA/UPA scholarship. Application for an APA/UPA
must be successful in order to receive this award. Scholarships will commence in 2013.
Scholarship terms
The scholarship provides a tax free ‘top-up’ amount of $15,000 per annum as a stipend for three years and is in addition to the tax free APA/UPA award of $23,728 p.a. (2012 rate). The total value of the combined scholarship is $38,728 per year tax free. Separate applications are required for the APA/UCA and the Ian (Peter) Wrigley Scholarship.
Interested candidates may contact the supervisors for further details:
Dr Om Dhungyel and Prof Richard Whittington.
To apply for the Ian (Peter) Wrigley Scholarship, please submit a letter of application and relevant supporting documentation outlining your suitability to by the 31st October 2012.
Monitoring the prevalence of inherited and acquired disorders in dogs
We can reduce the costs, both in monetary and welfare terms, of inherited diseases in dogs, but first, we must know which disorders are prevalent in any country’s most numerous breeds. Only then can we begin the task of effectively reducing their prevalence and monitoring our progress in doing so. This approach has led to the creation of a sustainable system for collecting online data on inherited disorders in Australasian dogs. Members of our team have already established the same project in the UK with colleagues from the Royal Veterinary College. This will mean that the resultant Australian data will mesh with those from the UK.
The central aim of this project is to collect and process data that will allow stakeholders, including breeders and veterinarians, to monitor the prevalence of inherited disorders. This will be achieved by:
- developing software that monitors certain fields in veterinary practice management databases currently in use in Australian practices
- collating these data centrally to identify the most numerous disorders per breed and the age at which they most commonly present to veterinarians
- disseminating data and summary information at no charge to key stakeholders, including veterinarians, breeders and potential puppy purchasers.
The continued collection of data will permit the first publication of trends in the prevalence of disorders within each breed and will thereby illustrate the need for control programs aimed at the most prevalent.
Further Information: Knowledge required: (e.g. scholarships/funding available, etc.)
*Applicants will require some understanding of inherited disorders in companion animals.
*A BVSc Hons degree (or equivalent) is desirable but not essential.
*Applicants undertaking this project will develop skills in companion animal epidemiology and welfare. The knowledge gained from completing this project will be helpful to establishing a research career in animal welfare and will be viewed very favourably when seeking opportunities to work with animal charities.
*There is no scholarship attached to this project, however applicants with a good first class Honours degree or equivalent will be encouraged to apply for an Australian Postgraduate Award which is a tax-exempt stipend currently worth $23,728 and CPI indexed annually. Scholarships Home Page Applications for APAs close around October 31st (for semester 1) and June 16th (for semester 2) each year.
Contact Supervisor: Professor Paul McGreevy; Professor of Animal Behavior and Welfare Science
Cytochrome P450 (CYP) drug-drug interactions of some popular therapeutic medications administered to dogs
Dogs are frequently medicated with multiple medicines, for example: some dogs may be medicated daily with an antiepileptic drug (AED) to control epileptic seizures along with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to control arthritic pain. Over the last 15 years it has been recognised that some drugs affect the hepatic metabolism rate of others, by either up- or down- regulating the activity of hepatic cytochrome P450 metabolism enzymes (CYPs). Information on drug interactions in companion animals lags well behind that known for people. No information exists on which CYPs metabolise some popular canine medications such as carprofen (a NSAID), doxycycline (an antibiotic), or pimobendan (increases cardiac output). This information is important because phenobarbitone (PB), the most commonly administered canine AED is a recognised inducer of many canine CYPs. If PB induces the rate of metabolism of these other medicines, they may not reach therapeutic concentrations and may require dose modification. Investigating drug interactions due to CYP modulation uses a non-patient invasive, in-vitro method using microsome assays. This project investigates the metabolic pathways of the above mentioned medicines in dogs, and whether PB increases their rate of their metabolism. Such information will be used to make recommendations on whether dose rate modifications are required in order to improve canine health outcomes.
Further Information: Knowledge required:
*Applicants will require some understanding of physiological pharmacokinetic processes especially metabolism and excretion.
*An applicant with a BVSc Hons degree (or equivalent) is desirable.
*Applicants undertaking this project will develop skills in high performance liquid chromatography and microsome assay. The knowledge gained from completing this project will be helpful to establishing a research career in pharmacology and will be viewed very favourably when seeking opportunities to work with pharmaceutical companies.
*There is no scholarship attached to this project, however applicants with a good first class Honours degree or equivalent will be encouraged to apply for an Australian Postgraduate Award, which is a tax-exempt stipend currently worth $23,728 and CPI indexed annually Scholarships Home Page.
Applications for APAs close around October 31st (for semester 1) and June 16th (for semester 2) each year.
Contact Supervisor: Associate Professor Merran Govendir; Lecturer in Veterinary Pharmacology
A comprehensive risk factor analysis of E.coli disease in the piggery environment
An opportunity exists within Veterinary Public Health & Food Safety, Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney for a motivated and enthusiastic student to pursue a PhD in epidemiology and biostatistics.
The successful student will pursue studies on E.coli scours in commercial pig herds with the aim of identifying and characterising risk factors, developing an E.coli disease scoring system and then validating the scoring system in study herds.
Research will involve field sampling, laboratory work and quantitative epidemiologic analysis. Use of Bayesian Graphical Modelling will be part of the analytical framework.
The successful candidate should be available to undertake field work and travel, be willing to work within a microbiological laboratory and will have a solid foundation in analytical and statistical skills. Depending on the candidate, further intensive training in epidemiology and biostatistics (potentially leading to an MVPH or MSc Statistics) will be made available. By commencement, the candidate should have completed an undergraduate degree in animal or veterinary science with Honours.
The successful candidate will be supervised by two Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists Fellows in Epidemiology and will also collaborate with Faculty at the University of Zurich.
Anticipated commencement date is July 2012 (or soon after), subject to project funding.
Interested?
Contact Supervisor: Professor Michael Ward DVSc, FACVSc /
Marine and environmental immunology: biotic and abiotic impacts in herpesvirus epizootics in oysters
There is a current epizootic in Pacific oysters (C. gigas) due to the herpesvirus OsHv, which had devastated commercial oyster production in France and other countries. The disease was detected in Sydney in 2010. This PhD project will investigate interactions between environmental factors and immunity in oysters in the field and also in laboratory studies.
The goal is to devise control strategies to enable Australian oyster farmers to remain profitable. This project will seek to answer fundamental questions about how molluscs evolve through natural selection to cope with devastating diseases. The project will involve collaboration with researchers in France and throughout Australia and may require extensive travel.
Supervisors: Dr Ika Paul-Pont / Dr Navneet Dhand
Co-supervisor: Prof Richard Whittington
Further Information:
The successful candidate must have completed an undergraduate degree in science, agriculture, veterinary science or equivalent, have research experience (Honours or Master’s degree), good analytical and communication skills, and be willing to undertake marine and estuarine field studies.
The successful applicant must apply for and be awarded a scholarship (stipend) for example, an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) or IPA (International Postgraduate Award). For international students, the student must have a scholarship which covers full tuition fees and a living allowance.
The project is based at the Camden campus.
Immune modulation during mycobacterial infection:host and pathogen processes
M.paratuberculosis causes chronic intestinal disease in animals. Recently, this mycobacterium has been found to infect humans and may be linked to Crohn’s disease, a debilitating inflammation of the bowel. The pathology and immune response to M.paratuberculosis infection closely resembles what occurs in other diseases caused by mycobacteria, including tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) and leprosy (M. leprae) in humans. This makes Johne’s disease, the disease caused by M.paratuberculosis in cattle and sheep, an excellent animal model for mycobacterial infections.
Immune modulation occurs during mycobacterial infection, both related to the host and the pathogen responses. Findings from microarray analysis of early exposure of cattle to M.Paratuberculosis have revealed the involvement of immune pathways. This PhD project will study in detail the implications of these findings with particular emphasis on novel cellular mechanisms that may be altered in response to M.paratuberculosis and how these changes impact upon the pathogenesis of Johne’s disease, both from the point of view of the pathogen and the host.
Working within a large multidisciplinary and supportive team with access to ongoing field trials, this project will use an established experimental infection model in cattle and sheep. Animals can be followed throughout the course of the disease. Pathology of the lesions and expression of cytokines and chemokines throughout disease will be compared. The role of regulatory cells and molecules in M.paratuberculosis infection will also be examined. The study will incorporate molecular techniques such as cell culture, immunohistochemistry, quantitative RT-PCR, flow cytometry and genome array analysis to monitor changes in host cellular responses.
Supervisor: Dr Auriol Purdie / Dr Karren Plain
Co-supervisor: Prof Richard Whittington
Further Information:
The project is based at the Camden campus. The successful candidate must have completed an undergraduate degree in science, agriculture, veterinary science or equivalent, have research experience (Honours or Master’s degree), good analytical and communication skills, and be willing to perform laboratory and field based studies.
The successful applicant must apply for and be awarded a scholarship (stipend) for example, an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) for Australian and New Zealand residents. For international applicants, the student must have a scholarship which covers full tuition fees and a living allowance. In addition, a ‘top-up’ of the living allowance may be negotiated with the successful student.
Vaccines for Johne’s disease: defining protection
Johne’s disease is an infection of ruminants that results in wasting and the eventual death of the affected animal. The infection is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis. While there is a currently available vaccine for sheep, this does not stop infections and can result in severe injection site lesions. A safe and effective vaccine for Johne’s disease is an imperative for disease control in the agricultural industry in Australia. This project will examine alternative formulations that could be used for new vaccines to control Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infections primarily in sheep. Working within a large multidisciplinary and supportive team with access to ongoing field trials, this project will examine the immunity developed by various vaccine formulations to determine why the vaccines do or do not provide protection. This project will enable the candidate to develop a range of skills including animal handling, cellular and humoral immunology and molecular biology. The successful candidate will be exposed to state of the art immunology and vaccine technology. After graduation the candidate will be well placed to enter the vaccine development, commercial or research fields.
Supervisor: Dr Douglas Begg / Dr Kumi de Silva
Co-supervisor: Prof Richard Whittington
Further Information:
The successful candidate must have completed an undergraduate degree in science, agriculture, veterinary science or equivalent, have research experience (Honours or Master’s degree), good analytical and communication skills, and be willing to participate in laboratory and field based studies.
The successful applicant must apply for and be awarded a scholarship (stipend) for example, an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) or IPA (International Postgraduate Award). For international students, the student must have a scholarship which covers full tuition fees and a living allowance. Dependant on experience, a ‘top-up’ of the living allowance may be negotiated with the successful candidate.
The project is based at the Camden campus.