From negative results to early-warning: Repurposing MCF diagnostics for FMDV and bluetongue surveillance
Supervisors:
Dr Chris Illingworth , University of Glasgow
Dr Valentina Busin, Moredun Research Institute
Dr Mafalda Viana, School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow
Summary:
Foot and mouth disease (FMDV) is a highly transmissible viral disease of animals, with devastating consequences for animals, farmers, and the rural economy. While the UK is currently disease-free, this status is somewhat vulnerable, with novel outbreaks observed in 2025 and 2026 within continental Europe. FMDV symptoms are similar to those caused by malignant catarrhal fever (MCF), a severe but non-transmissible viral illness often arising in UK cattle. This project will use epidemiological models to explore the potential for MCF screening to enhance FMDV surveillance, exploiting MCF-negative samples already in the lab to catch potential novel outbreaks earlier than they would otherwise be detected.
This project brings together the Moredun Research Institute, a national diagnostic reference laboratory, with the Centre for Virus Research at the University of Glasgow, a world-leading centre of excellence spanning clinical, experimental, and computational approaches to virology. You will gain experience of epidemiological modelling, real-world surveillance data, and novel approaches to diagnostics. This project will provide a strong grounding for future work in government agencies, biosecurity and surveillance, or further academic research.