RESEARCH PROFILE

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution, causes and prevention of diseases in populations. It is an ideal approach for the study of complex diseases in real life settings that can lead to real improvements in health and welfare.

My aim is to improve the health and welfare of farmed livestock using epidemiological approaches in a multidisciplinary setting; using state of the art methodologies using statistical and mathematical modelling together with microbiology, welfare and behaviour sciences and the social sciences together with close discussion with farmers and veterinarians to study disease on commercial farms and to ensure that our research impacts and reduces disease in farm animals.

I am interested in persistent bacterial diseases that are common in livestock and our group currently works on footrot in sheep (funders, BBSRC, EBLEX, Defra) and mastitis in sheep (EBLEX, BBSRC) and cattle. I am interested in explaining the spread and persistence of diseases to industry to help them make more informed decisions about control of infectious diseases and we are working on spread and persistence of PRRS in pigs (BPEX).

I am also interested in common non infectious diseases that affect farm animals and reduce their welfare and our group work on lameness in cattle and lameness in pigs (Defra, Teagasc).

Research Group Members:
Dr Judith Brown. BBSRC funded InFER: Likelihood-based Inference for Epidemic Risk
Dr Amy Kilbride ? Defra funded Overcoming the barriers to uptake of best welfare practice by sheep farmers
Dr Ed Smith. EBLEX funded Udder and teat conformation and chronic mastitis in sheep
Selin Cooper. BBSRC EBLEX CASE studentship Determining the organisms and pathways of infection leading to mastitis in sheep
Elisabeth King. BBSRC Pfizer CASE studentship Lameness in English lowland sheep flocks: farmer perspectives and behaviour
Dan Franklin. BPEX studentship Enhancing the Impact of Regional Health Improvement Programmes in Great Britain?s Pig Industry
Emma Monaghan. Genesis Faraday BBSRC EBLEX CASE studentship The diversity of the microbial community of the udders of sheep
Muzafar Mhod. Warwick University Award Genomic variation within populations of Dichelobacter nodosus in relation to ovine foot disease.
Amy Quinn. Walsh Fellowship with Teagasc, Ireland Walsh Fellowship: Lameness in pigs, prevalence, risk factors, causes and the relationship with limb lesions
Vinca Russell. BBSRC Pfizer CASE studentship with Roslin Modelling Footrot: The Interaction between Genetics and Epidemiology

BACKGROUND

Member, Farm Animal Welfare Committee
Chair, BBSRC Committee A
Visiting Professor, University of Nottingham
Member, REF panel A - subpanel 6

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

• CASE Studentship Selin Cooper - BBSRC "Determining the organisms and pathways of infection leading to mastitis in sheep" (BB/H015949/1), Funded by: EBLEX Ltd, Project Start Date: 01/01/2011 Project End Date: 31/12/2014
• BBSRC/Genesis Faraday CASE studentship "The diversity of the microbial community of the udders of sheep" BB/H0159/1, with -, Funded by: EBLEX Ltd, Project Start Date: 01/10/2010 Project End Date: 30/09/2014
• Walsh Fellowship Lameness in pigs, prevalence, risk factors, causes and the relationship with limb lesions (ref 2010003) - studentship, Funded by: Teagasc, Project Start Date: 01/10/2010 Project End Date: 30/09/2013
• InFER: Likelihood-based Inference for Epidemic Risk, with Prof Gareth O Roberts, Statistics, - - Professor Laura E E Green - Biological Sciences Professor Matthew J Keeling - Biological Sciences, Funded by: BBSRC, Project Start Date: 01/10/2009 Project End Date: 30/06/2013
• Are udder and teat conformation heritable traits that affect mastitis in Texel sheep?, with Dr Edward M Smith - Life Sciences, Funded by: Technology Strategy Board, Project Start Date: 01/01/2012 Project End Date: 30/06/2012
  
  

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SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• KilBride, A.L., M. Mendl, P. Statham, S. Held, M. Harris, S. Cooper, L.E. Green(2012) 'A cohort study of preweaning piglet mortality and farrowing accommodation on 112 commercial pig farms in England' Preventive Veterinary Medicine 104 281 - 291 (0167-5877) [article]
• LE Green,J Kaler, GJ Wassink, EM King, R Grogono Thomas, (2012) 'Impact of rapid treatment of sheep lame with footrot on welfare and economics and farmer attitudes to lameness in sheep' Animal Welfare 21 (supplement 1), 67 - 72 (0962-7286)
• Smith, EM, Hoffman JI, Green LE, Amos W(2012) 'Preliminary association of microsatellite heterozygosity with footrot in domestic sheep' Livestock Production Science 143 293 - 299 [article]
• KilBride, A. L., Mason, S. A., Honeyman, P.C., Pritchard, D. G., Hepple, S. and Green, L. E.(2012) 'Associations between membership of farm assurance and organic certification schemes and compliance with animal welfare legislation' Veterinary Record, The 170 152 (0042-4900) [article]
• B.H. Nielsen, P.T. Thomsen, L.E. Green, J. Kaler(2012) 'A study of the dynamics of digital dermatitis in 742 lactating dairy cows' Preventive Veterinary Medicine 104 44 - 52 (0167-5877)

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