Alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 is a strange virus: it is harmless to its host species, the wildebeest, but is fatal when it is carried to cattle. Benjamin Dewals has perfected a vaccine against the disease.
Fertility in the Holstein breed of dairy cattle has been decreasing steadily. There are many causes but the accumulation of deleterious mutations causing early embryonic death could partly explain this decrease.
In Europe, many ruminants have been struck by this virus which is particularly dangerous to foetuses. A team from ULg has been following this epidemic closely.
Scientists of human and veterinary medicine compare notes on the epidemic caused by the Escherichia (E.) coli bacteria in May 2011. Their publication answers a lot of questions.
Analyses of the Belgian Blue’s genome have led to the discovery of a new genetic mechanism involving the translocation of a circular chromosome fragment.