Ottawa and Saskatchewan come together for vaccine investment

Dec 18, 2014

Pan-Provincial Vaccine Enterprise to develop vaccine against CWD

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

The federal and Saskatchewan provincial governments announced a joint investment to Pan-Provincial Vaccine Enterprise (PREVENT) to help develop a vaccine against Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

CWD attacks an animal’s brain and is commonly found in alternative livestock (deer, elk, buffalo, wild boar, etc.). Animals in Saskatchewan, Alberta and 22 U.S. states including Colorado, Iowa, and Wyoming are affected by CWD.

An animal infected with the progressive, always fatal, disease could show symptoms ranging from weight loss and listlessness, to decreased animal interaction and when the animal is in the terminal stages, excessive drinking and urination.

Industry estimates deem CWD caused an 85% drop in the alternative livestock market between 2001 and 2011; a new vaccine could help the industry rebound from it.

"This is an important area of research with the potential to address a significant issue facing our cervid producers. Our government is pleased to join the federal government in supporting PREVENT's work toward developing an effective vaccine to control the spread of CWD,” said Lyle Stewart, Minister of Agriculture for Saskatchewan.

There are no reports of humans catching CWD.

The federal government is giving $700,000 through the Research and Development branch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada`s AgriInnovation Program and will join the province in a $463,000 investment to the Growing Forward 2 Agriculture Development Fund.

Video: LALEXPERT: Sclerotinia cycle and prophylactic methods

White rot, also known as sclerotinia, is a common agricultural fungal disease caused by various virulent species of Sclerotinia. It initially affects the root system (mycelium) before spreading to the aerial parts through the dissemination of spores.

Sclerotinia is undoubtedly a disease of major economic importance, and very damaging in the event of a heavy attack.

All these attacks come from the primary inoculum stored in the soil: sclerotia. These forms of resistance can survive in the soil for over 10 years, maintaining constant contamination of susceptible host crops, causing symptoms on the crop and replenishing the soil inoculum with new sclerotia.