A collaborative research project between Teagasc and the Molecular laboratory, National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway is aiming to develop a vaccine that is capable of preventing liver fluke infection in sheep.
The vaccines currently being tested utilise a variety of proteins found in liver fluke.
The aim of using these proteins is to stimulate the sheep immune system to mount an effective immune response to kill off the parasite, and to limit any future infections, according to Teagasc.
Vaccination offers an alternative and sustainable approach to controlling liver fluke infection.
If proven to be effective, vaccination will help reduce reliance on flukicide treatments and will improve production efficiency, which may be limited by this parasite, Teagasc added.
A number of vaccines have recently been tested in trials at Teagasc, Athenry, and field trials of promising candidates are starting in the summer of 2022 to assess how well the vaccine works when faced with the day-to-day challenges that sheep experience at pasture.
The development of a vaccine which protects against liver fluke infection would provide a method of non-chemical control of fluke and would have a cumulative effect due to the prevention of egg shedding, thus breaking the liver fluke life-cycle.