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Pirbight's Plowright building from afar with wild plants in front

15 November 2024

Pirbright welcomes two successful Doctoral Landscape Awards in life and environmental sciences

The Pirbright Institute is celebrating two major doctoral training initiatives funded by the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), each offering unique opportunities for the next generation of scientists. These programmes…

Close up of a pipette tip in a well of gel electrophoresis. Blue liquid is visible in the wells.

14 November 2024

Nurturing emerging leaders in science

Two talented Pirbright researchers have been awarded with Strategic Career Development Awards (SCDAs) to advance their research and career trajectories. Dr Rory Fortes de Brito, a Senior Postdoctoral researcher in the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) Immunology group and Dr Lidia…

Latest news

culicoides biting midge sitting on a green stalk pirbright

03 September 2024

Pirbright testing vital in tackling bluetongue

The Pirbright Institute is supporting the UK’s fight to control bluetongue virus (BTV) following a restricted zone declaration by the Chief Veterinary Officer. The Institute’s Reference Laboratories play a key national role in screening ruminant blood samples to detect BTV-infected animals and…

Three sheep in a field

02 September 2024

Watch: How Pirbright scientists predict, detect, and tackle bluetongue virus

Spread by biting midges, bluetongue virus poses a significant threat to livestock production and trade. Discover how scientists at The Pirbright Institute predict, detect, understand and respond to bluetongue virus.

Spotlight: Understanding bluetongue virus

Our bluetongue virus specialist, Dr Carrie Batten, shares insights into a disease that threatens the livestock industry. What is bluetongue virus? Bluetongue does not affect people or food safety. It is a disease of sheep, cattle and other ruminants caused by the bluetongue virus (BTV). Transmitted…

culicoides biting midge sitting on a green stalk pirbright

Pirbright tests for BTV3 in the UK

The Pirbright Institute has begun testing for bluetongue virus (BTV) following a single reported case in Norfolk. The UK Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer confirmed a case of bluetongue virus BTV3 in a single sheep at a premises near Haddiscoe, the first case detected in the 2024/25 midge season…

Close up of biting midge on skin

20 February 2024

Scientists identify T-cells involved in anti-viral immunity and disease during bluetongue virus infection in sheep

A unique study has highlighted an important role for ‘helper’ T-cells in enabling sheep to mount a timely protective immune response to bluetongue virus (BTV) infection. Transmitted by Culicoides biting midges, bluetongue virus has recently been detected in over 80 sheep and cattle across farms…

A black outline of a pig on a background that shows red ASF virus particles

Pirbright twins with Philippines to improve African swine fever control

On 10 June 2021, experts at The Pirbright Institute kicked off a new World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) twinning project with the Animal Disease Diagnosis and Reference Laboratory, part of the Bureau of Animal Industry’s Veterinary Laboratory Division (BAI- VLD- ADDRL) in the Philippines…

A pig in hay with straw over face

22 January 2021

Early animal studies by Pirbright and Oxford yield promising results for new potential COVID-19 vaccine

Studies carried out by The Pirbright Institute and the University of Oxford have shown that Oxford’s new potential vaccine against COVID-19, named RBD-SpyVLP, produces a strong antibody response in mice and pigs, providing vital information for the further development of the vaccine. Although this…

Three sheep in a field

Pirbright shows British sheep can be infected with two types of bluetongue simultaneously

Researchers at The Pirbright Institute have shown that British sheep can become infected with two serotypes of bluetongue virus (BTV) simultaneously and that midges feeding on the sheep can also become co-infected. Their study demonstrates the importance of understanding the effects of bluetongue co…

Flourescence image of rinderpest

Genetic analysis of rinderpest by Pirbright scientists reveals new information

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have shed new light on the genetics, evolution and spread of rinderpest by analysing the genetic sequences of the stocks destroyed at the Rinderpest Holding Facility and World Reference Laboratory for rinderpest held at Pirbright. In June 2019 the final stocks…

Pirbright supports UK’s effort to ramp up diagnostic testing for COVID-19

The Pirbright Institute, which is home to several World Reference Laboratories for viral diseases of livestock, is using its equipment and expertise in diagnostics and disease surveillance to support COVID-19 testing in the UK. The Institute is helping in three key areas, all of which will enable…

Pirbright confirms African horse sickness outbreak in Thailand

Scientists in the Non-Vesicular Reference Laboratory (NVRL) at The Pirbright Institute have confirmed an outbreak of African horse sickness (AHS) in Thailand. AHS is the most lethal viral disease of horses known and the rapid diagnostic services provided by Pirbright has enabled authorities to…

Bluetongue virus (BTV) cores

05 February 2020

Pirbright determines bluetongue strain and origin in 2016 Cyprus outbreak

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have used genetic analysis and wind modelling to show that the 2016 bluetongue outbreak in Cyprus was caused by bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8). The virus most likely crossed over to Cyprus in midges blown from the coastal regions of Syria, Lebanon or Israel…