WBVR conducts unique and innovative research into animal diseases. Photo: WUR
If a contagious animal disease were to break out in the Netherlands tomorrow, Wageningen University & Research would spring into action. By testing rapidly and offering reliable advice, WUR helps the government keep outbreaks of animal diseases in check. But what does this process look like in practice?
In September 2023, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) received a concerning alert. Sheep farmers in the vicinity of Loosdrecht had observed uncommon disease symptoms in their sheep. Could it be a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak? Veterinarians rushed to the businesses in question. Samples taken from infected sheep were sent to the WBVR facilities in Lelystad. There, the researchers took immediate action. Not long after, they released the first results: the sheep had been infected with bluetongue disease. ‘We rapidly determined which disease we were dealing with’, Matthijn de Boer reminisces. De Boer has been crisis manager and head of the Statutory Research Tasks for Contagious Animal Diseases since 2020. If a suspected outbreak is confirmed in the Netherlands, his phone will start ringing. ‘We hadn’t expected bluetongue disease, as this disease is currently mostly confined to southern France and Spain. However, we know from experience that we need to be prepared for any eventuality.’
'Diagnostics at WBVR includes, screening, monitoring, export, and investigations of suspected cases'
WBVR researchers in the laboratory, where they use the latest techniques to detect animal diseases. Photo: WUR
‘WBVR in Lelystad has access to the latest technologies’, De Boer continues. ‘Our diagnostics are fast and reliable. Within 48 hours, we not only knew what disease we were dealing with, but also had access to its entire genetic code. We immediately shared this information with the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN).’
Not unlike a fire brigade
Wageningen University & Research performs statutory research tasks (WOT) on behalf of the government. Responding to contagious animal disease outbreaks is one of those tasks. As such, WBVR is always ready to perform research and offer advice in case of a crisis. In recent years, WBVR has been involved in outbreaks of avian influenza, coronavirus in mink, and the bluetongue virus. In 2024, WBVR is once again playing a crucial role in combating avian influenza in the Netherlands. During such outbreaks, the institute uses its expertise to test suspected samples and support policy measures. This includes, among other things, screening the area surrounding the poultry farm that tested positive for avian influenza. So what happens if a contagious animal disease is detected in the Netherlands? De Boer: ‘As soon as a cattle farmer notices any anomalies at their farm, they will call in the local veterinarian. If they suspect the presence of a notifiable animal disease, they will report this to the NVWA. The NVWA will, in turn, take samples and send them to Lelystad, where we will test them immediately. We do this for many animal diseases, 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. We always have teams at the ready, and our location even has a sleeping unit. It’s not unlike a fire brigade.’ In order to be prepared for such situations, the WBVR maintains a crisis manual. According to this manual, in case of a positive result, a weekly consultation is planned with the key stakeholders of the crisis organisation.
If a contagious animal disease breaks out somewhere in the Netherlands, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) springs into action. Wageningen researchers can test thousands of samples per day in crisis situations. Crisis Manager Matthijn de Boer and researcher Evelien Germeraad show how WBVR helps the government deal with bluetongue, avian influenza and other animal diseases.
The crisis approach of WBVR consists of four phases. As long as nothing is awry, the dormant phase applies. If a disease breaks out in a neighbouring country, the alert phase begins. ‘We’ll start preparing’, De Boer says. ‘This is mostly an administrative procedure. We can easily handle this with our own people.’ If an outbreak is detected in the Netherlands, the third, most severe phase is declared: the crisis phase. Once this phase has passed, the review and recovery phase begins, in which the entire process is evaluated. Tests are performed every day in Lelystad. Standard diagnostics include processes like screening, monitoring, research and testing of wild fauna and farm animals meant for export. These daily activities form the foundations of the role WBVR fulfils as the national reference laboratory for many animal diseases. ‘Our daily diagnostics follow the same process as our crisis activities. This way, we can respond immediately in case of emergency situations, allowing us to test many hundreds of samples in a brief timespan. Sometimes, that takes a lot of manual labour.’
Challenges in times of crisis
If an outbreak takes place, WBVR can even scale up. Depending on the animal disease in question, several thousand suspected infections can be processed each day. This all happens side by side with the regular diagnostics, which, even in times of crisis, always continue. ‘Freeing up enough personnel during the peak moments is always the biggest challenge during a crisis’, says De Boer. ‘Researchers are often involved in ongoing projects, and those need to be continued, too.’
'Close cooperation with the NVWA and the Ministry of LVVN is essential'
Photo: Shutterstock.
On 5 September 2023, the first suspected cases of bluetongue disease began trickling in. After that, the numbers increased exponentially. ‘There were so many that the NVWA no longer managed to take all samples themselves. In the end, it involved too many locations for the NVWA to collect all the samples themselves’, De Boer reminisces. On top of that, crises always present additional tasks. A disease outbreak often generates lots of media attention, and the Second Chamber might raise questions about the origins of the outbreak, for example. WBVR needs to be able to respond quickly, in these cases. During the corona crisis, WBVR also had to spring into action. Back then, this did not involve animal diseases, but COVID tests in humans. WBVR was able to scale up immediately: ‘At that time, there were two teams each day, 7 days a week. There were some struggles here and there, but we are fully geared towards tackling any crisis phase, no matter what it takes.’
Vaccine development
The Wageningen-based efforts in case of outbreaks go far beyond merely testing samples. WBVR is often called upon to offer policy advice to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN). ‘We have experts for every animal disease’, De Boer says. ‘For instance, if LVVN is considering transport restrictions, our teams of epidemiologists and risk analysts can immediately calculate the impact of such measures and offer corresponding advice.’ Wageningen researchers are also consulted when it comes to vaccines. When the bluetongue virus outbreak had been detected, the government ordered pharmaceutical businesses to develop a vaccine as soon as possible. WBVR was given the responsibility of testing the safety and efficacy of these vaccines.
'We can rapidly scale up to test hundreds of samples per day when needed'
During an outbreak, WBVR processes several thousand suspicions per day – in addition to regular diagnostics. Photo: WUR
WBVR has access to a large High Containment Unit, a facility that allows researchers to work with animal diseases at the highest security level. In this unit, sheep were inoculated with potential vaccines against bluetongue disease before being exposed to the virus. De Boer: ‘In order to gain more knowledge about an animal disease, we perform most of our work in the lab, like multiplying the virus and studying its behaviour. Those activities are performed without animal tests. After all, we want to use as few animals for our research as possible.’
Golden triangle
In order to be ready for an outbreak, effective cooperation is of the utmost importance. WBVR has an extensive national and international network, De Boer says. ‘During the bluetongue outbreak, we maintained steady contact with our German and Belgian colleagues. How are things going over there? Are you going to vaccinate, or not? That information is highly valuable.’ ‘With recent cases of avian influenza in cattle in the United States, we established direct contact with American organisations. That way, we can prepare for similar cases in the Netherlands and conduct further research’, De Boer explains. ‘We use our connections to get that specific virus to our lab.’ In the crisis phase especially, intensive cooperations are established with various organisations, like Royal GD. Close cooperation with the NVWA and the Ministry of LVVN is likewise essential. ‘In case of a crisis, we are constantly on the phone with them’, De Boer says. ‘LVVN makes the policies, the NVWA executes them, and we provide advice, support and diagnostics. That is the golden triangle for crisis situations.’
Matthijn de Boer Crisismanager & Head of the Statutory Tasks Unit for Transmissible Animal Diseases (WOT-BD)
Research project Diagnostics: testing for animal diseases
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