Visiting scholar tackles bovine tuberculosis
Visiting Scholar Isioma Doris Chukwu, a PhD student at the University of Jos in Nigeria, traveled to St Andrews for three weeks in late May. She worked with Infection and Global Health (IGH) Division members Principal Research Fellow Dr Wilber Sabiiti, Research Fellow Dr Im Hwa Um, and Research Technician Natasha Walbaum.
Ms Chukwu’s visit comes in the context of the tuberculosis (TB) research collaboration between IGH and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN). Scottish Funding Council support secured through the Research Impact and Innovations Services Enabler (RIISE) has enabled expansion of this collaboration to include Nigeria’s National Institute of Veterinary Institute (NVRI) and the University of Jos. The focus of this work is on addressing tuberculosis as a zoonotic disease affecting both humans and animals, particularly cattle.
During her visit, Ms Chukwu used the St Andrews-developed TB-MBLA test to study tissue from cattle, revealing that TB can affect almost every organ of the body. This has been a very productive visit for Ms Chukwu and marks the beginning of a long-term research collaboration in the field of bovine tuberculosis.