Research on ovine parasite Toxoplasma gondii, carried out at the University of Salford, could have a significant economic impact on the sheep farming industry - potentially saving the lives of 5% of the UK lamb population.

Postgraduate student Emma Morley has been working as part of a large research team, looking at the importance of transmission routes of T. gondii (the cause of the disease toxoplasmosis) within different mammalian groups.  

A scholarship from the Perry Foundation, which funds research benefiting the farming industry, allowed Emma to launch her own study at the School of Environment & Life Sciences.

Salford parasitologist Professor Geoff Hide said: "Emma's research may have some significant impacts on sheep farming.  Nearly 5% of lambs are lost to Toxoplasma in the UK so it's of major economic importance as well as an important animal welfare issue."

He said that one of the key things Emma's research has shown is that the advice currently given to farmers may be causing an increase in the level of the disease rather than controlling it. "Farmers are advised to breed from ewes that have lost lambs to Toxoplasma but Emma's results show that what farmers should be doing is breeding from ewes that do not have the parasite," he said.

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