Reflections on IDEAL: What we have learnt from a unique calf cohort study

R Callaby; A Jennings; S T Mwangi; M Mbole-Kariuki; I Van Wyk; H Kiara; J A W Coetzer; M E J Woolhouse; O Hanotte; P G Toye; B M deC Bronsvoort

doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2020.105062

Reflections on IDEAL: What we have learnt from a unique calf cohort study

Prev Vet Med. 2020 Aug:181:105062. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2020.105062. Epub 2020 Jun 20.

Authors

R Callaby¹, A Jennings², S T Mwangi³, M Mbole-Kariuki⁴, I Van Wyk⁵, H Kiara⁶, J A W Coetzer⁷, M E J Woolhouse⁸, O Hanotte⁹, P G Toye¹⁰, B M deC Bronsvoort¹¹

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH), Easter Bush Campus, EH25 9RG, UK; The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. Electronic address: rebecca.callaby@roslin.ed.ac.uk.
² The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
³ Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, USA; University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
⁴ African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), Nairobi, Kenya.
⁵ Hans Hoheisen Wildlife Research Station, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
⁶ International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya.
⁷ Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
⁸ Usher Institute, Deanery of Molecular, Genetic and Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
⁹ Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH), ILRI Ethiopia, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Cells, Organisms and Molecular Genetics, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
¹⁰ International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya; Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH), ILRI Kenya, P.O. Box 30709, Nairobi, 00100, Kenya.
¹¹ Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH), Easter Bush Campus, EH25 9RG, UK; The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

Abstract

The year 2020 marks a decade since the final visit was made in the 'Infectious Diseases of East African Livestock' (IDEAL) project. However, data generation from samples obtained during this ambitious longitudinal study still continues. As the project launches its extensive open-access database and biobank to the scientific community, we reflect on the challenges overcome, the knowledge gained, and the advantages of such a project. We discuss the legacy of the IDEAL project and how it continues to generate evidence since being adopted by the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH). We also examine the impact of the IDEAL project, from the authors perspective, for each of the stakeholders (the animal, the farmer, the consumer, the policy maker, the funding body, and the researcher and their institution) involved in the project and provide recommendations for future researchers who are interested in running longitudinal field studies.

Keywords: Cattle; Cohort; Epidemiology; Infectious disease; Kenya; Longitudinal study.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Cattle
Cattle Diseases* / diagnosis
Cattle Diseases* / etiology
Cattle Diseases* / prevention & control
Cattle Diseases* / therapy
Databases, Factual
Longitudinal Studies