Department of Veterinary Medicine

Cambridge Veterinary School

Research in Veterinary Medicine

AW (Dan) Tucker

Position(s): Senior Lecturer, Veterinary Public Health

Email: awt1000@cam.ac.uk

Tel.: +44 (0)1223 330885

Other relevant links

Research description

Our work is focused on infectious diseases of livestock with particular interest in 3 areas:

  1. Understanding the relevance, and means for control and exclusion, of infectious agents of livestock species: porcine circovirus, porcine gammaherpesviruses, and porcine retroviruses. Historically, this work has included developing evidence based protocols for optimising microbiological safety in xenotransplantation of pig tissues. Currently funded work includes an investigation of risk factors and costs associated with pleurisy in slaughterpigs.
  2. Investigation of the genetic basis for reduced host susceptibility to infectious disease, working with Haemophilus parasuis and Glasser's Disease in pigs.
  3. The development of ex vivo infection models for respiratory diseases of livestock following the principles of the 3Rs (reduction, refinement and replacement). These models are designed to enable detailed study of host and pathogen interactions in the early period immediately post-infection.

Main collaborators

  • Prof. Mick Bailey, University of Bristol.
  • Prof Josh Slater, Royal Veterinary College.
  • Dr Linda Scobie, Glasgow Caledonian University.
  • Dr Juliet Foweraker, Papworth Hospital.
  • Professor Stanley Done, Veterinary Laboratories Agency.
  • Dr Rodney Baker, University of Iowa.

Key publications since 2001

  • Grierson SS, King DP, Tucker AW, Donadeu M, Mellencamp MA, Haverson K, Banks M, Bailey M. (2007). Ontogeny of systemic cellular immunity in the neonatal pig: Correlation with the development of post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 119. 254-268.
  • de la Fuente AJ, Tucker AW, Navas J, Blanco M, Morris SJ, Butierrez-Martin CB. Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Haemophilus parasuis from pigs in the United Kingdom and Spain. Vet Microbiol. 2007. Feb 25; 120 (1-2): 184-91.
  • Tucker AW, Donadeu M, Mellencamp M, Scobie L. Retroviraemia in commercial pigs and its preliminary association with low health status. J Clin Microbiol. 2006 Oct;44(10):3846-7.
  • Tucker AW and L Scobie. (2006). Retroviraemia in commercial pigs and its preliminary association with low health status. Vet Record, 159 (11) Sep 9, 367-368.
  • Tucker AW. An update on zoonotic infections of pigs. The Pig Journal. 2006 58: 113-121.
  • Banks M, Grierson S, Tucker D (AW), Bailey M, Donadeau M, Sargent C, King D, Mellencamp M. Swine and circovirus. Dev Biol (Basel). 2006;126:107-13; discussion 325-6.
  • Tucker AW, Foweraker JE, Belcher CE, Moloo B, Bell JA, Humar A, Mazzulli T, Grant D. Control of microbial contamination during surgical harvest of pig renal xenografts. Xenotransplantation. 2004 Jan;11(1):91-6.
  • Tucker AW, McNeilly F, Meehan B, Galbraith D, McArdle PD, Allan G, Patience C. Methods for the exclusion of circoviruses and gammaherpesviruses from pigs. Xenotransplantation. 2003 Jul;10(4):343-8.
  • Clark DA, Fryer JF, Tucker AW, McArdle PD, Hughes AE, Emery VC, Griffiths PD. Porcine cytomegalovirus in pigs being bred for xenograft organs: progress towards control. Xenotransplantation 2003 Mar;10(2):142-8.
  • Tucker AW, Belcher CE, et al. The production of transgenic pigs for potential use in clinical xenotransplantation: microbiological evaluation. Xenotransplantation 2002, 9, 191-202.
  • Tucker AW, Belcher CE, et al. The production of transgenic pigs for potential use in clinical xenotransplantation: baseline clinical pathology and organ sizes. Xenotransplantation 2002, 9, 203-208.