Michael Hutchings

The fundamental drivers of disease dynamics (persistence, prevalence & spread) in multi-species host communities and understanding how the biology scales up from individuals to populations. My research focusses on the influence of biological processes (e.g. host behaviour, physiology, ecology) and environmental and management practices (e.g. husbandry, nutrition, livestock trade). The research includes how the biology interacts with the management to determine the efficacy of disease control strategies and livestock production. Topics include:
• Ecology of antimicrobial resistance
• Animal health impacts on production efficiency and GHG emissions and the consequences of environment change on animal health
• Role of wildlife in the epidemiology of livestock disease
• Early detection of disease using animal behaviour
• Using novel diagnostics to improve disease surveillance and characterise the health burdens (including co-infection relationships) of host communities in agricultural systems
• Quantifying routes of direct and indirect disease transmission
• Development and testing of disease control strategies (Parasites, ParaTB, E-coli O157)