The Frank Duncombe laboratory is calling all units! A large-scale three-year European project, benefiting in particular from ERDF funding is currently underway to research equine respiratory viruses and their effects on performance.
Better horse health = Less financial loss
Respiratory disorders are the first cause of counter-performance in sport horses and are behind considerable financial loss to the horse industry.
Code named ERVIP for Equine Respiratory Viruses and Performance, “The aim of the project is to list all known viruses that can potentially lead to inflammation of the respiratory tract in horses, hence generating poor performance,” explains Guillaume Fortier, the laboratory’s director and the project’s scientific director.
ERVIP will therefore be concentrating on two main goals: first of all, the development of molecular tools for the rapid, simultaneous and quantitative detection of these equine respiratory viruses, then the determination of the incidence of viral infection in horses in training, and their implication in counter-performance.
This type of research has already been conducted within the laboratory for many years; however, “this time, all team members are keen and committed to taking our research even further,” the director adds. For the stakes are high for the entire horse industry.
Many horse owners and equestrians are unaware that respiratory disorders are the first cause of counter-performance in sport horses. Yet, these disorders are part of horse industry professionals' day-to-day preoccupations, for, among other concerns, they are behind considerable financial loss.
The cost of equine respiratory diseases is estimated at over 20 million Euros per year! An illustration of how important the horse industry’s needs are in terms of healthcare and sporting performance.
The total budget for the ERVIP project, reuniting several partners, is in excess of one million Euros: ERDF (35.22%), Frank Duncombe laboratory – Calvados Council (26.64%), Pfizer (15.12%), Lower Normandy Regional Council (7.71%), the horse industry network (5.60%), the CIRALE (1.97%), the RESPE (0.84%) and the IFCE – French Horse and Equestrian Institute (approached for a contribution of 8.90%).
Franck Duncombe Laboratory: the European leader in equine health
Unobtrusive efficiency! The Frank Duncombe laboratory’s influence stretches well beyond the frontiers of Calvados. Created over 115 years ago by the Calvados Council – of which it remains a constituent (1), the establishment has become one of the most influential département laboratories in France.
Every year, 1,250,000 assays and analyses are conducted for 50,000 clients in both France and abroad. The laboratory intervenes in a wide range of scientific fields: water or food analysis, animal health.
Equine health (occupying 30% of the laboratory’s staff), has positioned the laboratory as European leader in the diagnosis of viral equine pathologies. And competition is fierce, particularly among counterparts located in Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom.