Research News

Each month, we put a 'Spotlight On' a different researcher in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine to find out more about the path leading to their current role in the School, their area of interest and what drew them into this area, what they enjoy most about their work and the best thing about working in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine.

Click on the links below to find out more about our most recent ‘Spotlight On’ features:

Robin Farrell, Veterinary Nursing Programme Director, tells us about working in the Bronx Zoo as a teenager, becoming a general practice veterinary technician with the US military and why she chose to leave the tropical island of St Kitts to take up a position in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine!

Undergraduate students Jennifer Dillon & Ellen O'Donovan tell us why they decided to study Veterinary Medicine, how they got involved in research and what they enjoy doing in their time away from the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine!

Orla Byrne, PhD student in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, tells us about growing up on a farm in Wicklow, working in the horse racing industry and exploring different careers and skills while untangling her 'Ikigai.'

Steve Gordon, Professor in Infection Biology in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, tells us about growing up in the Mayo countryside, career successes and setbacks, and the opportunities he's had to live in different places and work with so many fantastic people!

Mary Sekiya, Chief Technical Officer in the School of Veterinary Medicine Pathobiology Section, tells us about growing up in Chicago, what brought her to Ireland, and bringing sustainability to a higher level in UCD.

Seamus Hoey, Assistant Professor in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, tells us about his time as an undergraduate student in UCD, how his love of Radiology developed and the diverse opportunities that come with a career in Veterinary Medicine.

Prof. Conor McAloon has been appointed Chair of the UCD Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis (CVERA) following the retirement of Professor Simon More.

Conor is originally from a dairy farm in Co. Tyrone and qualified as a veterinary surgeon from UCD in 2011. He worked in mixed practice in Strabane, Co. Tyrone before returning to UCD in 2013. In 2016, after completing a residency and certifying examinations in bovine herd health, he was recognised by the European College of Veterinary Specialisation as a Specialist in Bovine Health Management. He is also recognised by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as a Specialist in Cattle Health and Production. In 2017, he completed a PhD in the epidemiology and control of Johne’s Disease in Irish dairy herds.

Prior to Conor's appointment as Chair, he worked as a clinician and lecturer in Bovine Health Management in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine where he divided his time between clinical work, teaching and research. Conor has an extensive research background in all aspects of cattle health, production and welfare, and is actively involved in research in dairy calf pneumonia, Johne's disease, surveillance, epidemiology, welfare, antimicrobial use and biosecurity. For more information, please visit (opens in a new window)https://people.ucd.ie/conor.mcaloon/

The DisplayTB mapping dashboard was created as part of a research program into Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) being conducted by CVERA for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). The interfaces allows stakeholders to view current and recent bTB status and bTB testing history of herds in their local area. This is an ongoing research project, and the content is likely to change over time. To view the DisplayTB mapper, please visit (opens in a new window)https://tinyurl.com/mr38vkyp

There has been a sharp disimprovement in the bovine tuberculosis (bTB) situation in Ireland in recent years. This commentary by Professor Simon More argues for critical programme change in three overarching themes relevant to the Irish bTB eradication programme, if eradication is to be successful: (1) Limiting infection in cattle; (2) Limiting infection within and from wildlife; and (3) Programme leadership, management, governance and cost-sharing.

In these three themes, most of the constraints are non-technical. If difficult decisions are not taken and the status quo is allowed to continue, there is a risk that infection may establish in further wildlife species, which may make eradication unattainable. Current decisions (including inaction) will impact future generations, including the general public (through the Exchequer) and future farming families. The full commentary can be accessed for free at the Irish Veterinary Journal 77, 22 ((opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.1186/s13620-024-00282-z).

The following papers, published in 2024/2025, were led by CVERA members:

• Madden, J.M., Casey-Bryars, M., More, S.J., Barrett, D., Gormley, E., Ryan, E., 2024. Investigation of the association between the Enferplex bovine tuberculosis antibody test and the future risk of bovine tuberculosis in Irish cattle in infected herds: a pilot field study. Veterinary Research Communications 48, 555–561 ((opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-023-10200-3).
• Madden, J.M., O’Donovan, J., Casey-Bryars, M., Sweeney, J., Messam, L.L., McAloon, C.G., More, S.J., Kenny, K., Ryan, E., Gormley, E., 2024. The impact of changing the cut-off threshold of the interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) assay for diagnosing bovine tuberculosis in Ireland. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 224, 106129 (opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106129).
• McGrath, G., More, S., 2024. Farm fragmentation in Ireland. Veterinaria Italiana 60, 4 ((opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.12834/VetIt.3484.29173.2).
• More, S.J., 2024. Eradication of bovine tuberculosis in Ireland: is it a case of now or never? Irish Veterinary Journal 77, 22 ((opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.1186/s13620-024-00282-z).
• Tratalos, J.A., Madden, J.M., Casey, M., McSweeney, M., Farrell, F.M., More, S.J., 2024. An epidemiological investigation into the reasons for high bovine tuberculosis incidence in cattle herds of the Burren, Ireland, prior to 2020. Irish Veterinary Journal 77, 15 ((opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.1186/s13620-024-00275-y).
• Tratalos, J., Madden, J., McGrath, G., More, S., 2024. Computing metrics to inform selection of candidate areas for a regionalized approach to bovine tuberculosis eradication in Ireland. Veterinaria Italiana 60, 4 ((opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.12834/VetIt.3486.23927.2).

The following papers, published in 2024/2025, were co-authored by CVERA members:

• Brock, J., Guelbenzu-Gonzalo, M., Lange, M., Tratalos, J.A., Barrett, D., Lane, L., More, S.J., Graham, D.A., Thulke, H.H., 2024, Evaluating the effectiveness & costs of strategies post-eradication to monitor for freedom from BVDV infection in Ireland. Agricultural Systems 221, 104127 ((opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104127).
• Chang, Y., Widgren, S., de Jong, M.C.M., Tratalos, J.A., More, S.J., Hartemink, N., 2025. Evaluating the effectiveness of badger vaccination combined with cattle test-and-removal in managing bovine tuberculosis: Insights from a two-host and multi-route transmission model. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 235, 106386 ((opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106386).
• Martin, H., Garcia Manzanilla, E., More, S.J., Hyde, R., McAloon, C., 2025. Quantification of antimicrobial usage on Irish dairy farms: a comparison of three recording methods. Journal of Dairy Science (in press) ((opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2024-24688).
• McAloon, C.I., Farrell, D., Smith, J., Gordon, S.V., Sheehan, M., Kennedy, A., Geraghty, T., Mason, C., Leggett, B., Leonard, F.C., Sweeney, T., McGrath, G., O'Shaughnessy, J., O'Rourke, J., Ridley, A., Deeney, A., More, S.J., 2025. Characterisation and comparison of Mycoplasma bovis strain types from Irish and Scottish bovine isolates in a global context. Veterinary Microbiology 300, 110339 ((opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2024.110339).
• McAloon, C.I., McAloon, C.G., Barrett, D., Tratalos, J.A., McGrath, G., Guelbenzu, M., Graham, D.A., Kelly, A., O'Keeffe, K., More, S.J., 2024. Estimation of sensitivity and specificity of bulk tank milk PCR and 2 antibody ELISA tests for herd-level diagnosis of Mycoplasma bovis infection using Bayesian latent class analysis. Journal of Dairy Science 107, 8464-8478 ((opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2023-24590).
• O Donovan, S.M., McAloon, C.G., O'Grady, L., Geraghty, T., Burrell, A., McCarthy, M.C., Donlon, J., Tratalos, J.A., Mee, J.F., 2024. Use of conjoint analysis to weight biosecurity practices on pasture-based dairy farms to develop a novel audit tool-BioscoreDairy. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 11, 1462783 ((opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1462783).

News & updates from UCD CVERA can be found at: http://www.ucd.ie/cvera/news/