Foot and Mouth

Foot and mouth disease is a devastating disease that affects farm livestock, including pigs and cows. The disease is extremely contagious and spreads rapidly.

The outbreak in 2001 forced the closure of much of Britain's countryside for months, seriously affecting tourism and leading to the slaughter of 5 million animals. The disease cost the farming community more than £800 million and set back the tourist industry by up to £3 billion

Animals can be vaccinated against the foot and mouth virus, but up until now the preferred option has been to slaughter animals near an outbreak.

By looking at the structure of the foot and mouth disease virus, scientists can start to develop a new class of drugs called protease inhibitors. These have been very successful in treating HIV and work by stopping the virus from multiplying after infection.

The sample based on the foot and mouth virus image (right) was worked with dyed pelmet Vilene trapped between layers of polyester organza and machine stitched.

The actual panel consists of appliqued silks with pieces of tatting, crochet, knitting and machine embroidery. These pieces are still to be applied and have been worked over the summer in such far away places as Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia, Cyprus and Turkey!

Design taken from image courtesy of Wellcome Trust

Made by Steeple Aston WI