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Read all about it... is a media snapshot of recent biosecurity news, to keep you well informed.
Are Visitors to your farm a biosecurity risk ?
Warrnambool Standard 13/3/08 From AHA Farm Biosecurity release
Dealing with Emerging Infectious Diseases
by: Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc
March 05 2008, Article # 11438
From: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=11438
Scientists are becoming increasingly concerned about the marked and persistent development of emerging infectious diseases--infections that are new to a population or geographic area, have appeared more frequently, or have become more virulent (able to cause disease).
Within the past two decades, the list of emerging infectious diseases and pathogens of clinical relevance to the equine industry has expanded and now includes: the equine herpesvirus-1 neuropathogenic mutant; equine multi-nodular pulmonary fibrosis; Clostridium difficile; equine protozoal myeloencephalopathy (EPM), and; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), among others.
Within the North American equine populations, likely the best example of an emerging infectious disease is West Nile virus (WNV).
“Prior to 1999, WNV was not recognized in the United States,” explained Josie Traub-Dargatz, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, professor of equine medicine at Colorado State University, “Now, the WNV equine vaccine is the most commonly administered vaccine among equine operations that vaccinate against one or more diseases, which illustrates a rapid and broad response by veterinarians and equine owners that were faced with an emerging disease.”
Infectious diseases are on the rise, and horse owners and veterinarians are responding to this challenge by becoming increasingly cognizant of abnormal behaviours in horses. Owners, with the assistance of their veterinarians, possess the ability to recognize new diseases.
What has caused this surge in emerging infectious diseases?
According to Barbara Bischoff, DVM, veterinary analyst from the Centres for Emerging Issues at the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a variety of factors are thought to contribute to the development of an emerging disease.
“In general, shifts in the environment-host-agent triad result in the opportunity for an emerging disease to develop,” said Bischoff.
The most common causes of emerging infectious diseases include:
- Climate change or other environmental changes that can potentially impact the life cycle of the vectors (e.g., insects and other animals);
- Urban sprawl of humans and horses into geographic areas that are home to animals or insects that can transmit viruses, bacteria, or parasites;
- Alterations in host factors such as immune capabilities of horses (perhaps via changes in management practices);
- Globalization of humans and animals that provides unique opportunities to potentially spread disease; and
- Changes in the agent (virus, bacterium, parasite) itself at a cellular level such as the shifting or drifting of genetic material.
“Because it is challenging to predict what the next emerging diseases might be, the best way to protect horses is to contain potentially contagious diseases via hygiene and isolation measures, until targeted intervention strategies (such as vaccination) are available,” suggested Traub-Dargatz. “Other control measures could include insect or rodent management to control spread of infection, depending on the mode of transmission.”
While it may not be possible to predict the next "big" infectious disease in horses, recent technological advances permit the relatively rapid development of diagnostic tests as well as vaccines, as evidenced by the rapid vaccine development subsequent to the WNV outbreak.
Emerging infectious diseases also have an obvious economic impact on the horse industry. For example, in 2002 WNV-associated costs in Colorado and Nebraska alone were $4 million; these included such factors as cost of treatment, loss of use, loss of horse, and cost of vaccinations.
“Nonetheless, beneficial impacts to the equine industry include an increased awareness of emerging diseases, increased biosecurity measures on the owner's part, an increased co-operation between owners and veterinarians in the face of new or abnormal clinical signs of disease, and an impressively rapid rate of developing diagnostic tests and safe, effective vaccines as we saw following the emergence of WNV,” concluded Bischoff.
The new buzz word for cattle – ‘biosecurity’
By Lori Weddle-Schott, University of Minnesota Beef Center
Thursday, March 13, 2008 4:21 PM CDT
As Minnesota's livestock industry is well aware, bovine tuberculosis and other infectious diseases can have an economic impact on livestock producers.
Many producers have developed excellent management plans that encompass good animal husbandry practices and nutrition, but stop short when including biosecurity practices that can help to reduce disease losses and even prevent infection altogether.
Producers can easily implement a biosecurity plan when they look at breaking it down into three major components - isolation, traffic control and sanitation. When effectively managed, these components meet the principle biosecurity objectives of preventing or minimizing cross contamination of body fluids (feces and urine) between animals, animals to feed, and animals to equipment.
Isolation prevents contact between animals within a controlled environment. The most important step in disease control is to minimize commingling and movement of cattle. This includes isolation of new purchases for at least 3 weeks as well as commingling between established groups of cattle.
Always isolate sick cattle and return them to their original group when they've recovered.
Clean and disinfect facilities appropriately between groups. It also means isolating higher risk cattle, like purchased feedlot cattle, from lower risk cattle, like the breeding herd and young calves. Contact can occur through the fence, same handling facilities, or drainage from the feedlot through the pasture.
Traffic control includes traffic and visitors onto your operation and traffic patterns within your operation. It is important to understand that traffic includes more than vehicles. All animals including dogs, cats, wildlife, horses, birds, rodents and people must be considered.
People spread contamination material directly by boots, shoes, and hands and clothing. Disease can be spread indirectly by truck tires, farm machinery, hair clippers and other equipment passing between farms.
Sanitation is the third component of a biosecurity plan. Beware of using instruments and equipment on healthy animals following their use on sick or infected animals.
Avoid using common syringes and needles for vaccinating, blood testing or administering animal health products. Isolate sick animals, especially animals with unfamiliar symptoms or those that don't get better with the usual treatment.
Improving an animal's disease resistance is at the heart of disease prevention and herd health programs and must be considered in the standard operating procedures of all livestock production management.
However, improving disease resistance is not possible for many of the diseases that can affect livestock health and production. Therefore an understanding of biosecurity basics is essential for a properly designed disease resistance health program.
A commitment to a biosecurity plan is a vital step toward control of infectious disease. Keeping pathogens out of a herd improves production efficiency, lowers costs and reduces risk to family and employees.
Biosecurity Practices for Controlling Disease:
- Vaccinate the herd against all endemic diseases.
- Use low stress management practices during movement and processing.
- Isolate all sick animals; designate a hospital pen.
- Work from younger or healthier animals to older higher risk animals.
- Maintain a closed herd, if possible.
- Know the health history of incoming animals.
- Purchase feed from reputable sources.
- Minimize fence line contact with neighboring animals.
- Do not place cattle of different ages in the same pen.
- Keep records of all disease occurrences and treatments.
- Limit access to your farm.
- Maintain fences to keep your animals in and others out.
- Minimize visitors and traffic on your farm.
- Post signs at the farm entrance to inform visitors of procedures to follow.
- Educate yourself and employees to recognize and report diseases.
- Maintain a written biosecurity plan and update it regularly.
- Prevent off-farm vehicles from driving in areas where animals travel.
- Individually identify every animal and keep movement records.
- Monitor and inspect animals daily for signs of illness.
- Clean equipment, boots and change clothing between animal groups with different health status.
- Promptly euthanize animals that are not going to recover.
- Have your vet necropsy animals that die from unknown causes.
- Promptly remove dead animals from your operation.
- Place animal delivery and load-out facilities on the perimeter of your farm.
There are also a number of biosecurity practices that have been identified to decrease the risk of bovine TB infection, particularly in areas where the need has arisen to avoid the potential of contact with deer
These additional measures may include:
- Reducing the chance for deer to gain access to pasture or any pond or stream in the pasture where cattle graze or spend time.
- Protecting stored feed from exposure to deer and other wildlife.
- Improving overall herd health to increase resistance, should exposure to TB occur.
Producers are encouraged to work with their veterinarian, nutritionist, and extension educators to establish a biosecurity plan for their operation. This would be a prudent step for producers in north-western Minnesota, particularly in the small area known to have TB infected deer.
For more information on biosecurity practices or bovine TB visit the University of Minnesota Beef Industry Centre at http://www.extension.umn.edu/beef.
A focus on Biosecurity Queensland
Biosecurity Queensland, visit www.dpi.qld.gov.au
(Media-Newswire.com) – Whether it’s stopping the entry of a parasitic weed that could devastate Queensland broadleaf crops, seeking out and destroying nests of an Asian bee that could wreck the local honey industry, or eradicating equine influenza, a dedicated team of professionals with Biosecurity Queensland has spent the past 12 months proving their worth!
With Queensland this week downgrading equine influenza movement restrictions and edging closer to life without the exotic disease, Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin said his department would also be celebrating another milestone in its ongoing work to protect Queensland.
Established as a business unit of the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Biosecurity Queensland was launched one year ago, on March 1, 2007.
Mr Mulherin said Biosecurity Queensland was established because there was a need to bring all the pest and disease expertise, experience and capability under the one umbrella organisation.
“Biosecurity Queensland was put to the test only months after it was established, with our staff managing the state component of one of the Australia’s most challenging outbreaks to date – equine influenza.
“An eradication program for Asian green mussels and Asian bag mussels, the first marine outbreak ever managed by DPI&F, is also underway, and I have no doubt that the diverse skills and experience that now exists in Biosecurity Queensland has again allowed us to carry out this new work.
“It’s been a big year for Biosecurity Queensland, but we move forward with a lot of exciting new prospects ahead.
“This year DPI&F plans to release a public discussion paper about biosecurity issues in Queensland, in the lead up to finalising a Biosecurity Strategy early next year.
“We’re also looking at how we can better work at putting long term preventative measures in place to further protect the state from the impact of pests, diseases, invasive weeds and other issues that may affect lifestyle or trade, as well as putting a stronger focus on the science that underpins our ongoing work,” Mr Mulherin said.
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