Volume 5, Issue 2 May
Exotic Animal Disease
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EXOTIC DISEASE WATCHlivestock
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owners
In Vol. 5 issue 1 we reported on the
outbreaks of FMD in Japan, Korea and
Bulgaria.
Philippines
The good news is that in May 2011 at
the OIE General Assembly, the
Philippines expect to be declared free of
FMD (the last reported case was in
December 2005). This is a great
success for the South East Asia and
China FMD (SEACFMD) campaign
coordinated by the OIE and to which
Australia is a significant contributor.
Bulgaria
A further 11 outbreaks have occurred in
Bulgaria close to the border with
Turkey. Bulgarian authorities are now
reported to be reinstating a fence along
the border with Turkey to prevent the
movement of animals across the border.
South Korea
The large outbreak in South Korea is
estimated to have cost in excess of
US$3 million, with approximately 3.4
million livestock (including 1/3 of the
national pigs) destroyed. The last case
was reported on 21 April 2011.
The government has implemented a
FMD vaccination program with
Newsletter
1800
675for
paying 888the vaccine.
Additional measures include farming
permits only being issued to cattle and pig
owners who have the required facilities
and completed biosecurity training, a new
compensation scheme where payments
will not be based only on the number of
animals slaughtered but also the stage on
the control campaign, compulsory
education for foreign farmer workers,
monitoring of disposal sites to prevent
environmental contamination and regular
exercises to test response arrangements.
Australia’s preparedness
Animal Health Australia convened a
meeting of peak industry bodies and
government representatives in Melbourne
on 11 April 2011 to review the FMD
policy(http://www.animalhealthaustralia.c
om.au/programs/eadp/ausvetplan/fmd-
response-policy-review/fmd-response-
policy-review_home.cfm.) Whilst the
overall strategy remains control with a
view to eradication, the measures to be
implemented were reviewed. Key aspects
included the use of vaccines, the handling
of milk in the event of an outbreak and
proof of freedom requirements. Over the
next 12 months, working groups will draft
changes to the current AUSVETPLAN
strategy for FMD.
Rabies
Indonesia has allocated approximately
US$17.6 million to rabies control over
the next 2 years, with US$5 million to
be spent in Bali in 2011. During 2010,
57,800 people were bitten by dogs on
Bali and 119 human cases of rabies
were confirmed. Other areas to be
targeted include Nias Island and West
Maluku Tenggara.
Q fever
The outbreak of Q fever in the
Netherlands has been reported in this
newsletter previously. Since 2007 there
have been more than 4,000 human
cases, with 11 deaths in 2010.
The outbreak has been associated with
the development of mega dairy goat
farms. Control measures now focus on
the annual vaccination of sheep and
dairy goats. (IMED 2011, Vienna,
Austria, Feb 2011, Session 17)
Tammar wallaby mortalities
In November 2010, mortalities affecting
Tammar wallabies were reported in
NSW, ACT and WA. Wallabies were
found dead in good condition.
Outbreaks of Tammar Sudden Death
Syndrome have been reported since
1998 and are associated with a virus of
the Orbivirus genus, probably from the
Eubenangee serogroup. Outbreaks
coincide with seasons when large
populations of Culicoides sp. are
present. A fact sheet on this syndrome is
available from the Australian Wildlife
Health Network
http://www.wildlifehealth.org.au
Transboundary animal diseases
The OIE has published the Atlas of
Transboundary Animal Diseases. It
includes key images of clinical signs
and post mortem lesions of 29 OIE
notifiable diseases. It can be accessed at:
http://web.oie.int/boutique/index.php?
lang=en
Glanders
A tiger and 14 lions were destroyed in
the Tehran zoo after they were found to
be infected with glanders. It is possible
the animals were fed contaminated
meat. The animals were destroyed on
public health grounds as they were too
difficult to treat.
Peste des petits ruminants
Recently, Tunisia reported to the OIE
cases of PPR in sheep with an apparent
case fatality rate of 50%.
This paramyxovirus has recently spread
from Africa to the Middle East and
beyond. In the past 12 months, cases
have been reported in Bangladesh,
Nepal, Afghanistan, Turkey, Saudi
Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Kuwait and 17
other African countries.
PPR is similar to rinderpest but
predominantly affects sheep and goats.
Clinically, fever is followed by
depression, anorexia, mucopurulent
nasal discharge and conjunctivitis. Oral
lesions include hyperaemia of mucous
membranes and small areas of necrosis
sloughing to reveal shallow ulcers.
Severe diarrhea results in dehydration
and death. The mortality rate can be
high.
Horses
Atypical myopathy
Large outbreaks of atypical myopathy
have been reported in horses at pasture
in Europe since the 1980’s. A similar
disease is seen in the USA where it is
called season pasture myopathy.
Clinically affected horses show profuse
sweating, muscle twitching, weakness,
reluctance to move, recumbancy and
death in 72 hours. Cause was unknown.
Recently researchers in Switzerland
linked the presence of the lethal toxin of
Clostridium sordellii to cases of
atypical myopathy.
Equine genital cancer
A novel papillomavirus, Equus caballus
papillomavirus-2, has recently been
detected in equine genital squamous cell
carcinomas and associated premalignant
2
lesions from horses in the UK and New Caledonia.
Australia. Recently, Rickettsia africae (the agent
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ of African tick-bite fever, ATBF), was
21039805) detected from 3 specimens of
Malaria Amblyomma loculosum ticks collected
from humans and birds in New
Plasmodium knowlesi is the most Caledonia.
recently identified malarial parasite of (http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/17/1/1
humans. Recent work has shown that it 00.htm)
is a true zoonosis. Monkeys are the
reservoir host. 78% of wild macaques in The first reported human infections with
R. felis in Australia were recently
Sarawak were found to be infected. P.
reported in 2 adults and three children
knowlesi is a significant cause of human
in Victoria following exposure to
malaria in Malaysian Borneo, but P.
knowlesi is yet to adapt to humans. kittens and fleas.
(http://plospathogens.org/article/info (http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/1
%Adoi 94_01_030111/wil10168_fm.html)
%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1002015) This follows the study reporting R. felis
and Bartonella clarridgeiae in cats and
Rickettsias
fleas in Australia
Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsioses
(http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1
are caused by obligate intracellular
gram-negative bacteria of the genus 111/j.1751-0813.2010.00569.x/full)
Rickettsia and are transmitted by These findings raise the concern that the
hematophagous arthropods, mainly incidence of R. felis may be under
ticks. These zoonoses are important reported in humans in Australia.
emerging vector-borne infections of
humans worldwide. They share STOP PRESS
characteristic clinical features, including Chinese researchers have recently
fever, rash, and sometimes an reported a new virus associated with
inoculation eschar at the bite site, a severe viral infection of ducks
depending on the rickettsial agent that is causing egg drop, reduced feed
involved . intake and ovary-oviduct disease.
This syndrome spread to most duck
In Oceania, tick-borne rickettsioses rearing areas of China in 2010.
have been reported primarily in
Australia. They include Queensland tick The virus has been named
typhus (R. australis) along the east Baiyangdian (BYD) virus and is a
coast of Australia, Flinders Island flavivirus closely related to
spotted fever (R. honei) in southeast Tembusu virus.
Australia, and variant Flinders Island (http://www.plosone.org/article/info
%3Adoi
spotted fever (R. honei strain
%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0018
"marmionii") in eastern Australia.
Furthermore, the DNA of at least 8 106)
incompletely described SFG rickettsiae AUSVETPLAN
have been detected in ticks, and the
pathogenicity of these rickettsiae Recently AHA has published
remains unknown. Additionally, R. updated versions of the disease
felis, the agent of flea-borne SFG control strategies for equine
rickettsiosis, has been found in Western influenza and rabies.
Australia, New Zealand, and recently in
Further information on these diseases can be obtained from the AUSVETPLAN
website at: http://www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au
While you are there check out the latest edition of Animal Health Surveillance
Quarterly for information on diseases in livestock in Australia.
For further information contact Dr. Richard Rubira, Surveillance and EAD
Coordination and Response, Animal Health Programs, Animal Division,
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra
richard.rubira@daff.gov.au or phone (03) 5762 2246