The pathogenicity of an avian influenza virus isolated in Victoria

An influenza virus (H7N7) isolated from an outbreak of disease in chickens in Victoria, was examined for its ability to cause disease in inoculated chickens, turkeys and ducks. The virus was highly pathogenic in chickens and turkeys but produced no clinical disease in ducks. Transmission of infection occurred from inoculated chickens to those in direct contact but other chickens separated by a distance of 3m directly downwind developed neither clinical disease nor antibody to the virus.     

Emergency response following suspicion of an avian influenza outbreak

The management of a suspected index case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) is crucial to the subsequent actions aimed at limiting the spread of infection and ultimately in prompt eradication of the virus. In this study, the legislative basis, basic concepts and actions behind a successful disease management programme are reviewed. These include actions at local veterinary headquarters and at farm level which must be coordinated centrally to ensure the flow of information essential to decision making. The success of any emergency intervention strategy is dependent upon the level of preparedness, including action plans to source manpower, equipment and on the degree of communication between relevant parties. Availability of information on the successes and failures in field outbreak management, will inevitably result in improved AI control worldwide.     

Economic analysis of an outbreak of avian influenza, 1997-1998

OBJECTIVE: To determine economic losses associated with an outbreak of avian influenza in flocks in Pennsylvania during 1997 and 1998. SAMPLE POPULATION: 5 premises containing avian influenza-infected layer, pullet, and turkey flocks. PROCEDURE: Losses incurred before depopulation, those incurred at the time of depopulation, and those that were attributable to depopulation (unrealized loss of income) were evaluated. Results were extrapolated to provide values for all infected flocks. RESULTS: Extrapolating the costs determined on the basis of age and number of birds from the 5 sample flocks to all other flocks infected with nonpathogenic avian influenza H7N2 yielded an estimated total cost to the Pennsylvania poultry industry of $3.5 million. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The H7N2 virus is not highly pathogenic. If the pathogenicity of the virus does not change, then the poultry industry and state and federal governments will not have severe economic losses for the 1997-1998 outbreak similar to those for the 1983-1984 avian influenza outbreak in Pennsylvania. To decrease the potential for financial losses that could result from future outbreaks of avian influenza, it is essential that the commercial industry and livebird market system be separated via increased use of biosecurity measures.     

Epidemiology of H5N1 avian influenza

High pathogenic (HP) H5N1 avian influenza (AI) infection has been reported in domestic poultry, wildlife, and human populations since 1996. Risk of infection is associated with direct contact with infected birds. The mode of H5N1 spread from Asia to Europe, Africa and the Far East is unclear; risk factors such as legal and illegal domestic poultry and exotic bird trade, and migratory bird movements have been documented. Measures used to control disease such as culling, stamping out, cleaning and disinfection, and vaccination have not been successful in eradicating H5N1 in Asia, but have been effective in Europe.     

Lesions in broiler and layer chickens in an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus infection

Fifteen chickens, five broilers and ten layers, from the Pennsylvania 1983 outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus infection, were examined. Gross lesions in the broilers were limited to serosal petechiae and dehydration. In the layers there was comb edema, vesiculation, and necrosis. Microscopic lesions were mild to severe diffuse nonsuppurative encephalitis, very mild to severe diffuse necrotizing pancreatitis, and very mild to severe subacute necrotizing myositis involving numerous skeletal muscles and most severe in the external ocular muscles and limbs. While many of these lesions have been seen in experimental infections of chickens with influenza viruses, the pattern of organs involved in this group of chickens is distinctive.     

Seroconversion to avian influenza virus in free-range chickens in the Riverland region of Victoria

Background Since 2005, H5N1 avian influenza (AI) has spread from South-East Asia to over 60 different countries, resulting in the direct death or slaughter of over 250,000,000 poultry. Migratory waterfowl have been implicated in this spread and in Australia there have been numerous isolations of low-pathogenicity AI virus from wild waterfowl and shorebirds. The Department of Human Services, Victoria maintains 10 sentinel free-range chicken flocks in the Riverland at locations that are populated by large numbers of waterfowl known to carry a range of strains of AI. Objective This study analysed historical samples collected in 1991–94 and 2003–06 from the library of serum samples for antibodies against AI to assess the potential for transfer of AI virus from wild waterfowl to free-range poultry. Results Of the 2000 serum samples analysed, 17 were positive for antibodies against AI and 87 were suspect, with a clustering of positive and suspect results in the years 1994, 2003 and 2004. There was also a clustering of positive samples at the site of the Barmah flock. Nine sequential sets of sera from individual chickens with at least one positive result were identified. Analysis of these sequential sets showed that infection was acquired on site but that the antibody response to AI infection was short-lived and was no longer detectable at 8 weeks after the positive finding. Conclusion The surveillance of sentinel chickens is a potential avenue for monitoring the circulation of AI viruses and could provide an early warning system for the commercial poultry industries.     

Wildlife surveillance associated with an outbreak of lethal H5N2 avian influenza in domestic poultry

Wildlife surveillance was conducted for influenza viruses in conjunction with the 1983-84 lethal H5N2 avian influenza epizootic in domestic poultry in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. Virus-isolation attempts made on cloacal and tracheal swabs from 4,466 birds and small rodents within the quarantined areas and 1,511 waterfowl in nearby Maryland yielded only a single H5N2 isolate from a pen-raised chukar in Pennsylvania. Antibodies against hemagglutinin type 5 and/or neuraminidase type 2 were found in 33% of the aquatic birds tested; however, this finding could not be used to confirm previous H5N2 avian influenza virus activity because of the possibility of prior infections with multiple influenza subtypes. The low prevalence of lethal H5N2 avian influenza virus in wild birds and small rodents strongly indicated that these animals were not responsible for dissemination of the disease among poultry farms during the outbreak.     

A qualitative risk assessment of cleansing and disinfection requirements after an avian influenza outbreak in commercial poultry

ABSTRACT

1. During an avian influenza (AI) outbreak in the United Kingdom, the joint aim of the poultry industry and the Government is to eliminate and prevent the spread of infection, through control measures based on the current European Union (EU) Council Directive (2005/94/EC). An essential part of these measures is the cleansing and disinfection (C&D) of infected premises.

2. This risk assessment assessed the differences in re-infection in a repopulated flock if the EU Directive is interpreted to permit secondary C&D to be undertaken either with or without dismantling complex equipment. The assessment estimated the probability of virus survival on different types of equipment in a depopulated contaminated poultry house before and after preliminary and secondary C&D procedures. A risk matrix spreadsheet tool was used to carry out the assessment and concluded that, provided secondary C&D is carried out with due diligence (i.e. carried out to a defined code of practice as agreed by both industry and policymakers), the risk of re-infection from equipment is negligible, both with and without dismantling complex equipment in all farm types considered.

3. By considering the equipment types individually, the assessment identified those areas of the house which may still contain viable virus post-preliminary C&D and on which attention should be focussed during secondary C&D. The generic risk pathway and matrix spreadsheet tool have the potential to be used for other pathogens and species, given appropriate data.     

越南禽流感暴发原因的调查分析

自2004年下半年以来，越南暴发的禽流感严重打击了国内的养禽业有相关企业。越南与我国广东省毗邻，与海南隔海相望，其气候特点与我国广东，广西，云南，海南等省区相似。虽说其畜牧业的发展水平与我国整体有一定差距，但与我国畜牧业相对落后地区相近，作者从越南的地理位置，气候特点，养殖规模与品种，饲养水平与防疫，饲料应用，产品流通，从业者的防疫意识，政府对畜牧业的监管及疫病发生处理措施几个方面，对此次禽流感疫情进行了全面系统分析，对我国禽流感的防制工作很有借鉴意义的。     

Epidemiology of an outbreak of leptospirosis in man and dog

An outbreak of leptospirosis in man and dog occurred during the monsoon in Madras city, India. 48 (50.5%) of the 95 human sera tested were positive for leptospirosis. Of these, 32 showed the presence of agglutinin to serovar icterohaemorrhagiae. 20 (21.3%) of the 94 canine sera tested were positive for leptospirosis. Of these, 10 had agglutinins to serovar icterohaemorrhagiae and 9 to serovar canicola. Among murine reservoirs, 8 (25%) of 32 rat sera and 10 (41.6%) of 24 bandicoot sera were positive. Bandicoot and rat sera contained 70 and 50% of agglutinins to serovar icterohaemorrhagiae, respectively. Urine culture lead to isolate a icterohaemorrhagiae strain from a patient and a canicola one from a dog. The changing trends of epidemiology in the transmission of leptospirosis to man and dog has been discussed.     

Vaccine failure caused an outbreak of equine influenza in Croatia

In April 2004 an outbreak of equine influenza occurred at the Zagreb hippodrome, Croatia. Clinical respiratory disease of the same intensity was recorded in vaccinated and non-vaccinated horses. The equine influenza vaccine used in Croatia at the time of the outbreak contained the strains A/equine/Miami/63 (H3N8), A/equine/Fontainebleau/79 (H3N8) and A/equine/Prague/56 (H7N7). At the same time, the usual strains in vaccines used in Europe were, in accordance with the recommendation of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Expert Surveillance Panel on equine influenza, A/equine/Newmarket/1/93 (H3N8) and A/equine/Newmarket/2/93 (H3N8). At the same time, some current vaccines in the USA contained A/equine/Kentucky/97 (H3N8). Genetic characterization of the HA1 portion of the haemagglutinin (HA) gene of virus isolated from the outbreak indicated that the isolate (A/equine/Zagreb/04) was an H3N8 strain closely related to recent representative viruses of the American lineage Florida sub-lineage. In comparison with both H3N8 vaccine strains used in horses at the Zagreb hippodrome, A/equine/Zagreb/04 displayed amino acids changes localised to 4 of the 5 described antigenic sites (A-D) of subunit protein HA1. Comparison of the amino acid sequence of the HA1 subunit protein of the outbreak strain with that of A/equine/Newmarket/1/93 displayed three amino acids changes localised in antigenic sites B and C, while antigenic sites A, D and E were unchanged. The Zagreb 2004 outbreak strain had the same amino acids at antigenic sites of the HA1 subunit protein as the strain A/equine/Kentucky/97. Amino acid changes in antigenic sites between HA1 subunit of the outbreak strain and the strains used in the vaccines likely accounted for the vaccine failure and the same clinical signs in vaccinated and unvaccinated horses. Use of a recent strain in vaccines should limit future outbreaks.     

An outbreak of low pathogenic avian influenza in a mixed-species aviculture unit in Dubai in 2005.

This case describes an outbreak of low pathogenic hemagglutinin 9 neuraminidase 2 avian influenza virus (AIV) in two white-bellied bustards (Eupodotis senegalensis), one stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemius), and a blacksmith plover (Antibyx armatus) in a private zoologic collection in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The four birds showed signs of respiratory disease, and all died as a result of disease or euthanasia. Attention has been paid to the diagnostic process and common differential diagnosis for upper respiratory tract disease in bustards, curlews, and plovers. To the knowledge of the authors, AIV has not been previously described in these species.