Impact of inland waters on highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in neighboring poultry farms in South Korea

BackgroundSince 2003, the H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtype has caused massive economic losses in the poultry industry in South Korea. The role of inland water bodies in avian influenza (AI) outbreaks has not been investigated. Identifying water bodies that facilitate risk pathways leading to the incursion of the HPAI virus (HPAIV) into poultry farms is essential for implementing specific precautionary measures to prevent viral transmission.ObjectivesThis matched case-control study (1:4) examined whether inland waters were associated with a higher risk of AI outbreaks in the neighboring poultry farms.MethodsRivers, irrigation canals, lakes, and ponds were considered inland water bodies. The cases and controls were chosen based on the matching criteria. The nearest possible farms located within a radius of 3 km of the case farms were chosen as the control farms. The poultry farms were selected randomly, and two HPAI epidemics (H5N8 [2014–2016] and H5N6 [2016–2017]) were studied. Conditional logistic regression analysis was applied.ResultsStatistical analysis revealed that inland waters near poultry farms were significant risk factors for AI outbreaks. The study speculated that freely wandering wild waterfowl and small animals contaminate areas surrounding poultry farms.ConclusionsPet birds and animals raised alongside poultry birds on farm premises may wander easily to nearby waters, potentially increasing the risk of AI infection in poultry farms. Mechanical transmission of the AI virus occurs when poultry farm workers or visitors come into contact with infected water bodies or their surroundings. To prevent AI outbreaks in the future, poultry farms should adopt strict precautions to avoid contact with nearby water bodies and their surroundings.     

Legislation for the control of avian influenza in the European union

In the light of experience gained with avian influenza (AI) outbreaks in Europe and elsewhere in the world, the European Union (EU) legislation has recently been updated. The strategy to control the introduction and spread of AI relies on rapid disease detection, killing of infected birds, movement restrictions for live birds and their products, cleaning and disinfection and vaccination. Measures are not only to be implemented in case of outbreaks of highly pathogenic AI (HPAI), but are now also directed against occurrence of low pathogenic AI of H5 and H7 (LPAI) subtypes in poultry, albeit in a modified manner proportionate to the risk posed by these pathotypes. Enhanced surveillance in poultry holdings and wild birds, as well as preventive vaccination, has also been introduced. EU Measures are flexible and largely based on risk assessment of the local epidemiological situation. The occurrence of HPAI H5N1 of the Asian lineage in the EU and its unprecedented spread by wild migratory birds necessitated the adoption of additional control measures. Although HPAI H5N1 has affected wild birds and poultry holdings in several EU Member States, EU legislation and its implementation in Member States has so far successfully limited the impact of the disease on animal and human health.     

禽流感疫苗研究进展

近几年禽流感的大范围流行,不仅给养禽业造成了巨大的经济损失,而且由于禽流感可直接感染人并导致死亡,故对人类健康也带来严重的威胁。疫苗免疫仍然是防止禽流感暴发的主要措施,但禽流感病毒变异性强,血清型众多,给疫苗的研究带来极大困难。就目前而言,能在实践上应用的禽流感疫苗主要还是灭活疫苗,这种疫苗具有亚型特异性,但也正是这种特性限制了这种疫苗的发展。随着生物技术的快速发展,其他新型疫苗尤其是基因工程疫苗的研究也取得了一定的进展。使我国应用禽流感疫苗,预防高致病力禽流感的防制策略成为可能。文章就目前禽流感疫苗的研究方面介绍了国内外的一些研究进展。     

Epizootiology of infectious laryngotracheitis and presentation of an industry control program

Despite improved biosecurity and vaccination programs in recent years, infectious laryngotracheitis continues to emerge in the field on a regular basis in poultry producing states. Evidence is mounting that most field outbreaks are caused by viruses indistinguishable from chicken-embryo-origin vaccine strains and, for that reason, broiler outbreaks are often referred to in the field as "vaccinal laryngotracheitis" (VLT). Cooperative industry programs are described, in which the poultry industry, along with government, laboratories, and other sectors involved with poultry live production work together to control and contain VLT outbreaks. These programs take into account many epizootiologic aspects of the disease and, when diligently followed, are successful in most instances at keeping the numbers of cases low and the outbreaks under control. The programs include the rapid diagnosis of the disease, the use of geographic information system technology, biosecurity, vaccination, and communications between all stakeholders.     

Assessment of avian influenza surveillance and reporting needs of stakeholders in Michigan, 2007

OBJECTIVE: To identify stakeholders who should be included in a Michigan-based avian influenza surveillance system (AISS) and to describe their avian influenza (AI) surveillance and reporting needs. Design: Cross-sectional survey involving a convenience sample of respondents. Sample: 272 federal, state, and local governmental and regulatory agency professionals; veterinarians and laboratory professionals in academia; private practice veterinarians; and poultry industry members. Procedures: A needs assessment survey that focused on stakeholder identification, current surveillance methods, information sharing, and desired AISS enhancements was administered by mail, and responses were summarized. Results: Various AISS stakeholders were identified, among whom the requirements for surveillance information and methods of reporting (including via a World Wide Web-based database, e-mail, and a website) differed. Although 90% of all respondent types indicated that poultry industry representatives were key stakeholders, < 33% of poultry industry respondents indicated that private practice veterinarians and personnel in laboratories or public agencies should be considered stakeholders. The predominant concern (55.4% of respondents) regarding the current AISS was the effectiveness of communication among agencies, industry, and the public. The primary challenge identified by respondents was confidentiality (30.2% of respondents). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In Michigan-and potentially in other regions of the United States-integration of Internet-related data systems and stakeholder communication is likely to promote earlier identification of AI, achieve more effective responses to outbreaks, reduce morbidity among humans and other animals, and decrease outbreak-associated financial losses. Stakeholder education and technological safeguard assurances will be essential in AISS enhancement.     

Exotic Newcastle disease

Exotic Newcastle disease (END) is a virulent strain of avian paramyxovirus-1. This virus has devastated the poultry industry in many countries. As a result, strict international regulations are in place to control the movement of exotic birds, poultry, and poultry products to prevent the introduction of this disease into countries where it has been eradicated. When END is introduced to a naı̈ve, unvaccinated population of poultry, mortality may reach 100%. Signs in chickens will depend on the strain of END involved. However, this disease should be suspected in any outbreak of disease in poultry where there is high mortality and respiratory, gastrointestinal and/or central nervous system signs are observed. In the most recent END outbreak in the United States, many birds had edematous heads, cyanosis, and diphtheritic lesions of the trachea, oral cavity, and esophagus. Signs in companion birds are variable and often nonspecific. Practitioners, however, should suspect this disease in parrots, particularly Amazon parrots, if the sick bird is of questionable origin and over the course of the disease develops signs related to the central nervous system. Efforts to keep END out of the United States have been largely successful; however, on repeated occasions in the last 30 years, END has entered the United States through the illegal transport of fighting chickens and psittacine birds. In two cases, END has made it into commercial poultry operations, resulting in the slaughter of millions of birds and a significant economic impact to poultry and exotic bird producers. Education about this disease, strict biosecurity measures, and continued vigilance will be necessary to prevent future outbreaks of END.     

Newcastle disease virus outbreaks: Vaccine mismatch or inadequate application?

Newcastle disease (ND) is one of the most important diseases of poultry, and may cause devastating losses in the poultry industry worldwide. Its causative agent is Newcastle disease virus (NDV), also known as avian paramyxovirus type 1. Many countries maintain a stringent vaccination policy against ND, but there are indications that ND outbreaks can still occur despite intensive vaccination. It has been argued that this may be due to antigenic divergence between the vaccine strains and circulating field strains. Here we present the complete genome sequence of a highly virulent genotype VII virus (NL/93) obtained from vaccinated poultry during an outbreak of ND in the Netherlands in 1992-1993. Using this strain, we investigated whether the identified genetic evolution of NDV is accompanied by antigenic evolution. In this study we show that a live vaccine that is antigenically adapted to match the genotype VII NL/93 outbreak strain does not provide increased protection compared to a classic genotype II live vaccine. When challenged with the NL/93 strain, chickens vaccinated with a classic vaccine were completely protected against clinical disease and mortality and virus shedding was significantly reduced, even with a supposedly suboptimal vaccine dose. These results suggest that it is not antigenic variation but rather poor flock immunity due to inadequate vaccination practices that may be responsible for outbreaks and spreading of virulent NDV field strains.     

Use of observed wild bird activity on poultry farms and a literature review to target species as high priority for avian influenza testing in 2 regions of Canada

The risk of avian influenza outbreaks in poultry is partially dependent on the probability of contact between domestic poultry and wild birds shedding avian influenza (AI) virus. The major objective of this study was to document wild bird activity on poultry farms to determine which wild bird species should be targeted for AI surveillance in Canada. We collected data in 2 major poultry producing regions of Canada, southwestern Ontario and the Fraser Valley of British Columbia, on the relative abundance of various wild bird species found on poultry farms and on how these species utilized habitat around poultry farms. We reviewed the published literature to determine what was known about AI pathobiology in the species we observed. From these results we created a list of 10 wild bird species that are a priority for further study. These species are the European starling, barn swallow, rock dove, American crow, northwestern crow, American robin, dark-eyed junco, song sparrow, horned lark, and common grackle. Abundance of these and other species varied between provinces and seasons.     

我国H5和H7N9亚型高致病性禽流感的监测及疫情暴发分析

禽流感病毒（avian influenza virus,AIV）是一种重要的人兽共患病病原,严重制约养禽业的健康发展,并对公共卫生安全构成极大威胁。其中,H5（H5N1、H5N2、H5N6、H5N8等）和H7N9亚型高致病性禽流感病毒（highly pathogenic avian influenza virus,HPAIV）引起的高致病性禽流感（highly pathogenic avian influenza,HPAI）对我国养禽业危害巨大。通过实施强制免疫,疫情得到了控制,但在禽群中仍散状暴发,并出现多种新型病毒,防控形势依然严峻。本文总结了截至2021年9月我国禽类暴发H5和H7N9亚型HPAI的所有官方公布的疫情暴发事件以及监测数据,分析了其流行特点,以期为禽流感的预警和防控提供参考。     

我国畜牧业污染现状、处理方法及应对措施

 
畜牧业污染已成为农业面源污染的主要来源, 论文对当前我国畜牧业畜禽粪污排放情况、畜禽粪污特点、处理方法及相关法规、标准与政策等几个方面进行介绍,并结合当前畜牧业发展现状,有针对性的提出畜禽粪污治理的机制及措施,为我国畜牧业污染综合治理提供参考。     

Molecular characterization of a recent Newcastle disease virus outbreak in Jordan

Newcastle disease (ND) is a highly contagious viral disease and is a continuous threat to the poultry industry worldwide. In the early months of 2011, several devastating ND outbreaks occurred in Jordan affecting broilers, layers and breeders. The fusion gene of the isolated Newcastle disease virus (NDV) was partially amplified by RT-PCR, then directly sequenced. The NDV isolates were found to have the motif(112)RRQKRF(117). This motif and a mean death time (MDT) of 46h are indicative of the velogenic nature of these NDV isolates. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the new NDV strain belongs to the lineage 5d (Aldous et al., 2003) and is closely related to the Chinese strain SG/Liaoning/2009. NDV outbreaks in 2010 and 2011 have been noted in neighboring countries. Based on the high nucleotide similarity between our isolated NDV isolates and the Chinese NDV strain, the origin of these recent NDV isolates might be from China.     

禽流感病毒分子生物学检测技术研究进展

禽流感(avian influenza,AI)是A型流感病毒引起的一种禽类传染病,同时也是一种人和动物之间的高度传染性疾病。近年来,禽流感病毒的分子生物学检测技术发展迅速,文章就此进行了综述。     

流感病毒H5N1对野生动物的威胁

20世纪爆发的几次A型流感大流行曾经造成巨大的损失。进入21世纪以来A型流感病毒H5N1又在最近几年爆发，不仅给养禽业和人类造成巨大打击，也对野生动物产生了极大的威胁。本文通过分析H5N1型流感的疫情，提出了针对保护野生动物特别是圈养种群的措施。     

我国肉鸡产品出口的制约性因素分析——基于出口市场及产品特征的研究

肉鸡业曾经是我国畜牧业中产业化经营程度最高、出口创汇最多、带动行业最广的产业.但近年来,肉鸡产品出口出现了大幅滑坡,我国已逐步退出了肉鸡产品贸易强国的行列.本文利用近十多年的国别贸易数据实证分析了我国肉鸡产品的出口市场结构、市场份额及产品特征,并结合肉鸡产品主要贸易国的需求状况,探讨影响我国肉鸡产品出口的制约性因素.     

New perspectives in avian influenza diagnosis

Recent outbreaks of avian influenza (AI) occurring in Europe, in the Americas, in Asia and in Africa have provided field evidence of how challenging the control of this infection can be, particularly in densely populated poultry areas or in areas where free-range rural village poultry and backyard flocks are present. In these areas, laboratory testing is mainly applied to trace viral circulation in a given area or in a susceptible population to implement an early warning system, rather than to diagnose the presence of the virus in a diseased flock or animal. This implies the use of rapid, sensitive and possibly cost-effective laboratory tests adaptable to very high throughputs. As a consequence, new diagnostic approaches and technologies have been increasingly developed and applied. Molecular biology and biotechnology are providing important and precious contributions to the field of AI diagnosis, making extremely rapid, specific and sensitive techniques available. However, the use of some of these technologies is still limited, due to their costs and to the requirement of advanced technical and scientific expertise. Therefore, more conventional and well-established techniques, should not be abandoned but rather reconsidered and improved or modified.     

Necrotic enteritis: Applications for the poultry industry

Considering market demands concerning the decreased use of growth promoters and anticoccidial drugs in feed formulations, the poultry industry has been trying to reduce or eliminate the inclusion of subtherapeutic doses of antimicrobials into feed. Formulating diets not only to meet birds’ nutrient requirements for growth but also for gastrointestinal health parameters is increasingly important. Maintenance and enhancement of intestinal integrity is essential for bird performance when antimicrobials are not included in feed, as commercial poultry face numerous enteric pathogen challenges. Necrotic enteritis has reemerged as an important disease of poultry in recent years. The reduction in the use of antimicrobials in poultry feeds has been attributed as one of the main contributing factors for the increasing incidence of necrotic enteritis (NE) in commercial poultry. Mortality due to NE is extremely high (1% daily mortality), which results in great economic losses. Economic losses due to NE are not only associated with high mortality, but also associated with decreases in bird performance and FE, particularly in subclinical cases of NE. Birds that survive NE outbreaks usually have a reduced ability to digest and absorb nutrients due to extensive damage to the mucosal lining, which ultimately results in reduced profitability.     

Use of vaccination in avian influenza control and eradication

Vaccination against avian influenza (AI) infections caused by viruses of the H5 and H7 subtypes has been used in several occasions in recent years with the general objective of controlling and in some cases eradicating the disease. To contain AI infections effectively, vaccination should only be used as part of a comprehensive control strategy that also includes biosecurity, quarantine, surveillance, education, and elimination of infected and at-risk poultry. Although properly used, potent AI vaccines can prevent disease and death, increase resistance to infection, reduce virus replication and shedding, and reduce viral transmission, they cannot completely prevent AI virus replication. A wide variety of vaccines against AI has been developed and tested in experimental conditions, but only inactivated whole AI virus vaccines and recombinant H5-AI vaccines have been licensed and widely used in various countries. AI vaccination programmes should be adapted to local conditions to guarantee efficacy and sustainability. In particular, vaccination programmes should be modulated in diverse situations according to the virus strain involved, the characteristics of the poultry producing sector, the capacity of the veterinary infrastructure, and the availability of adequate resources. Based on the eco-epidemiological situation in the affected region/area/compartment and the assessment of the risk of AI introduction, different vaccination strategies could be implemented to control AI: (i) routine vaccination performed in endemic areas; (ii) emergency vaccination in the face of an epidemic; and (iii) preventative vaccination carried out whenever a high risk of virus incursion is identified.     

鸡生产链沙门菌流行状况与防控技术

沙门菌严重危害家禽养殖业,造成巨大经济损失,并引发公共卫生安全问题。文章比较了不同国家的沙门菌流行状况:欧美等发达国家能够有效减少沙门菌感染;新兴经济体国家养殖业迅速发展,沙门菌流行状况呈下降趋势;经济不发达地区沙门菌污染较严重;在我国,沙门菌则广泛存在于养殖场、屠宰场与市场中。疫苗免疫、微生态制剂及有机酸等替抗物质的使用是养殖行业沙门菌防控的主要措施,而在屠宰场则以物理防控为主,商品化制剂的应用前景仍值得探究。     

抗禽流感病毒药物和疫苗的研究进展

禽流感对养禽业造成严重危害的同时,还威胁着人类的健康。作者对国内外禽流感近年来的流行现状、禽流感病毒的作用机制、疫苗控制和抗禽流感的药物治疗进行了综述。