Clinical and laboratory investigations of five outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease during the 2001 epidemic in the United Kingdom

Clinical and laboratory investigations of five outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) were made during the early stages of the 2001 epidemic in the UK. The first outbreak, confirmed on February 20, was at an abattoir in Essex which specialised in the processing of culled sows and boars. On February 23, the disease was confirmed at a pig farm in Northumberland which held cull sows and boars fed on waste food; the findings indicated that it was the first of the five premises to be infected. The disease had probably been present since early February, and it was the most likely origin of the epidemic. The other premises investigated were a waste food-fed cull sow/boar pig unit in Essex, approximately 30 km from the abattoir, which was probably infected at the same time or before the abattoir, a sheep and cattle farm approximately 6 km from the Northumberland pig farm, which was probably infected by airborne virus from it in the period immediately before February 13, and a sheep and cattle farm in Devon which had clinical disease from February 20 and was probably infected by sheep transported from Northumberland on February 13 which arrived on February 15.     

Review of bacterial and fungal culture and sensitivity results from reptilian samples submitted to a UK laboratory

Reptiles are increasingly kept as pets in the UK and the majority of animals presented for veterinary attention have conditions with a bacterial basis, either as a primary infection or secondary to husbandry deficiencies. Culture and sensitivity tests can provide useful information for selecting treatment protocols, but the lack of published data reviewing the normal reptilian microflora means interpretation of results is subjective. This study publishes the results of culture and sensitivity results from all reptilian samples provided to a commercial pathology laboratory over a 24-month period and compares these data with the published literature to assist clinicians to determine appropriate treatment protocols. Results provided a wide range of cultured organisms, although trends were seen for varying anatomical locations, species and time of year. In addition, antibiotic sensitivity revealed some concerning trends.     

The foot-and-mouth disease epidemic of 2001 in the UK: implications for the USA and the "war on terror"

While there is no evidence to suggest that the recent epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease (Fmd) in the Uk and its subsequent spread to continental Europe were caused by bioterrorism, the extent of the epidemic shows that Fmd could be a very powerful weapon for a bioterrorist wishing to cause widespread disease in livestock and economic disruption for the targeted country. This paper describes the epidemic. It then examines the contentious issues that arose through the use of extensive slaughter to control the epidemic and explores how, in turn, the concerns of society are being translated into a radical change in policy within the European Union with respect to the control of Fmd and other foreign animal diseases. The crisis generated by the Fmd epidemic in Europe in 2001 provides many lessons to be learned for the US and highlights the need for creative thinking in research and teaching within colleges of veterinary medicine to more effectively address the threat of epidemic diseases under the "new world order." There is general agreement that the veterinary profession in the US plays a unique role in protecting the nation against epidemic livestock diseases, whether caused naturally or through bioterrorism. The profession also has a significant role in protecting the public's health, since several epidemic diseases of animals, such as rift valley fever, are zoonotic. However, improved financial support at the federal and state levels is urgently needed to support epidemic-diseases research and teaching in colleges of veterinary medicine.     

Temporal and geographical distribution of cases of foot-and-mouth disease during the early weeks of the 2001 epidemic in Great Britain

Estimates of the likely dates of infection of the early cases of the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) epidemic indicate that at least 57 premises in 16 counties in Great Britain were infected before the first case was disclosed. Nationwide animal movement controls were imposed within three days of the first case being confirmed on February 20, when FMD was only known to be in two counties, and these controls limited its geographical spread. After the first few cases were confirmed, new cases were rapidly discovered, and the epidemic curve for the daily number of confirmed cases peaked five weeks later, 11 days later than the peak of the curve based on the estimated dates of infection. In the peak week, both curves showed an average daily number of 43 new cases. The estimated dates of infection are believed to be relatively unbiased for the early cases, for which they were derived from a known contact with infection. However, for the later cases they were estimated mainly from the age of the clinical signs of the disease, and were biased by species and other factors, a bias which would probably have made the estimated dates later than was in fact the case.     

A generic spreadsheet model of a disease epidemic with application to the first 100 days of the 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the UK

A generic, stochastic spreadsheet model was developed to calculate the number of cases within the first 100 days of a propagating epidemic and with the ability to incorporate generic control measures. Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) epidemics were simulated with a range of assumptions about the number of cases incubating the disease on day 1 and the efficiency of control measures. Particularly severe epidemics resulted from scenarios with low efficiency of control measures and high numbers incubating. Control measures that prevented 0.8 of cases from resulting in new cases were able to reduce substantially the cumulative number of cases. The results of various scenarios using the model were compared to the number of cases of FMD in the first 100 days of the 2001 outbreak in the UK, with specific reference to cases in Cumbria and Anglesey. Potential practical and educational applications of the model are discussed.     

甘肃省首例实验室确诊犬狂犬病疫情流行病学分析

采用荧光抗体试验(FAT)对甘肃省1只疑似狂犬病伤人犬进行实验室诊断,结果为狂犬病病毒阳性,流行毒株命名为GSHSD14。采用PCR方法扩增该毒株全长G基因,并上传GenBank(序列号为KT221103)。该毒株与2011年分离自陕西的犬源毒株ShaanxiRa007同源性最高,为99.8%,氨基酸同源性为99.4%。系统进化分析结果表明该毒株属于亚洲1群,同时提示甘肃省狂犬病病例是犬狂犬病流行为主的疫区传播结果,而非临近省份野生动物狂犬病溢出所致。     

Epidemiology and control of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the Republic of Ireland in 2001

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed in a flock of sheep on a farm in the Cooley peninsula, County Louth, on March 22, 2001. The virus was similar to other viruses of the serotype O PanAsian strain and virtually indistinguishable from other isolates from Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The epidemiological evidence suggested that infected sheep brought from Great Britain on February 19, 2001, were the source of the infection. The disease was eradicated by epidemiological investigation, serological testing and extensive culling.     

The 2001 epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom: epidemiological and meteorological case studies

The possibility of the airborne spread of foot-and-mouth disease during the 2001 epidemic in the uk has been investigated in three epidemiological case studies. On the basis of evidence from field investigations, and a simple meteorological analysis, it is concluded that the spread of disease was consistent with the airborne transport of virus. The distances ranged from less than 1 km to 16 km; six of the farms were over 6 km from the source and involved the passage of virus over the sea combined with meteorological conditions which strongly favoured airborne disease transmission. The results of detailed atmospheric modelling demonstrated that airborne virus could have challenged livestock on all the farms studied. However, with one exception the 24-hour average daily concentrations of the virus were significantly below the experimentally estimated threshold for infection. A detailed model intercomparison established that, under stable atmospheric conditions, peak concentrations of virus up to two orders of magnitude higher might have been experienced for short periods, owing to fluctuations within the plume of virus, and model limitations. This finding would significantly reduce the apparent discrepancy between the experimentally estimated threshold for infection and the modelling results.     

Acute nontraumatic hemoabdomen in the dog: a retrospective analysis of 39 cases (1987-2001)

The medical records of 39 dogs with acute nontraumatic hemoabdomen were identified and reviewed. Anemia and hypoalbuminemia were identified in 36/37 (97%) and 25/33 (76%) dogs, respectively. Coagulopathies were identified in 26/31 (84%) dogs. When a definitive diagnosis was obtained, malignant neoplasia was diagnosed most frequently and occurred in 24/30 (80%) dogs. Hemangiosarcoma accounted for 21/30 (70%) diagnoses. Sixteen dogs underwent exploratory laparotomy, of which seven (44%) survived the perioperative period. Of the dogs that did not undergo surgery, 9/23 (39%) survived to be discharged from the hospital.     

Serosurveillance of wild deer and wild boar after the epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease in The Netherlands in 2001

Blood samples from 140 wild deer and 208 wild boar shot in the aftermath of the epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease in The Netherlands in 2001 were examined for antibodies to foot-and-mouth disease virus. They were all negative.     

Airborne transmission of foot-and-mouth disease virus from Burnside Farm,Heddon-on-the-Wall,Northumberland, during the 2001 epidemic in the United Kingdom

The results of a detailed assessment of the atmospheric conditions when foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus was released from Burnside Farm, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland at the start of the 2001 epidemic in the UK are consistent with the hypothesis that the disease was spread to seven of the 12 farms in the immediate vicinity of the source by airborne virus, and airborne infection could not be ruled out for three other premises; the remaining two premises were unlikely to have been infected by airborne virus. The distances involved ranged from less than 1 km up to 9 km. One of the farms which was most probably infected by airborne virus from Burnside Farm was Prestwick Hall Farm, which is believed to have been key to the rapid spread of the disease throughout the country. In contrast, the results of detailed atmospheric modelling, based on a combination of clinical evidence from the field and laboratory experiments have shown that by assuming a relationship between the 24-hour average virus concentrations and subsequent infection, threshold infection levels were seldom reached at the farms close to Burnside Farm. However, significant short-term fluctuations in the concentration of virus can occur, and short-lived high concentrations may have increased the probability of infection and explain this discrepancy.     

Entrapment of the small intestine in the epiploic foramen in horses: a retrospective analysis of 71 cases recorded between 1991 and 2001

The clinical features of 71 cases in 70 horses in which part of the small intestine became entrapped in the epiploic foramen are described. The horses' sex, age and breed, the month during which they were affected, and whether they exhibited stereotypic behaviour were compared with the same variables in 1279 horses which suffered other types of surgical colic during the same period. Thoroughbred and thoroughbred cross horses were over-represented among the 70 affected horses. There was no age or sex predilection. Fifty-five (77.5 per cent) of the cases occurred between October and March and 15 (21.1 per cent) occurred in January. The cases were significantly more likely to have a history of crib-biting/windsucking than the control group (odds ratio 7.9, 95 per cent confidence interval 4.1 to 15.3). The condition had recurred in two of the horses. Fifty-eight (81.7 per cent) recovered from surgery and 49 (69 per cent) survived until they were discharged from hospital. The median survival time of 31 of the affected horses discharged from the hospital was 700 days, whereas 417 horses with other types of surgical colic had a median survival time in excess of 1931 days.