Terrestrial Animal Health Code Research Articles

Strategic challenges in the global control of high pathogenicity avian influenza.

H5Nx A/Goose/Guangdong/1/96 Eurasian lineage high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) viruses have been the main HPAI strains detected globally since 2005. These have spread around the world, causing a panzootic that has spanned six continents, with continual threat to not only wild and captive birds and poultry, but also wild, captive and domestic mammals and humans. The viruses' ecology and epidemiology - especially the 2.3.4.4b clade - have changed, with over 489 species of birds infected and spreading the virus over migratory routes. This results in the death of many birds, including endangered species, and serves as a source of transmission to poultry and mammals. Improved surveillance and sharing of HPAI virus sequences, metadata and viruses across the veterinary, public health, wildlife and environment sectors are needed to elucidate the population dynamics of the infections, which is crucial to addressing this complex One Health issue. The development of appropriate mitigation strategies or changes in husbandry, production and selling practices can reduce the risk of viruses being introduced into farms, as well as their amplification and viral evolution, and any spill-back to wild birds. Approaches to prevention and control of HPAI in countries where these 2.3.4.4b viruses remain entrenched in poultry, or places at risk of virus introduction via wild bird populations, involve measures to reduce the effects of the disease in poultry (including enhanced farm bio-security, vaccination, zoning and compartmentalisation). Their uptake reflects the difficulties encountered in relying solely on biosecurity for disease prevention and on stamping out alone for virus control and elimination. The World Organisation for Animal Health's Terrestrial Animal Health Code allows use of vaccination of poultry under specific conditions and without negatively impacting HPAI-free status if appropriate surveillance is conducted, thus supporting safe trade in poultry and poultry products. Nevertheless, concerns regarding loss of valuable export markets still interfere with greater utilisation of vaccination.

Evaluation of the Epidemic Situation of Anthrax in Armenia Over the Last Decade.

Anthrax is a World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)-listed disease that must be reported upon confirmation based on the Terrestrial Animal Health Code. Anthrax poses a serious health issue for unvaccinated livestock, is a threat to humans through interaction with contaminated livestock and animal products and is endemic in many areas throughout the world, including the Transcaucasian Region. Despite several control and eradication efforts that have been implemented by the government of the Republic of Armenia (RA), sporadic cases of anthrax are still reported. We sought to understand the epidemic situation of anthrax in RA during the last 10 years (2012-2023) based on analysis of outbreaks and reported cases in cattle and humans. We collected and evaluated officially reported data from human and animal cases, such as time, location, animal species, disease intensity and spread radius. The data and various parameters were mapped using ArcGIS to prepare a viable risk assessment. Based on the officially available data and reports, there have been 80 human cases and 55 animal cases of anthrax confirmed in RA from 2012 to 2023. We also identified the presence of anthrax spores in soil and environmental samples near animal burial sites in RA in 2015-2017 through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Upon comparing the human and animal cases by frequency and intensity, the human cases are directly proportional to the animal husbandry practices performed in RA. The detection of the anthrax pathogen at the burial sites highlights the continued threat in these areas. Thus, it is imperative to secure and monitor any areas that have been used for anthrax burial and limit the movement of animals in these areas. In the future, legislation should be updated to prioritise incineration of anthrax-infected carcasses instead of burial to limit further exposure to animals and humans.

Evaluation of candidate data-based welfare indicators for veal calves in Switzerland.

Welfare assessment protocols have been developed for dairy cows and veal calves during the past decades. One practical use of such protocols may be conducting welfare assessments by using routinely collected digital data (i.e., data-based assessment). This approach can allow for continuous monitoring of animal welfare in a large number of farms. It recognises changes in the animal welfare status over time and enables comparison between farms. Since no comprehensive data-based assessment for veal calves is currently available, the purposes of this review are (i) to provide an overview of single existing data-based indicators for veal calves and (ii) to work out the necessary requirements for data-based indicators to be used in a comprehensive welfare assessment for veal calves in Switzerland. We used the Welfare Quality Protocol® (WQ) for veal calves and the Terrestrial Animal Health Code from the World Organisation of Animal Health for guidance throughout this process. Subsequently, routinely collected data were evaluated as data sources for welfare assessment in Swiss veal operations. The four WQ principles reflecting animal welfare, i.e., 'good feeding', 'good housing', 'good health' and 'appropriate behaviour' were scarcely reflected in routinely available data. Animal health, as one element of animal welfare, could be partially assessed using data-based indicators through evaluation of mortality, treatments, and carcass traits. No data-based indicators reflecting feeding, housing and animal behaviour were available. Thus, it is not possible to assess welfare in its multidimensionality using routinely collected digital data in Swiss veal calves to date. A major underlying difficulty is to differentiate between veal calves and other youngstock using routine data, since an identifying category for veal calves is missing in official Swiss databases. In order to infer animal welfare from routine data, adaptations of data collection strategies and animal identification are required. Data-based welfare assessment could then be used to complement on-farm assessments efficiently and, e.g., to attribute financial incentives for specifically high welfare standards accordingly.

Exosomes secreted by CSFV-infected cells evade neutralizing antibody to activate innate immune responses and establish productive infection in recipient cells

Exosomes, which are small membrane-enclosed vesicles, are actively released into the extracellular space by a variety of cells. Growing evidence indicates that exosomes derived from virus-infected cells can selectively encapsulate viral proteins, genetic materials, or even entire virions. This enables them to mediate cell-to-cell communication and facilitate virus transmission. Classical swine fever (CSF) is a disease listed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Terrestrial Animal Health Code and must be reported to the organisation. It is caused by classical swine fever virus (CSFV) belonging to the Flaviviridae family. Recent studies have demonstrated that extracellular vesicles originating from autophagy can facilitate the antibody-resistant spread of classical swine fever virus. However, due to the extreme difficulty in achieving a complete separation from virions, the role of exosomes during CSFV infection and proliferation remains elusive. In this study, we ingeniously chose to perform immunoprecipitation (IP) targeting the CSFV E2 protein, thereby achieving the complete removal of infectious virions. Subsequently, we discovered that the purified exosomes are shown to contain viral genomic RNA and partial viral proteins. Furthermore, exosomes secreted by CSFV-infected cells can evade CSFV-specific neutralizing antibodies, establish subsequent infection, and stimulate innate immune system after uptake by recipient cells. In summary, exosomes play a critical role in CSFV transmission. This is of great significance for in-depth exploration of the characteristics of CSFV and its complex interactions with the host.

Rapid Identification of ASFV, CSFV and FMDV from Mongolian Outbreaks with MinION Short Amplicon Sequencing.

African swine fever virus (ASFV), classical swine fever virus (CSFV), and foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) cause important transboundary animal diseases (TADs) that have a significant economic impact. The rapid and unequivocal identification of these pathogens and distinction from other animal diseases based on clinical symptoms in the field is difficult. Nevertheless, early pathogen detection is critical in limiting their spread and impact as is the availability of a reliable, rapid, and cost-effective diagnostic test. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility to identify ASFV, CSFV, and FMDV in field samples using next generation sequencing of short PCR products as a point-of-care diagnostic. We isolated nucleic acids from tissue samples of animals in Mongolia that were infected with ASFV (2019), CSFV (2015), or FMDV (2018), and performed conventional (RT-) PCR using primers recommended by the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). The (RT-) PCR products were then sequenced in Mongolia using the MinION nanopore portable sequencer. The resulting sequencing reads successfully identified the respective pathogens that exhibited 91-100% nucleic acid similarity to the reference strains. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that the Mongolian virus isolates are closely related to other isolates circulating in the same geographic region. Based on our results, sequencing short fragments derived by conventional (RT-) PCR is a reliable approach for rapid point-of-care diagnostics for ASFV, CSFV, and FMDV even in low-resource countries.

ASSIGNMENTS OF THE VETERINARY MEDICINE SPECIALISTS TO COMPLY WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE PROCEDURE FOR THE USE OF ANTIMICROBIAL VETERINARY MEDICINES

The problem of tackling antimicrobial resistance to antimicrobial agents on a global scale is of great importance over the last few years. Governments of many countries and professional organizations developed a lot of legislative orders, requirements, and guidelines concerning this problem based on a ‘One-Health’ approach. Surveillance of the development of acquired antimicrobial resistance and monitoring the circulation of antimicrobials in veterinary practice and medicine is one of the steps to address this problem.
 The main goal of this study was the assignment of the veterinary medicine specialists' tasks in the implementation of the “Procedure for the use of antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products”, 2021. (hereinafter “Procedure”).
 National Agency of veterinary medicinal products and feed additives (hereinafter Agency) during the last six years is collecting annual sales data on antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products in food-producing and domestic animals in accordance with Chapter 6.9. of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code, 2018. The Agency must inform all the stakeholders about the problems revealed in this study because they are of great importance for the prudent use of antimicrobial agents and implementation of the requirements of the “Procedure”.
 Results of the antimicrobials sales reports monitoring in 2020 revealed an increase in the parts of macrolides (14%) and fluoroquinolones (15,2%), which are classified as critical antimicrobials of categories C and B, respectively According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the European Food Safety Authority and the European Medicines Agency (ECDC / EFSA / EMA, 2021), a statistically significant positive relationship was found between the consumption of fluoroquinolones to Salmonella spp., іn poultry and the resistance of isolated from poultry Salmonella spp. to fluoroquinolones and a significant association with Campylobacter jejuni resistance in humans. Therefore, the use of these categories of antimicrobials should be substantiated by veterinarians.
 Monitoring data do not allow us to state that all antimicrobials sold have been used, but the increase in their share is a matter of concern taking into account the requirements set out in the "Procedure for the use of antimicrobial medicinal products". The article formulates the tasks to be performed by veterinary specialists to implement the requirements for the use of antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products set out in the "Procedure", approved by the order of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine № 1177-21 of 30.12.2021.

Draft Law of Ukraine on the creation of the Self-governing Veterinary Body on the Base of International Experience

The article researched the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code to be a crucial part of the WTO international trade legal framework. The study established that countries wishing to become full members of the WTO should bring their legislation in line with OIE standards, according to which the veterinarian is the person with appropriate education, licensed by the independent self-governing body of the particular country. Empirical, systematic, and theoretical research methods, as well as the foreign experience of veterinary medicine colleagues from Poland, Ireland, Italy, Great Britain, and Austria, allowed the authors of this article to implement the received information concerning the creation of the statutory veterinary body into the draft law of Ukraine. The article revealed that according to Article 3.2.5. of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Health Organization, only the Self-governing Body carried the legal responsibility and acted based on legislative acts. The authors proposed the draft of the Law of Ukraine “On Professional Activity of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Self-governing Body (Veterinary Parliament)”. Implementation of this Law on practice is necessary and timely because 1) veterinary medicine doctors will be united into a single body, which is interested in increasing the prestige of the profession; 2) there will be a reduction in the percentage of conflict of interests (the state provides services and the state controls the performance of these services) due to the transfer of state veterinary doctors to the private segment; 3) the state will delegate services to the self-governing body for the organization of preventive measures and measures to eliminate infectious and parasitic diseases of animals, zoonosis; 4) there will be control of “Lifelong learning” by deprivation of permission or suspension of the permit to carry out the veterinary practice.

Disease surveillance in England and Wales, June 2022.

Disease surveillance in England and Wales, June 2022.

The World Organisation for Animal Health - current and potential roles in safe international trade of bees and other insects.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) is the recognised intergovernmental standard-setting organisation for animal health and welfare. The WOAH mandate is to support its members in the prevention of the spread of animal diseases of concern, as listed in the Terrestrial Animal Health Code (Terrestrial Code). Once a disease, infection or infestation is listed, national Veterinary Authorities have the obligation regularly to notify WOAH of the presence or absence of the listed disease. In regard to insects, the scope of the Terrestrial Code limits its recommendations to preserving the health of bees (species of the genus Apis, extended to the genus Bombus and to the stingless bees for one disease). However, it does not include standards to mitigate the potential animal health risks associated with the international trade of other insects. A description of the standard-setting process and a review of the history of the standards for bee health highlight the resources and requirements to expand the scope of the Terrestrial Code to include recommendations for animal health risk mitigation measures for the safety of international trade in insects. Any initiative to develop guidance on insect trade should include WOAH in its role as the sole global standard-setting organisation on animal health and welfare matters. This aligns with the WOAH commitment to a One Health approach.

Small animal disease surveillance 2020/21: SARS-CoV-2, syndromic surveillance and an outbreak of acute vomiting in UK dogs.

Small animal disease surveillance 2020/21: SARS-CoV-2, syndromic surveillance and an outbreak of acute vomiting in UK dogs.

The current epizootic situation of rabies in Tajikistan

According to the Terrestrial Animal Health Code and the Veterinary Legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan, veterinary authorities register, give passport and vaccinate dogs and cats, but not to the full extent, which increases the risk of infection and death of people and animals with the rabies virus. This article presents the results of retrospective analysis of the epizootic and epidemiological situation and the role of carnivores and other animals in the circulation of the rabies virus in natural foci in Tajikistan’s regions close to big cities and areas under protection. Research and monitoring of the manifestation of rabies among carnivorous mammals in 4 regions of the country were carried out and the role in spreading of rabies infection was studied. As a result of study it was found that the most disadvantaged areas with high levels of rabies infection are Khatlon region and Central Tajikistan, and was explored connection between diseases of dogs and farm animals, especially cattle.

TURNOVER OF ANTIMICROBIAL VETERINARY MEDICINAL PRODUCTS IN UKRAINE AS A FACTOR OF THEIR RATIONAL USE IN THE TREATMENT OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN ANIMALS

The procedure for manufacture, sale and rational use of antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products in veterinary medicine must comply with the national legislation, namely the Law of Ukraine “On Veterinary Medicine”. Only authorized in Ukraine veterinary medicinal products have been used in veterinary medicine as required with the recommendations stated in package leaflet, labeling and summary of the product characteristic. The article describes main principles of monitoring process sales turnover of antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products during period of study 2015-2018.
 On the suggestion of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) at the beginning of 2016 Ukraine started collecting annual sales data (for the previous year) on antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products in food-producing and domestic animals in accordance with the Chapter 6.9. of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code, 2016; 2018.
 The main goal of this study was the implementation of OIE recommendations in monitoring process by the assessment of sales patterns of antimicrobials, their influence on prudent use, in compliance with Ukrainian National Action Plan Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance, 2019. The study was conducted during four 12-month periods (from January 1 to December 31) during 2015-2018. The data in questionnaires reports were received from marketing authorization holders and distributors and collected as suggested by OIE. The specification of the amounts of the antimicrobials annual sales during 2015-2018 according route of administration and antimicrobial classes in [kg] and [%] of active ingredient were presented.
 The study revealed the main high-selling classes of antimicrobials (Tetracyclines, Penicillins and Sulfonamide+Trimethoprim); the commonly used route of administration (oral ~ 90 %) and part of veterinary critically important and important antimicrobials in total sales amounts of all antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products. Macrolides occupied the main part (10,2 %) in veterinary critically important antimicrobial medicinal products; part of Aminoglycosides was ~ 4 %; Fluoroquinolones – among 2,5 - 7,14 % and part of Cephalosporins was less than 1% during all years of the study.
 This study can be considered as the first step towards implementation a national monitoring system for rational and prudent use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine.

National official assurance systems for international trade in animals and animal products, with reference to the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health.

In the context of trade, national official assurance systems are the mechanism through which countries provide official assurance to other countries that their products are safe to trade. Regardless of the form in which it is conveyed, an official assurance, for the most part, is a statement from one competent authority to another about the conformity of a consignment with agreed requirements. Effectively, one government is providing a level of guarantee to the other government about matters such as the disease or pest status that exists nationally or regionally and/ or about the risk management activities that have been undertaken as relevant to the traded consignment. Accordingly, the degree of confidence that the importing competent authority has in the ethics, competence and capability of the exporting country's competent authority is central to how much trust the importing country places in the official assurances from the exporting country. The World Organisation for Animal Health Terrestrial Animal Health Code and Aquatic Animal Health Code (Section 5 of both) set out veterinary certificate requirements relating to animal health and zoonoses for both importing and exporting countries engaging in the trade of animals and animal products. These requirements are supplemented by the guidance developed by the Codex Committee on Food Inspection and Certification Systems, which covers the inspection and certification system requirements related to food safety and other non-health-related technical matters (e.g. composition, grade or organic status), as relevant to the international trade in food. This review discusses the need for countries to further align the form and content of their official assurance requirements with the relevant international standards and recommendations. It also notes, however, that there is currently a paucity of recommended standardised attestations. It highlights the increasing movement towards electronic certification and the potential this brings for further amalgamation of different certificate types and the coordination of border clearance processes. The basic components and principles that apply to national official assurance systems are identified and explained. Lastly, future trends and challenges for national official assurance systems, such as the impact of electronic commerce and regional distribution hubs, and the increasing recognition of containment zones and/or risk mitigations, such as treatments, are discussed.

Use of the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health in veterinary certificates.

International trade in animals and animal products results in economic, social and scientific benefits. The risk of the transmission of diseases that affect both animal and human health through the movement of animals and animal products can be controlled by import health requirements. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is recognised by the World Trade Organization as the standard-setting body for international animal health standards covering the safe trade of animals and animal products. To ensure the safe trade of animals and animal products, without unnecessary restrictions, countries should harmonise their import health requirements with OIE standards. Governments should refer to the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code, Aquatic Animal Health Code, Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals, and Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals, standards that have been robustly developed to account for countries' differences in animal health status. Nevertheless, any determination of equivalence or requirement to achieve a higher level of protection should be based on risk analysis. Even though the use of OIE standards in veterinary certificates has benefits, there are several challenges that countries may encounter, such as legislative processes or inter-agency controls slowing down the flexibility of adopting import standards. Some countries may also encounter difficulties in meeting the standards due to operational practicalities. Although private standards have not been significantly involved in regulating animal health, this may present challenges to the universality and fairness of international standards in the future. Lastly, it is important to stay up to date with technology, such as electronic certification, that enhances the certification system for international trade to ensure the authenticity and efficiency of certification.

A framework for national official assurance systems with reference to World Organisation for Animal Health standards.

With the expansion and intensification of international trade in animals and animal products in the last decades, the risk of the spread of transboundary animal diseases has increased. Veterinary Authorities may take legitimate measures at import to protect their territories' animal and human populations, and may require official assurances for imported animals or animal products. These measures have often led to overly stringent restrictions or even wide embargoes that may have a counterproductive effect. In order to avoid unjustified barriers to trade, the World Trade Organization's Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures recognises the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) as the international references to be followed for animal health measures. The OIE standards provide for scientifically based recommendations for risk mitigation measures before and after international movements, depending on the disease and the commodity. They also provide for import risk analysis and bilateral equivalence methodologies, as well as certification rules and border inspection procedures. In order to provide confidence that trade requirements are met, exporting countries' Veterinary Authorities need to implement national assurance systems. For that reason, OIE Members should primarily follow the OIE standards for quality Veterinary Services. Veterinary Authorities are invited to use the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (Terrestrial Code), Aquatic Animal Health Code, Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals, and Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals to build capable services and implement sound and effective measures. The User's Guide of the Terrestrial Code lists the elements that are essential to achieving this.

Compartmentalisation: an example of a national official assurance system.

In South Africa's experience, compartmentalisation has been extremely effective in maintaining an animal subpopulation of a specific health status, based on segregation and biosecurity management. Compartmentalisation promotes animal disease control and underwrites a national official assurance system that provides zoosanitary trade guarantees for animals and animal products. South Africa started to develop the concept of compartmentalisation during the 1950s for the pig sector, due to African swine fever being endemic in wildlife in the north of the country, where certain biosecurity measures were used to protect domestic pigs. Compartmentalisation protocols were formalised and officially published from 2001 as voluntary systems, first for the pig industry and later for the poultry (chicken and ostrich) industry. South Africa uses five basic principles for animal health compartmentalisation, namely, segregation, biosecurity, record-keeping, surveillance and official inspection. These are applied in line with the World Organisation for Animal Health Terrestrial Animal Health Code guidelines. Industry and the farmer bear the costs of compartmentalisation and, in turn, obtain not only animal disease protection but also trade advantages due to health assurances. Compartmentalisation ensures optimal use of government resources as the expenses for animal disease control are shared with private industries. International acceptance and standardisation of compartments is advocated as a measure to provide assurances for disease freedom, based on risk-specific mitigation measures.

Could Vespa velutina nigrithorax be included in the World Organisation for Animal Health list of diseases, infections and infestations?

Vespa velutina nigrithorax is an invasive alien organism that has raised concerns in all beekeeping communities of invaded countries including the Republic of Korea, European countries and Japan. Known also as the yellow-legged hornet (or the 'Asian hornet'), it is native to northern India, eastern Nepal, Bhutan and the People's Republic of China. Given its climatic and biological characteristics and the effects of climate change, some coastal areas of North America, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand are also susceptible to invasion. Vespa velutina nigrithorax notably affects managed honey-bee colonies by predation on foragers and causing a reduction in the collection of food resources. Being a generalist predator, the yellow-legged hornet also preys on other managed and wild pollinators, and therefore its impacts are not limited to the beekeeping sector but also represent a biodiversity concern. The purpose of this paper is to provide an assessment of V. v. nigrithorax against the four criteria established in Chapter 1.2. of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code for the inclusion of a disease, infection or infestation in the OIE list. The work was requested by the OIE Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases and presented to this Commission and to the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission in September 2017. Owing to the lack of effective measures to prevent its spread, the fact that its legal situation in some countries is under the mandate of environmental authorities rather than Veterinary Services, and because it is not considered a disease or parasite, V. v. nigrithorax is not currently being proposed for inclusion in the OIE list. At the end of the text, the statements from the two commissions are included and discussed.

Potential to export fresh pork in the event of an African swine fever outbreak in the United States

An African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in the United States would result in the loss of fresh pork exports and a decrease in pig price. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code provides a potential opportunity for packers, working with swine production systems and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), to maintain a significant portion of exports during an ASF outbreak through a combination of producer biosecurity and surveillance, packers only accepting pigs from production systems that meet specific requirements, and the USDA developing veterinary certificates for export stating the pork shipment meets the OIE requirements.

Space-time cluster analysis to improve classical swine fever risk-based surveillance in Ecuador

Space-time cluster analysis to improve classical swine fever risk-based surveillance in Ecuador

Rabies diagnosis and surveillance in animals in the era of rabies elimination.

Effective real-time surveillance, combined with proficient, decentralised and validated laboratory diagnostics, is a prerequisite for successful rabies control and elimination. The selection and prioritisation of surveillance methodologies, in conjunction with appropriate diagnostic techniques, should reflect the goals of the disease control and elimination programme (Stage 1: proof of burden; Stage 2: human rabies prevention; Stage 3: monitoring and assessment of control measures; Stage 4: verification of rabies elimination; and Stage 5: post elimination). The development of minimum surveillance requirements, in accordance with Chapter 1.4 of the World Organisation for Animal Health Terrestrial Animal Health Code, and routine evaluation of disease elimination indicators are of the utmost importance if the goal of eliminating dog-mediated human rabies by 2030 is to be achieved.