Veterinary Public Research Articles

One Health Approach to Address Zoonotic Diseases.

The world of animals, humans, and environment is interlinked, giving rise to a number of benefits as well as a spread in zoonosis and multifactorial chronic diseases. With the emergence of antimicrobial resistances and environmental pollution, addressing these diseases needs an interdisciplinary and intersectoral expertise. “One Health (OH)” refers to such collaboration between local, national, and global experts from public health, health care, forestry, veterinary, environmental, and other related disciplines to bring about optimal health for humans, animals, and environment. The concept of OH is still in embryonic stage in India and increasingly gaining importance. The Government of India has taken some initiatives to tackle burgeoning problems such as antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic diseases, and food safety using the OH approach, but there are several challenges at the level of implementation. The major bottlenecks in implementing OH include absence of a legal framework to implement OH, poor coordination among different governmental and private agencies, lack of proper surveillance of animal diseases, poor data-sharing mechanism across sectors, and limited budget. Implementing systematic zoonotic surveillance; regulated antibiotic use among humans and animals; development of a zoonotic registry in the country; constitution of a wide network of academic, research, pharmaceutical, and various implementation stakeholders from different sectors is the need of the hour to effectively use OH in order to combat increasing zoonotic diseases.

A look at the incidence and risk factors for dog bites in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, USA.

Aim:This study examined the incidence, demographic predictors, and map patterns of dog bites to humans in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, USA.Materials and Methods:Dog bites reported to Harris County Veterinary Public Health (HCVPH) between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2016, were analyzed in this retrospective cohort study. Canine and victim characteristics and bite circumstances were evaluated to establish risk factors for bites. Geographic location was used to produce choropleth maps.Results:There were 6683 dog bites reported to HCVPH between the years of 2013 and 2016, with stable incidence rates over time. The incidence was highest for both children and older adults. Dogs with the primary breed of Pit Bull had the greatest frequency of bites (25.07%), with the second highest breed being Labrador Retrievers (13.72%). Bites were more common from intact dogs of both genders, especially from intact males. Persons aged 70+ had the greatest incidence of severe injury (14.09/100,000). A strong correlation between dog bite incidences and stray dogs was found after controlling for the human population and income.Conclusion:Dog bites remain a largely preventable issue, and risk factors identified in this study can help direct preventative efforts to reduce the incidence of dog bites.

Scientific trends of global food laws and regulations

The book ‘Chemical hazards in foods of animal origin’ is the seventh in the series ‘Food Safety Assurance and Veterinary Public Health’. It represents a continuation of the scientific efforts to cover the most important food safety topics, from various areas of the integrated food chain, in a highly comprehensive manner, providing an invaluable source of information for readers. The wide variety of scientific expertise from the authors, contributors to this book, representing different disciplines, demonstrates an exemplary manner of the integrated and multidisciplinary nature of tackling the most important food safety and environmental issues pertaining to chemical hazards. The contributors to this book include experts from veterinary and human medicine, chemistry, food toxicology and microbiology, food risk assessment and management. In an ever-changing world, the collaboration between different disciplines is of utmost importance to tackle chemical hazards emerging from industrialisation and climate change and safeguard the safety of food for the consumer.

Typological analysis of public-private partnerships in the veterinary domain.

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are defined as a collaborative approach in which the public and private sector share resources, responsibilities and risks to achieve common objectives and mutual benefits in a sustainable manner. PPPs are identified as a key solution to reinforce Veterinary Services. However only limited information is available on the scope, added value and enabling factors of PPPs in this sector. The aims of this study were to develop a typology of PPPs in the veterinary field and to identify key success factors and obstacles to their implementation. A structured questionnaire was sent to all 181 World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Member Countries and to 47 private contacts. 36 different variables characterizing PPP initiatives were collected. 97 examples of PPPs were retrieved from 76 countries. Dimensionality reduction techniques were combined with clustering and discrimination methods to establish a typology of PPPs and to derive a set of simple rules to classify new instances of PPPs. Three clusters were identified, separated according to two main variables: the type of private partners and the type of interaction. Cluster 1, transactional PPPs, represented the traditional understanding of PPPs by Veterinary Services, initiated and funded by the public sector, giving service delivery accreditation to mostly private veterinarians; cluster 2, collaborative PPPs, included partnerships between producer associations and public Veterinary Services, driven by trade interests; cluster 3, transformational PPPs, represented joint programs initiated and funded by private companies and initially driven by business development objectives. Specific success factors and key obstacles affecting the performances and sustainability of these initiatives were identified for each cluster. This study represents the first practical attempt to develop a meaningful typology of PPPs in the field of animal health and to identify fundamental obstacles currently inhibiting the development of PPPs, and suggests ways to support national Veterinary Services in overcoming these obstacles.

Trends in the serovar and antimicrobial resistance in clinical isolates of Salmonella enterica from cattle and pigs between 2002 and 2016 in Japan.

Given the significance of Salmonella enterica in both human and animal health, and a recent global dissemination of Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:-, changes in the prevalent serovars and antimicrobial resistance in clinical isolates of Salmonella from cattle and pigs were investigated in Japan. The serovars and antimicrobial susceptibilities of 1605 Salmonella enterica isolated from cattle (n=894) and swine (n=711) between 2002 and 2016 were examined. The most common serovar among all samples was Salmonella Typhimurium. However, its monophasic variant with antigenic structure S. 4,[5],12:i:-, which was first detected in cattle in 2006 and swine in 2010, has been rapidly increasing in incidence and resistance. Resistance rates to cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin were generally low (<10% in the cattle isolates and <5% in the swine isolates); however, isolates resistant to more than five antimicrobials, which often include these antimicrobials, were recently detected in Salmonella Dublin, S. 4,[5],12:i:-, S. Typhimurium, Salmonella Newport, Salmonella Choleraesuis and Salmonella 6,7:c:-. Among them, two S. 4,[5],12:i:- isolates possessed extended-spectrum β-lactamase-encoding genes; blaSHV-12 or blaCTX-M-55 , respectively, while all the five S. Typhimurium isolates possessed AmpC-type β-lactamase gene of blaCMY-2 . S. 4,[5],12:i:- has been rapidly increasing and exhibiting a remarkable change in antimicrobial resistance in Japan. Considering certain serovars are characterized by multidrug resistance including medically important antimicrobials, continuous monitoring and appropriate measures are required to protect public health and veterinary husbandry. This study presents a trend in the serovars and antimicrobial resistance in clinical isolates of Salmonella from cattle and pigs in Japan, and showed that there were certain types of Salmonella serovars depending on the animal origin which needs more attention.

Passive Animal Surveillance to Identify Ticks in Wisconsin, 2011-2017.

The introduction of new tick species poses a risk to human and animal health. Systematic active surveillance programs are expensive and uncommon. We evaluated a passive animal surveillance program as a monitoring tool to document the geographic distribution and host associations of ticks in Wisconsin. Passive surveillance partners included veterinary medical clinics, domestic animal shelters, and wildlife rehabilitation centers from 35 of the 72 Wisconsin counties. A total of 10,136 tick specimens were collected from 2325 animals from July 2011 to November 2017 and included Dermacentor variabilis Say (29.7% of all ticks), Ixodes texanus Banks (25.5%), Ixodes scapularis Say (19.5%), Haemaphysalis leporispalustris Packard (13.8%), Ixodes cookei Packard (4.4%), and Dermacentor albipictus Packard (1.7%). Less common species (<1% of collection) included Ixodes dentatus Marx, Ixodes sculptus Neumann, Ixodes marxi Banks, Amblyomma americanum Linnaeus, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus Latreille. Of the 2325 animals that were examined, most were domestic dogs (53%), eastern cottontail rabbits (16%), domestic cats (15%), and North American raccoons (11%). An additional 21 mammal and 11 bird species were examined at least once during the six years of the study. New county records are summarized for each species. Public health, academic, and veterinary and animal care partners formed a community of practice enabling effective statewide tick surveillance.

Biosafety - Public Health and Veterinary Waste Management: A Case Study in Veterinary Clinics in Kermanshah. Iran

BACKGROUND: The harmful, dangerous essence of the veterinary waste of hospitals, clinics and labora- tories and the consequences of their inconsistent management, such as problems caused by lack of planning in separating, storing, collecting, transporting and disposing of them, causes many environmental and health problems. On the other hand, according to clause 11 and 2 of the Special Waste Management Law of the Environment Protection Organization (E.P.O) and the Ministry of Health of Iran, the waste of veterinary clinics isalso hazardous waste due to the presence of a variety of microorganisms harmful to humans and animals (such as anthrax & brucellosis, etc.). OBJECTIVES: The guidelines and checklist of the Environment & World Health Organization (WHO) were used in order to increase awareness of the management of the waste from veterinary centers. METHODS: The answers to the questions were completed by the direct referral of the researcher to 6 pub- lic and private veterinary centers. Statistical evaluation was analyzed using SPSS Version 22. RESUTLS: The results showed that although veterinary waste management in clinics and government laboratories is relatively more favorable than private veterinary clinics, it is far from world health standards. CONCLUSIONS: Application of rules and guidelines, increasing the level of knowledge and staff training at all levels, and continuous monitoring of the collection, transportation and disposal of veterinary waste are necessary.

Rodents as Reservoirs of the Zoonotic Pathogens Coxiella burnetii and Toxoplasma gondii in Corsica (France).

Coxiella burnetii and Toxoplasma gondii are intracellular pathogens that cause important reproductive disorders in humans and animals worldwide, which translates into high economic losses. The aim of this study was to analyze the possible role of peridomestic small mammals in the maintenance and transmission of C. burnetii and T. gondii in the Mediterranean island of Corsica, by the analysis of the seroprevalence in rodents. Our results showed a wide distribution of C. burnetii and T. gondii in Corsica in Rattus rattus and Mus musculus domesticus. The overall seroprevalence of anti-C. burnetii was 9.32%, being 8.73% from R. rattus and 13.33% from M. m. domesticus. With respect to T. gondii, seropositive rodents were observed in 12.96% of total animals, being 12.76% from rats and 14.29% from mice. Taking into consideration the large range of host these pathogens can infect, including humans and livestock, and their pathologies, the results provided by this study are relevant for public health and veterinary, and could help the governmental entities to prevent possible infectious focuses of Q fever and toxoplasmosis.

Test of Sodium Aluminate (Boraks) Content in Bakso in North Sangatta Sub-District (Case Study in Bakso Store)

The purpose of this study was to determine the content of borax in meatballs in North Sangatta District meatball stalls. The method used in this research is descriptive analysis method. The meatball samples used were 270 samples obtained from 30 meatball stalls in North Sangatta and tested at the Animal Health and Veterinary Public Health Laboratory of East Kutai Agriculture Office in East Kalimantan. The test was carried out to find out whether or not the meatball sample contained borax using the borax test kid. If a positive meatball sample contains borax, then the borax test paper will be brownish red while if the negative meatball sample is borax test paper is yellow. The test results showed that all meatball samples were negative (containing no borax). Based on the research it was concluded that the meatballs were not identified to contain borax.

Risk prioritization as a tool to Guide Veterinary Public Health activities at the regional level in Italy.

In this study we developed a model for risk prioritisation and characterisation focused on zoonoses and food safety for diseases of interest in veterinary public health at a regional level in Italy. A previous model (Discontools) based on scorecards was used as a basis to develop the new model. A Formalised Consensus Process approach involving academics and veterinary officers was used to develop scorecards and relative form and guidelines. Scorecards include several areas of interest, with different categories and coefficient of importance. The following areas were identified: relevance of the disease, socio-economic impact, impact on public health, impact on trade, impact on animal welfare, control tools. A guide and a form were finalised in order to fill scorecards. Scorecards were filled by consulting available data, literature, and expert opinions. Among bovine diseases, mastitis (Salmonella aureus) showed the highest score; Q fever was the highest among small ruminants; among swine diseases the highest was salmonellosis; while among other animal diseases, toxoplasmosis had the highest score. The approach described in this study is designed to aid professionals in risk prioritisation, decision-making, and to improve disease control systems at a regional level in Italy. It also facilitates risk characterisation in different backgrounds and the identification of data holes in specific areas of interest for the diseases considered. This approach is conceived to aid professionals in risk prioritization, decision-making and to improve disease control systems at a regional level. It also allows to perform risk characterization in different backgrounds and to identify lacks of data in specific areas of interest for the diseases considered.

Prevalence of Pesticide Residues in Pond Water Samples at some Districts of Haryana

The study is assessment of pesticide residues in water bodies/ponds of agriculture intensive areas, as the principal source of pesticides in crops and animal/poultry feed are soil and water. The farmers dump the remaining pesticide solutions and wash the containers with pond water near to their fields after spraying the pesticide on their crops. These measurements can be used as baseline levels to monitor and to predict their impact on the population of the area. The determination of organochlorine (OC), pyrethroids and organophosphorous (OP) insecticide residues was carried out in the samples collected from different village ponds of six districts of Haryana and analyzed at Department of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, COVS, LUVAS, Hisar. A gas chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD) for OC and pyrethroids and nitrogen phosphorous detector (GC-NPD) for OP's was employed for analysis. The testing protocol was standardized w.r.t. system precision, specificity and accuracy. The system precision values indicated a good consistency in response by the GC instrument used during present study. A good linearity was noted for standards and spiked tissue samples. Absence of interfering peaks in blank samples indicates good specificity of extraction and clean up method. Accuracy and precision of the method were in accepted range in comparison with international guidelines. Out of 50 samples, none of the sample was found to be positive for OC and Pyrethroid pesticide residues; but 16 pond water samples were detected with OP pesticide residues with prevalence rate of 32%. Monocrotophos and chlorpyriphos were detected in a maximum of eight samples each. Four samples out of 5 from Rohtak, 3 out of 5 from Jind, 3 out of 12 from Mahendergarh and 2 out of 8 from Hisar were found positive for different OP pesticide residues. All the 10 pond water samples from Ambala were found to be below detectable limit for all of the OP pesticides in study. The concentration of 16 positive samples was compared with the MRL's of drinking water, and it was observed that 4 samples, 2 each from Rohtak and Jind for monocrotophos (3.99 & 1.99 ηg/ml from Rohtak and 1.82 & 6.88 ηg/ml from Jind) violated the normal MRL values (0.5 ηg/ml). The investigation revealed that the pond water samples of Rohtak and Sirsa were found to be most contaminated with OP pesticides, mainly with Monocrotophos followed by Chlorpyriphos which indicates the excessive and irresponsible use of these pesticides in these two districts.

Progress towards Companion Animal Zoonotic Disease Surveillance in the U.S. Army

ObjectiveWe assesed the feasibility of a zoonotic disease surveillance system through the current EHR (ROVR) for all POAs and GOAs. Additionally, we conducted a retrospective observational study querying and collecting reported zoonoses of interest, for 2017.IntroductionDogs, cats and other companion animals have played an integral role in many aspects of human life. Human and companion animal (CAs) interactions have a wide range of benefits to human health1–3. The threat of zoonotic transmission between CAs and humans is exacerbated by proximity (56% of dog owners and 62% of cat owners sleep with their animal next to them4) and the number of diseases CAs share with humans. Many of these highlighted zoonoses are spread by direct contact, and others are vector-transmitted (e.g., fleas, ticks, flies, and mosquitos). Within the realm of the One-Health concept, CAs can serve multiple roles in zoonotic transmission chains between humans and animals. They can serve as intermediate hosts between wildlife reservoirs and humans, or as possible sentinel or proxy species for emerging diseases5. Given the large number of CAs within the United States (estimated 72 million pet dogs, 81 million pet cats), understanding and preventing the diseases prevalent in CA populations is of utmost importance.Biosurveillance is a critical component of One Health initiatives including zoonotic disease mitigation and control. As Lead Service for Veterinary Animal and Public Health Services, the Army has a responsibility to champion biosurveillance efforts to support One Health initiatives, improving Servicemember, family, and retiree health across the Joint Force. Additionally, with military personnel experiencing apparent increased rates of job-reducing ailments such as diarrheal, bacterial and viral disease6–8, it is essential that the Army focus on maximizing their operational potential by minimizing the amount of time personnel are sick from these transmissible diseases and observing potential sources of infection. By observing the zoonotic disease burden in privately owned (POAs) and government-owned (GOAs) animals, public health investigators can increase focus on what transmittable diseases are at greatest risk of being spread from companion animals to military personnel.To address this potential source of infection, the Department of Defense (DoD) sought and continues to seek to establish a centralized and integrated veterinary zoonotic surveillance system to provide Commanders with a clear picture of disease burden9. With this assigned responsibility, the Army Veterinary Service (VS) seeks to centralize and enhance surveillance efforts through the Remote Online Veterinary Record (ROVR) Electronic Health Record (EHR), an enterprise web-based application to support the Army VS, accurately establishing a zoonotic epidemiological baseline and sustaining consistent future reporting.MethodsThrough a requested effort and proof of concept, the Army Public Health Center’s (APHC) One Health Division tested the feasibility of a zoonotic disease surveillance system through the current EHR (ROVR) for all POAs and GOAs. We obtained one year (2017) worth of zoonotic encounters of interest through ROVR, querying a population of roughly 202,000 animals (n=202,217). We conducted a retrospective observational study comparing reported zoonoses of interest between CA populations. Maximum Likelihood Estimations of frequency detailed comparisons of frequency and prevalence between GOAs and POAs, within the ROVR EHR. Additionally, we evaluated the accuracy of surveillance data queried, proposed potential metrics and dashboards for commanders and stakeholders to easily observe zoonotic burden of companion animals and developed potential courses of action for future tools, collaborations, and educational interventions.ResultsOf the 512 collected zoonotic encounters, Giardia and Hookworm were the two most prevalent zoonoses overall, with 4.23 and 5.43 cases per 10,000 outpatient visits (OPVs), respectively. We observed a significant differential frequency of Giardia and Hookworm between GOAs and POAs (63% (CI: 54.6-71.4) vs 12.7% (CI: 9.7-16.1) and 2.5% (CI: 0.1-5.9) vs 41.9% (CI: 37.1-46.8) of all queried zoonotic diseases of interest, respectively). In addition to back-end database and querying improvements, we suggested the development of an educational intervention based at Army First-Year Graduate Veterinary Education program (FYGVE) locations to emphasize the important benefits of capturing zoonotic diseases of interest correctly, early stages in the clinical experience. The intervention would focus on increasing accurate data capture with the ultimate goal of a phased regional rollout through education and collaboartive buy-in.ConclusionsFrom these results and recent CDC guidance of data-driven surveillance, we’ve proposed a phased surveillance development plan focused on systematic data collection, collaboration, and evaluation. Our idenfitied overexpressed zoonoses will focus our efforts on tracking Giardia and Hookworm through multi-year trends. This assessment and proof of concept allows for illumination of gaps and limitations within the Army VS to effectively track the zoonotic burden of GOA and POA populations. Our current and future work will look to close surveillance gaps and help identify potential routes of transmission from companion animals to humans.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of One Health surveillance strategies for rabies control

Cost-effectiveness analysis of One Health surveillance strategies for rabies control

Preparing Health Care Professionals for Public Health Disaster Management

Introduction:Disasters are a major challenge for public health because of damage caused by death, injury, or illness that exceeds health services’ ability to respond. Health professionals and students require awareness and understanding of particular aspects of disaster planning, mitigation, response, or recovery. In Brazil, despite the increase in the number and intensity of disasters, there is no formal acceptance regarding the need to integrate disaster content into curriculum guidelines (1)Aim:To develop and test referential and models for disaster management health professional education.Methods:Competence-based education has been proposed. The methodology adopted was developed by the Association (2) and adapted to be used in the Brazilian context. An initial literature search was performed in MEDLINE via PubMed, Google Scholar, Lilacs, and Scielo databases using disaster and competencies as descriptors.Results:Articles and documents in Portuguese, Spanish, and English were identified for: public health (21), nursing (20), multi-professional (16), psychology (4), pharmacy (4), dentistry (2), medicine (1), veterinary (2), and nutrition (1). Data were organized according to a proposal from the literature (3) Selection of benchmarks for the preparation of education models identified 27 referential, three of them developed in Brazil.Discussion:Application and evaluation of the methodology developed with undergraduate students of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul consisted of an initiative to prepare health care professionals for disaster management.

Culicoides Biting Midges-Underestimated Vectors for Arboviruses of Public Health and Veterinary Importance.

Culicoides biting midges, small hematophagous dipterans, are the demonstrated or putative vectors of multiple arboviruses of veterinary and public health importance. Despite its relevance in disease spread, the ceratopogonid genus Culicoides is still a largely neglected group of species, predominantly because the major human-affecting arboviruses are considered to be transmitted by mosquitoes. However, when a pathogen is detected in a certain vector species, a thorough search for further vectors often remains undone and, therefore, the relevant vector species may remain unknown. Furthermore, for many hematophagous arthropods, true vector competence is often merely suspected and not experimentally proven. Therefore, we aim to illuminate the general impact of Culicoides biting midges and to summarize the knowledge about biting midge-borne disease agents using the order Bunyavirales, the largest and most diverse group of RNA viruses, as an example. When considering only viruses evidentially transmitted by Culicoides midges, the Simbu serogroup (genus Orthobunyavirus) is presumably the most important group within the virus order. Its members are of great veterinary importance, as a variety of simbuviruses, e.g., the species Akabane orthobunyavirus or Schmallenberg orthobunyavirus, induces severe congenital infections in pregnant animals. The major zoonotic representative of this serogroup occurs in South and Central America and causes the so-called Oropouche fever, an acute febrile illness in humans.

Genetic characterization of tick-borne pathogens in ticks infesting cattle and sheep from three South African provinces

Ticks are involved in the transmission of many public health and veterinary important pathogens. Although tick-borne pathogens are widely distributed in South Africa, information on tick-pathogen relationship needs to be updated particularly using modern molecular techniques. This study used PCR and sequencing to confirm the identity of the tick species collected from cattle and sheep from KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Eastern Cape. Furthermore, presence of Babesia spp., Theileria spp., Anaplasma marginale, Rickettsia spp., Ehrlichia ruminantium and Coxiella burnetii was detected from tick DNA using species-specific PCR or nested PCRs. The study samples consisted of 390 adult ticks (male and female) which were pooled according to species, host animal and sampling site (three ticks per pool) for DNA extraction. The PCR results revealed that out of 130 tick DNA pools, 30 (23.1%) were positive for at least one pathogen. The most frequent pathogen was C. burnetii (9.2%), followed by Rickettsia spp. (7.7%), A. marginale (3.8%), T. mutans (3.1%), T. taurotragi (2.3%) and E. ruminantium (1.5%). The highest prevalence of pathogens was observed in ticks collected from cattle in Eastern Cape (16/42) and the lowest was in ticks obtained from sheep in Free State (1/21). Infected ticks were identified as Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi (n = 13), R. appendiculatus (n = 3), R. decoloratus (n = 7) and Amblyomma hebraeum (n = 7). Coinfection with two pathogens was found in 21% of pathogen-positive pools. Analysis of Theileria taurotragi 18S rRNA, T. mutans 18S rRNA, C. burnetii htpB, Rickettsia spp. gltA, Rickettsia spp. ompA, E. ruminantium pCS20 and A. marginale Msp5 sequences showed that the pathogens detected in this study were genetically related to isolates previously reported in Africa. These findings provide important information on distribution of ticks and tick-borne pathogens of ruminants and will contribute in the formulation of future control strategies in South Africa.

Antimicrobial activity of whey mare’s milk against Salmonella enteritidis

Mare's milk has good nutritional value with a balanced protein, fat and lactose content and therapeutic food sources because of high lactoferrin content in whey protein. Lactoferrin, lysozyme, immunoglobulins are important compounds contained in milk whey protein. As previous, Salmonella Enteritidis infection as a major cause of salmonellosis, globally. The test was conducted at the Veterinary Public Health Laboratory of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Nusa Cendana University. Pathogenic bacteria was used Salmonella Enteritidis ATCC® 13076 ™, obtained from the Veterinary Public Health Section, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bogor Agricultural University. The results show that Lactoferrin has antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria of Salmonella Enteritidis. Results of this research may be basic research to the development of lactoferrin from Sumba mare’s milk as an antimicrobial agent potential in treating Salmonellosis.

Isolation of Enteric Bacteria from Various Sources in Selected Poultry Farms in Kaduna State

This study was designed to isolate enteric bacteria from various sources in selected poultry farms in Kaduna state. One hundred and fifty samples of poultry feed, water and droppings from five poultry farms in Kafanchan, Zaria, Gonin-gora, Kamazou and Ungwan Television were examined for the presence of enteric bacteria. 30 samples were collected from each farm and were analysed using spread plate method. The culture media used were Selenite Feaces (SF) broth) and Bismuth sulphite agar. The contaminants isolated include Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp and Proteus mirabilis. The distribution of the isolates based on sample type were droppings (1.33%) and feed (2.67%). There was no significant difference in each of the samples (p>0.05). The percentage distribution of isolates based on location were: Kafanchan (0.00%), Zaria (0.00%), Kamazou (33.33%) for Salmonella and (16.67%) for Proteus mirabilis, Gonin-gora (50%), and Television (0.00%). The results showed that the poultry feeds and droppings from the poultry farms visited in Kaduna, Nigeria had bacteria contaminants. The presence of these bacteria may be a serious health concern as these organisms are involved in causing various diseases. Therefore, hygienic measures should be taken in processing and handling of the poultry products being sold to general public. The national and local health authorities should enforce the food hygiene regulations to reduce the spread of diseases caused by these enteric bacteria. Public enlightenment programmes on the modes of transmission of Salmonella, E. coli and P. mirabilis should be conducted by Human and Veterinary Public Health services. Further studies should be conducted to know the extent of distribution of these organisms in different areas of Kaduna State and the country at large.

Tabanid Infestation of Cattle and Its Implications for Public Health

Female tabanids are important for public health and veterinary. As bloodsucking pests and vectors of disease agents they give harm to humans. They serve as vectors of such agents as Dermatobia hominis, Loa loa, Tularemi, Bacillus anthrasis, Trypanosoma evansi, Coxiella burunetti, Dirofilaria repens. Cattlemen living here raise their cattle on vineyards and orchards, olive groves, almond groves or uncultivated lands. These animals are tied with a halter and a long strap fixed to the ground. The aim of this study was to investigate tabanids infestation in Datça, Muğla. The study was conducted from April 2018 in Datça district. In this paper the Holstein hybrid cattle, old male cattle, tabanids sucking its blood as well as the diseases caused by tabanids are the subject of the study. The skin integrity on the lateral aspect of distal metacarpus in the left hind limb of the cattle was impaired. Hundreds of tabanids lacerated the skin, and sucked blood, causing hemorrhage in the epidermis. This study revealed that tabanids constitute a threat to animal and public health. We highlight the importance of effective prevention and control measures during periods in which these flies are active. More comprehensive epidemiological studies should be undertaken and national control programs are required to keep the tabanids infestation under control.

Annual Report of the Scientific Network on BSE‐TSE 2018

The EFSA Scientific Network on bovine spongiform encephalopathies and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (BSE-TSE) held its 13th meeting on 15-16 October 2018 in Parma. The meeting served as an opportunity to exchange scientific information on BSE-TSE related issues among EU Member States, countries from the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), EFSA, the European Commission and ad hoc participants. In this occasion, ad hoc representation included the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE), the Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Italy), and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, UK. The topics discussed included: an update on BSE-TSE-related activities at national and international level and results from recent TSE-related research projects and risk assessments in several EU countries. In addition, the Network discussed: updates on the situation of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Norway; state of play of CWD surveillance in six member states; the zoonotic potential of TSEs, ongoing EFSA, OIE and EC activities on this area, the new TSE EURL, the preliminary results of the 2017 EU TSE summary report, and the update on recent published research including came prion disease, analyses of BSE surveillance data and the impact of changes in SRM on BSE infectivity in edible tissues (small ruminants and cattle).