Suchergebnisse

Following the implementation of oral rabies vaccination of foxes (ORV) in Western Europe, a continuous decrease in rabies incidence was reported, and eventually rabies was eliminated. Once fox rabies is eliminated in a given area, re-infection from neighbouring infected countries is a permanent threat. As a result, countries need to maintain a vaccination belt along common borders until rabies is also eliminated in sufficiently large border regions of neighbouring infected countries. In a theoretical approach EU member states were taken as a prime example, assuming that they were rabies-free but that neighbouring countries were still infected. Using GIS, a 50 km deep vaccination belt beyond the front of the rabies endemic zone was installed in countries bordering those regions. The annual cost for the prevention of re-infection of the EU territory was calculated considering current EU recommendations (vaccination twice per year, aerial and complementary hand distribution, bait density of 30 baits per km2). Minimum and maximum prices for commercial available oral rabies vaccine baits, aircraft and rabies surveillance were considered for the calculation of costs. The total vaccination area which needed to be established was about 251,000 km2. Using mainly fixed-wing aircraft, the annual cost for ORV including rabies surveillance varied between a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 16M Euro, depending on the cost of vaccine bait. If helicopters were used exclusively, the maximum cost increased to about 32M Euro. Depending on the length of the border to infected regions, countries will have to pay up to 25% of the total cost. Countries which need to install a vaccination belt will never have a rabies-free status because of the likely occurrence of rabies cases in border zones.

Bait disappearance can give valuable information for the assessment of oral vaccination campaigns of foxes against rabies. In this study, the spatial and temporal disappearance of three different vaccine baits under almost identical conditions was investigated. In the study area, 350 baits were placed at previously marked positions during two different periods; late autumn and early spring. The distribution of baits was in accordance with the method as recommended by the European Union; a density of 20 baits per km2 along flight lines 500m apart. Bait disappearance was checked 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after distribution. At least 80 % of the baits had disappeared within one week after distribution. No difference in bait disappearance was observed between the two selected periods. However, a significant higher bait disappearance was observed in forested areas when compared to open agricultural areas. Furthermore, the differences in bait disappearance between the three type of baits tested were relatively small and not significant. ; Das Verschwinden von Impfköder im Feld kann wichtige Information für die Evaluierung von Impfkampagnen im Rahmen der oralen Immunisierung von Füchsen gegen die Tollwut liefern. In dieser Feldstudie wurde das Verschwinden von drei unterschiedlichen Ködern in Zeit und Raum unter gleichen Bedingungen während zweier Jahreszeiten (Herbst und Frühjahr) untersucht. Insgesamt wurden 350 Köder entsprechend den Empfehlungen der Europäischen Union an gekennzeichneten Stellen entlang simulierter Fluglinien, die 500 m auseinander lagen, und einer Köderdichte von 20 Köder pro km2 ausgelegt. Die Köderstellen wurden einen, drei, fünf und sieben Tage nach der Auslage kontrolliert. Mindestens 80 % der Köder waren innerhalb einer Woche nach der Auslage verschwunden, wobei keine Unterschiede im Anteil der verschwunden Köder zwischen Herbst und Frühjahr festgestellt wurden. Während zwischen den drei unterschiedlichen Ködern nur geringfügige, nicht signifikante Unterschiede in der Verschwinderate bestanden, war die Verschwinderate der Köder im Wald signifikant höher als im offenen Gelände.

Over the last fifteen years or so, classical rabies in terrestrial wildlife has been eliminated from large areas of Western Europe. Over the next few years, terrestrial rabies is likely to occur only east of a line from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea; the overall aim is to eliminate terrestrial rabies from the whole European Union. Elimination of rabies from the less rich countries of Eastern Europe, and the protection of Europe against a resurgence of rabies in the longer term requires modifications to existing OIE and WHO strategies. Here we discuss the options available to eliminate rabies in wildlife while taking account of financial cost, and how to maintain a 'cordon sanitaire' along the eastern boundary of the EU in order to protect the rabies-free areas from rabies incursion. Minimising financial costs at the national level is obviously essential, considering the competing priorities for development and health. This could be achieved either by increasing external funding (for example by the EU) and/or by changing the currently agreed vaccination strategy to reduce costs; any such change must not substantially reduce the chances of rabies elimination. A cordon sanitaire might be placed outside the economic area of the EU, to protect the whole of the EU, or it might be placed within the easternmost countries to ensure logistical consistency of vaccination. Policy must also anticipate an emergency due to rabies breaking out in a previously freed region. Strategic planning may be complicated by the increasing range and abundance of the raccoon dog, an introduced species that is increasingly important as a host for fox rabies. It is argued here that models help to evaluate altemative strategies, exploring options for optimising costs by minimising bait density and frequency or by reducing the vaccination area.

EU Regulation 998/2003 requires the serological testing of rabies-vaccinated dogs and cats in approved laboratories using serum neutralization tests prior to movement of pet animals between certain EU member states and before pet animals are imported from unlisted third countries. Serum neutralisation tests are also used for measuring the efficacy of oral rabies vaccination programmes conducted in wild carnivore populations. In this study we evaluated an OIElisted commercial ELISA as a potential replacement for serum neutralization assays under routine conditions as a diagnostic tool for both the serological testing of dog and cat sera as part of pet travel schemes and for follow-up investigations as part of oral vaccination campaigns. When dog and cat sera were analyzed by ELISA, a sensitivity compared to the standard serological test of 36.9-82.0% and 44.4-88.9%, respectively, was calculated depending on the method used. For fox field samples from oral vaccination areas the sensitivity compared to the Rapid Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test (RFFIT) was 32.4% (95% CI 24.8-40.0%).In its present format, the ELISA cannot replace standard serological assays neither in the pet travel scheme nor in follow-up investigations of oral vaccination campaigns. The results obtained resemble those of other rabies ELISAs recently evaluated for the same purpose and may therefore exemplify a general misconception (binding versus neutralization) in rabies serology rather than a failure of this ELISA test per se. Also, problems with technical and legislative issues associated with the serological testing of dog and cat sera for non-commercial movement and related to the outcome of this study are addressed.

This study was to identify risk factors for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) by means of individual case-control data. 43 BSE cases in a defined region in Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein were compared with 84 control animals. Purchase of new breeding stock and cross contamination between feed on the farm did not seem to have influence on the BSE incidence in these regions. The results indicate independent risk patterns. Pattern 1: Cows with high milk yield seemed to be at risk on big farms with adjacent pig production and when they were not fed milk replacer. Pattern 2: Milk replacer (esp. from certain producers) is a risk factor for Non-Red Holstein cattle, low yielding cows and farms without pig production. Pattern 3: Red Holstein cattle not being fed milk replacer have a higher BSE risk than other breeds when they have a low milk yield and live on small farms with pig production. This study, like findings in Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, strengthens the hypothesis that BSE in Germany was caused by a feed mediated ubiquitous exposure to PrP sc during a confined time period. Producers, in need of buying animal derived feed components during that time slot, were more likely to spread the PrP sc than others. Their increased risk is not necessarily due to an inadequate purchasing policy, but can also be coincidental. The breed Red Holstein is not the risk factor itself but represents the risk from concentrated feed for animals during a susceptible age period (calves). Therefore, the authors suggest a continuous exclusion of animal-derived fat components from milk replacers. ; Es wurde eine Fall-Kontroll-Studie durchgeführt, um Risikofaktoren für BSE zu identifizieren. 43 BSE-Fälle aus einer definierten Region in Niedersachsen und Schleswig-Holstein wurden mit 84 Kontrolltieren verglichen. Der Zukauf von Zuchtrindern und die Kreuzkontamination auf dem Hof schienen keinen Einfluss auf die BSE-Inzidenz in der Region zu nehmen. Die Ergebnisse deuten auf die Existenz unabhängiger Risikomuster hin. Muster 1: Kühe mit einer hohen Milchleistung scheinen gefährdet zu sein auf großen Betrieben mit Schweinehaltung und wenn ihnen kein Milchaustauscher gefüttert wurde. Muster 2: Milchaustauscher (insb. von bestimmten Herstellern) ist ein Risikofaktor für Rinder, die nicht Rotbunte sind, eine geringe Milchleistung haben und auf Betrieben ohne parallele Schweinehaltung leben. Muster 3: Rotbunte Rinder haben ein höheres BSE-Risiko als andere Rassen wenn sie eine niedrige Milchleistung haben und auf kleinen Betrieben mit Schweinehaltung leben Diese Rassezugehörigkeit ist ein Risikofaktor für Rinder, die keinen Milchaustauscher erhielten. Diese Studie, ebenso wie Erkenntnisse aus Bayern, Niedersachsen und Schleswig-Holstein, festigen die Hypothese, dass BSE-Fälle in Deutschland durch eine Futtermittel getragene ubiquitäre Exposition mit PrPsc während eines definierten Zeitraums verursacht wurden. Hersteller, die in dieser Zeit Futterkomponenten tierischen Ursprungs einkauften, verbreiteten das Prion mit einer größeren Wahrscheinlichkeit als andere. Also ist das erhöhte BSE-Risiko nicht unbedingt auf inadäquate Zukaufspolitik dieser Unternehmen zurückzuführen, sondern kann durch den Zufall bedingt sein. Zudem ist die Rasse Holstein Rotbunt nicht der eigentliche Risikofaktor sondern ein Repräsentant dafür, dass in Betrieben dieser Art vermehrt (kontaminierte) Konzentratfuttermittel an empfängliche (Jung-)Tiere verfüttert wurde. Daher halten die Autoren einen kontinuierlichen Ausschluss von tierischen Fettkomponenten in Milchaustauschern für ratsam.

BSE is a zoonotic disease that caused the emergence of variant Creuzfeldt-Jakob disease in the mid 1990s. The trend of the BSE epidemic in seven European countries was assessed and compared, using Age-Period-Cohort and Reproduction Ratio modelling applied to surveillance data 2001-2007. A strong decline in BSE risk was observed for all countries that applied control measures during the 1990s, starting at different points in time in the different countries. Results were compared with the type and date of the BSE control measures implemented between 1990 and 2001 in each country. Results show that a ban on the feeding of meat and bone meal (MBM) to cattle alone was not sufficient to eliminate BSE. The fading out of the epidemic started shortly after the complementary measures targeted at controlling the risk in MBM. Given the long incubation period, it is still too early to estimate the additional effect of the ban on the feeding of animal protein to all farm animals that started in 2001. These results provide new insights in the risk assessment of BSE for cattle and Humans, which will especially be useful in the context of possible relaxing BSE surveillance and control measures

International audience ; BSE is a zoonotic disease that caused the emergence of variant Creuzfeldt-Jakob disease in the mid 1990s. The trend of the BSE epidemic in seven European countries was assessed and compared, using Age-Period-Cohort and Reproduction Ratio modelling applied to surveillance data 2001-2007. A strong decline in BSE risk was observed for all countries that applied control measures during the 1990s, starting at different points in time in the different countries. Results were compared with the type and date of the BSE control measures implemented between 1990 and 2001 in each country. Results show that a ban on the feeding of meat and bone meal (MBM) to cattle alone was not sufficient to eliminate BSE. The fading out of the epidemic started shortly after the complementary measures targeted at controlling the risk in MBM. Given the long incubation period, it is still too early to estimate the additional effect of the ban on the feeding of animal protein to all farm animals that started in 2001. These results provide new insights in the risk assessment of BSE for cattle and Humans, which will especially be useful in the context of possible relaxing BSE surveillance and control measures.

International audience ; BSE is a zoonotic disease that caused the emergence of variant Creuzfeldt-Jakob disease in the mid 1990s. The trend of the BSE epidemic in seven European countries was assessed and compared, using Age-Period-Cohort and Reproduction Ratio modelling applied to surveillance data 2001-2007. A strong decline in BSE risk was observed for all countries that applied control measures during the 1990s, starting at different points in time in the different countries. Results were compared with the type and date of the BSE control measures implemented between 1990 and 2001 in each country. Results show that a ban on the feeding of meat and bone meal (MBM) to cattle alone was not sufficient to eliminate BSE. The fading out of the epidemic started shortly after the complementary measures targeted at controlling the risk in MBM. Given the long incubation period, it is still too early to estimate the additional effect of the ban on the feeding of animal protein to all farm animals that started in 2001. These results provide new insights in the risk assessment of BSE for cattle and Humans, which will especially be useful in the context of possible relaxing BSE surveillance and control measures.

Das Auftreten und die seit dem Jahr 2007 stattfindende rasche Ausbreitung der Afrikanischen Scheinepest (ASP) in transkaukasischen Ländern, Teilen der Kaukasusregion der Russischen Föderation sowie Ausbrüche in anderen Gebieten des Europäischen Teils von Russland geben Anlass, die Bedrohungslage für die Bundesrepublik zu analysieren. Vor dem Hintergrund eines gestiegenen Einschleppungsrisikos in das Gebiet der Europäischen Union und damit auch nach Deutschland erscheint Aufklärungsarbeit zu dieser Tierseuche, die in Deutschland noch nie festgestellt wurde, geboten. Die Afrikanische Schweinepest wird durch ein DNA-Virus aus der Familie der Asfarviridae (ASPV) verursacht. Neben Haus- und Wildschweinen sind zumindest in Afrika auch Lederzecken der Gattung Ornithodorus in den Infektionszyklus involviert. Wie die Klassische Schweinepest, von der die ASP klinisch nicht zu unterscheiden ist, kann auch die ASP mit sehr variablen Krankheitsbildern einhergehen. Die in den transkaukasischen Ländern (Georgien, Armenien und Aserbaidschan) und der Russischen Föderation vorherrschenden Virusstämme sind für Schweine aller Altersstufen hoch virulent und verursachen eine Mortalität von nahezu 100 Prozent. Da die Einfuhr lebender Schweine und frischen Schweinefleisches aus der Russischen Föderation und den anderen betroffenen Ländern in die Europäische Union gegenwärtig nicht gestattet ist, geht ein vorherrschendes Einschleppungsrisiko des Erregers insbesondere von im Personen- und Güterreiseverkehr mitgeführten ASPV-kontaminierten Lebensmitteln bzw. Speiseabfällen aus. Weiterhin können kontaminierte und unzureichend desinfizierte Transportfahrzeuge, die aus betroffenen Gebieten zurückkehren, ein erhöhtes Einschleppungsrisiko darstellen. ; The occurrence and almost unhindered spread of African swine fever (ASF) in Trans-caucasian countries and the Russian Federation gives reason to analyze the level of threat for the German pig population. In view of a possible risk of introduction into the European Union, disease awareness campaigns and disease recognition training is urgently required, especially since ASF has never been reported in Germany. ASF is caused by a large, complex DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family. Beside domestic pigs and wild boar, soft ticks of the genus Ornithodorus are involved in the infection cycle, especially in Africa. Like classical swine fever (CSF), ASF can be associated with a wide range of clinical syndromes. Based on clinical signs only, discrimination of ASF and CSF is impossible. The virus strains prevailing in the Trans-caucasian countries and the Russian Federation are currently highly virulent indiscriminately both for domestic pigs and wild boar. Mortality may reach up to 100 % in pigs of all ages. As legal animal movements and the transport of pig products from Russia into the EU are not possible, the introduction risk rests with food waste and passenger traffic. Moreover, insufficiently disinfected transport vehicles returning from the Russian Federation and other affected countries pose an additional risk to the German pig population.