Expert speakers at Advances in Diagnostics, a meeting held in Brussels last month, have said that molecular technology will play a vital role in safeguarding the health and productivity of food animals in the future.

Dr Willie Loeffen, President of the European Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (EAVLD) said: "Technology is taking over. Laboratory diagnosis used to be 99% labour and 1% technology, nowadays the emphasis is the other way around. Technology is now an integral and indispensable part of veterinary laboratories."

Dr Loeffen used the investigation of PRRSV infection in pigs and the more recent appearance of Schmallenberg virus in Europe to highlight how modern molecular techniques could help to characterise new disease threats rapidly.

"It took four years of laborious work for us to characterise the cause of PRRS, but thanks to sequencing technology Schmallenberg virus took just a few months.

"Technological developments mean that diagnosticians now do things that they could only dream about 10 or 20 years ago."

As well as providing a means of identifying new disease threats quickly, the meeting highlighted the increasing role of diagnostic tools as an integral part of maintaining animal health.

Dr Kirk Adams, Director of Product Management at Life Technologies, the meeting sponsor, said: "Diagnostics are no longer just a way of finding out what an animal died of - they have a multitude of uses on farm. They mean that we can take a more holistic and proactive approach to animal health; in contrast to the reactive, disease-driven approach of the past.

"As just one example, better diagnostics allow a more targeted approach to treatment, and the potential to reduce the use of broad-spectrum drugs - such as certain antibiotics - and thus comply with the wishes of consumers and legislators."

Dr Adams said that modern diagnostic tools also provided the means to improve vaccination programmes and biosecurity, and were essential for disease eradication schemes and for improving herd health status, for example by identifying persistently infected, asymptomatic animals.

They also enable veterinary surgeons to monitor herd health and build up an accurate and dynamic picture of health status and risk profile - and screen for emerging disease threats.

Dr Adams added: "Veterinarians now have access to a wider range of better diagnostics than ever before. Tests are now faster, more accurate and more precise than ever before.

"The next twenty years could see the biggest change in the way we manage production animals in over a hundred years."

The meeting was also addressed by Dr Kees van Maanen, from the Netherlands Animal health Service (GD), an expert in modern diagnostic technology and its application on both local and national levels. He called for greater international co-operation to protect European animals against threats from increasing global interaction. He said: "Pathogens and insects do not respect borders: trusting each other's results requires further harmonization and transparency for diagnostic procedures between laboratories and countries.

"Rapid and accurate diagnosis contributes to disease management, but does not stop epidemics. However, it has contributed significantly to gaining insight into the epidemiology of emerging diseases and formulating appropriate measures.

"The development of modern diagnostics has given us the potential to manage animal health and control infectious diseases in production animals far more effectively in the past - both on a local level and a national or regional level. Recent experience with unexpected disease outbreaks has shown that we can now characterise and track pathogens far more quickly and accurately than ever before.

"However, we need to make sure that we keep veterinarians and farmers informed about these developments, so they know how to apply them in practice in order to make the most of them.

"Diagnostics will continue to become a more integral part of animal health management in the next decade, we just need to make sure we can apply that knowledge in the best possible way."

The British Veterinary Association has reiterated its call for heightened vigilance following confirmation by AHVLA that Schmallenberg virus (SBV) has been detected on four sheep farms in Norfolk, Suffolk and East Sussex.

At this early stage the virus is understood to be vector-borne (although other routes of transmission have not been ruled out) and the clinical signs seen along with meteorological modelling of risk suggests that the four farms were affected during summer/autumn 2011, with congenital defects now becoming visible at lambing time.

Animals imported from the affected areas in northern Europe are also considered to be potentially at risk and their destination in the UK has been identified.

Congenital deformities and nervous defects are seen in newborn lambs, goat kids and calves. Clinical signs in affected cattle include pyrexia (fever), milk drop, and diarrhoea similar to what is often termed 'winter dysentery'. Farmers should be looking out for clusters of these signs within herds and flocks and reporting them to their veterinary surgeon.

Vets who are aware of suspicious clinical signs on their client's farms should report them to AHVLA, SAC or the local DARD divisional veterinary office for further investigation.

AHVLA, SAC and DARD have stated that they are keen to investigate potential cases and there will be no extra charge for the SBV tests that are undertaken, but their approaches are slightly different.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland AHVLA and AFBI are carrying out SBV-only testing (ie to rule the disease in or out) free of charge but are charging the standard subsidised investigation charge for any additional diagnostic work.

In Scotland any carcases submitted for post mortem examinations are examined at the standard fee and all necessary examinations required by the VIO to investigate the case are included in the fee. SAC is not charging an additional fee for SBV testing.

Carl Padgett, President of the BVA, said:  "The confirmation of Schmallenberg virus in sheep flocks in England is a reminder to vets and farmers across the UK to step up vigilance amongst ruminants.

"The BVA would encourage vets to speak to their local AHVLA, SAC or DARD team to discuss any suspect cases and consider submitting specimens for further investigation. We understand that in confirmed cases clinical signs occur in clusters and vets should ensure they know what to look for in both adult and perinatal ruminants.

"While the cases in the south east of England suggest the virus is vector-borne other potential routes of transmission are still being considered. Although the risk of zoonosis is believed to be very low it has not been ruled out and a sensible precautionary approach should be taken by those handling infected animals and specimens."

Defra has announced the detection of Bluetongue in 18 imported cattle on premises near Bishop Auckland, County Durham.  The animals originated from within the BTV8 Restricted Zone in Germany and were detected as a result of post-import testing carried out by Defra on all Bluetongue susceptible animals arriving from Continental Europe. 

This is the fourth incidence of infected animals being imported to the UK.  Alongside the premises in East Sussex, Hertfordshire and Devon identified in August, the imported animals will remain under restrictions. 

As of 1 September the whole of England and Wales is now in a Protection Zone and approximately 30 million doses of vaccine have so far been made available to farmers throughout England and Wales to protect their stock.  However, it may take up to six to eight weeks from now for livestock keepers in the North of England and Wales to have had sufficient opportunity to vaccinate their livestock and to gain immunity (at least three weeks in sheep, and six weeks in cattle). 

To allow livestock keepers in those areas sufficient opportunity to protect their animals, and while further veterinary investigations are carried out, these particular infected animals will remain under restriction until late October.  Any further positive import cases detected may also be restricted for a period of time depending on veterinary risk assessment, while vaccination continues.

Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, Alick Simmons said: "This incident shows how important it is for farmers to consider potential disease risks when buying stock, regardless of source.  Buyers need to consider how best to protect their own businesses and those of their neighbours and make sure they are clear about the stock they are intending to buy.

"I also want to remind farmers about the importance of vaccination.  It is the only effective tool to protect susceptible animals from Bluetongue.  Recent evidence indicates a drop or delay in vaccine take-up in counties recently brought into the Protection Zone. Sales data for some of those counties suggest that the number of animals vaccinated in these areas could be as low as one in three, and in Northumberland and Cumbria, the most recent counties brought into the Protection Zone, as low as one in five.

"The threat from Bluetongue is present and real, as shown by the most recent import cases.  Vaccination as a preventive measure is therefore more important than ever, so the message to the industry remains clear: don't hesitate, vaccinate".

With just a few days to go before the first anniversary of bluetongue being detected in England, the JAB campaign group is urging farmers to vaccinate their livestock to stop the disease from taking hold in this country as it has in Europe.

So far this year France has reported 4,543 cases of bluetongue, including cases in Calais, and the Netherlands has just confirmed its first case of the disease in 2008. The affected small holding reported a sick cow found with serotype eight which had not been vaccinated against infection.

With the threat of bluetongue re-emergence in the UK growing by the day, JAB leaders have issued a reminder to farmers to contact their vets as soon as their region is in the protection zone and vaccine is available.

In a statement JAB said: "The amount of cases being reported across Europe shows the disease is on the move. This most recent case in Holland demonstrates that not vaccinating livestock leaves farmers vulnerable to outbreaks now the midge season has started.

"The industry has rallied behind the JAB campaign and has done tremendously well in terms of vaccination. Nearly 19 million doses have already been made available to English farmers, and with another nine million doses planned to be released in the coming weeks we need those areas that are new to the protection zone to vaccinate as soon as they are able. We must remember bluetongue could already be circulating in areas where outbreaks occurred last year so the risks to everyone are very real.

"The explosion in the number of cases on the continent also acts as a timely reminder to those farmers in the current protection zone who have not vaccinated and the dangers this presents to their unprotected livestock

Edinburgh-based charity the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed) has announced three drug discovery contracts in an effort to combat animal African Trypanosomosis (AAT), a disease which is estimated to cost Africa US$5billion a year.

Animal African trypanosomosis, transmitted by the tsetse fly, is a parasitic disease which affects livestock, resulting in a chronic illness which often ends in death. An estimated 50 million cattle and 70 million sheep and goats are at risk, with around 3 million cattle dying annually from the disease.

AAT causes economic losses in livestock, reducing meat and milk production and leaving animals so weak they are unable to help cultivate land. It affects over 10 million square kilometres of fertile land spread across nearly 40 countries in Africa and therefore has a huge impact on food and nutritional security and livelihoods across the continent.

The drugs that are currently used were developed in the 1950s and 60s and drug resistance is now a commonly reported problem. With few other options available, these drugs are the most important method of controlling the disease.

In May 2011 the Department for International Development (DfID) awarded GALVmed 30 month grant for £8million to facilitate the development of drugs, diagnostics and potential vaccines for the control of AAT.

The first contract was awarded to Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc., a California based biopharmaceutical company established in 2002.

As part of a Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) supported project, Anacor and their partners discovered a series of compounds to combat the human form of AAT, Human African Trysanosomsis (HAT). A number of compounds produced under this programme have properties which could make them suitable for the treatment and prevention of animal AAT. These relevant compounds will now be screened for efficacy and safety under the GALVmed contract.

The second and third contracts have both been awarded to the College of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee, one of Europe's top-ranked universities for life science research.

Dr Kevin Read, who is Head of Drug Metabolism and Pharmokinectics at the drug Discovery Unit is leading a piece of drug discovery and development research, which aims to develop new drugs for the treatment and possible prevention of AAT in cattle, and also a diagnostic test for use in the field. This builds on the university's work on HAT and drugs that were unsuitable for human treatment are now being re-evaluated as potential drugs for cattle.

Dr Read said: "I am very excited to be working in partnership with GALVmed to apply our extensive drug discovery expertise in HAT to identify and bring forward new potential drugs for the treatment and prevention of AAT. The new project offers an exciting opportunity to reposition compounds showing great promise for the treatment of first stage HAT into AAT, thus improving food security in some of the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa."

Dechra will be hosting two 60 minute webinars to share best practice in pig deworming at 6:00pm on Tuesday 11th and Thursday 13 June.

The webinars will include a presentation by Peter Geldhof, Professor of Molecular Veterinary Parasitology at Ghent University in Belgium, who will focus on the development of novel diagnostics and vaccines for parasitic infections in pigs, and share the results of some of his research and academic projects.

Tuesday: https://www2.dechra.com/l/877972/2023-05-11/2f43x8p

Thursday: https://www2.dechra.com/l/877972/2023-12-19/2f4ll1q 

To what extent changing diets and adding novel feed additives can cut emissions from beef cattle is being investigated in a new three-year research project.

EBLEX, the organisation for beef and sheep producers in England, has teamed up with Scotland's Rural College, SRUC, in Edinburgh, to look at how changes to feeding regimes can improve efficiency and drive business profitability, while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced as a by-product of rumination.

Steers will be finished on either concentrate based or forage based diets, each with two different feed additives, such as vegetable oils. The role of the rumen microbial population in the responses will be measured to look at how rumen function changes according to diet, additive and breed. Results will be related to the greenhouse gas emissions and feed efficiency, as well as long-term effects of feed additives.

Dr Mary Vickers, senior livestock scientist with EBLEX said: "The animals will be moved into specialist chambers for short periods of time where their emissions can be captured.

"In addition, when they are accessing rations from group pens, special plastic hoods over the feeding stations can measure the specific emissions at those times. Measuring emissions, rumen function, feed intake and growth rates can help us build a picture of any effect the additives have.

"The ultimate aim is to ensure the cattle are having their full nutritional needs met in an efficient, cost effective way while minimising the emissions produced."

In addition, carcase quality, meat quality and shelf life will also be recorded to ensure quality of the final product is maintained. The outcomes of this project will provide producers with independent advice about the efficacy of two feed additives fed in a range of commercial conditions.

Janssen Animal Health is advising vets to be on the look out for coccidiosis as the spring lambing season approaches: cases usually rise in March and peak in April and May.

According to the company, some reports also suggest that the incidence of coccidiosis in calves may apparently increase during the grazing months. However, vets are reporting that interpretation of laboratory tests used to confirm diagnosis, such as oocyst count, can be problematic due to the ubiquitous nature of the Eimeria parasite in the UK.

Young animals may be infected by oocysts shed by asymptomatic carriers or infected older cohort animals. Low levels of challenge can help young animals develop immunity but exposure to high oocyst numbers, particularly in combination with stress can lead to clinical and subclinical forms of the disease. Diagnosis can be problematic, particularly in subclinical cases of disease where failure to gain weight is the main presenting sign and in clinical cases the differential diagnoses include all causes of scour in young animals.

Janssen Animal Health has suggested a few indicators that may be useful in identifying cases of coccidiosis. The Vecoxan Coccidiosis Survey in 2008 and 2009 asked farmers about their experiences of coccidiosis and identified that bad weather was a major trigger particularly in lambs; while castration and weaning were also factors in calves. As the parasite life cycle is 21 days, vets should be alert to disease 2-3 weeks after a stressor event.

The company has also suggested a few guidelines to aid interpretation of laboratory results:

• Identification of pathogenic Eimeria species can be suggestive but does not provide conclusive evidence of a causative effect.
• Speciation of Eimeria is useful (not easy in lambs) as there are several non-pathogenic strains which can give high counts without clinical effect
• The number of oocysts will not always correlate with clinical signs
• Low levels of oocysts in faeces are less likely to be significant but some animals can die even while excreting at a low level because shedding occurs after the gut damage has already occurred.
• There is extensive replication and multiplication through the parasite lifecycle - susceptible infected animals will usually shed millions or even billions of oocysts.
• Adult animals that are infected but immune tend to excrete oocysts at a regular low level.
• A pooled sample from at least 10 lambs or calves may give a better indication of the level of infection.
• The history of the farm, the individual patient and the presence of risk factors should be taken into account when interpreting results.

Janssen says Vecoxan (diclazuril) does not interfere with the development of immunity and kills all stages of the parasite in the host.

Novartis Animal Health is warning livestock producers to keep an eye on the weather, because wet conditions are ideal for fluke to thrive and pose real challenges to cattle and sheep this year, even in areas where there has been little risk before.

Novartis Animal Health veterinary adviser Saul Harvey said: "We are approaching the main season for fluke and with the changes in weather patterns and two previous wet seasons, there is a serious risk of an increase in the fluke challenge this year. The wet spell will also increase worm challenge on pasture as increased moisture allows worm larvae to migrate away from dung pats to be ingested by stock."

Mr Harvey said there were already definite signs of snail activity in regions much further east than before: "The recent rains and warm temperatures at up to 2^o centigrade above normal in some parts of the UK will kick off the fluke cycles this year.

"In cattle, liver fluke can lead to falls in milk yield of 500g / day over a 305-day lactation, as well as reduced weight gains of up to 1.2 kg a week in growing cattle. A flukicide that kills all three stages of fluke including immatures should be used in this high risk period, such as Fasinex 240 which is a low volume concentrated formulation and can be given through the floating hook doser for ease of administration.

"Liver fluke also affects the condition and growth of sheep and often leads to "sudden death" in acute cases. The first indication of fluke in sheep may come after slaughter at the abattoir, where damaged livers are often condemned due to liver fluke damage. To avoid these problems a flukicide such as Novartis's Fasinex, that kills all three stages of fluke - early immature, immature and adult - should be used. Fasimec Duo S, with ivermectin, should be used if worm control is also required."

Mr Harvey advised cattle farmers to dose their cows with a flukicide two weeks after they had been housed to clear out all the fluke ingested by the livestock while they were out grazing infected pastures. He said: "It is particularly important that they use a product like triclabendazole (in Fasinex 240) that will kill all stages of fluke after housing, because using an adult-only treatment will leave immature fluke around to continue to cause liver damage and that will affect productivity over the winter period."