ABSTRACT
Soon after the emergence of 2009 pandemic H1N1, the first outbreaks in breeder turkey operations were reported that implicated human-to-turkey transmission. In the spring of 2016, the reoccurrence of 2009 pandemic H1N1 lineage viruses infecting breeder turkey flocks in Ontario and Manitoba, Canada, also implicated human-to-turkey transmission. In addition to raising concerns over biosecurity and vaccine failures, these cases once again raise the issue of whether turkeys have the potential to act as a bridge species to generate novel influenza A virus reassortants with public health implications.
Subject(s)
Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype/isolation & purification , Influenza in Birds/etiology , Influenza, Human/transmission , Animals , Canada , Disease Outbreaks , Humans , Influenza Vaccines/immunology , Influenza in Birds/epidemiology , Manitoba , Ontario , Reassortant Viruses , Recurrence , TurkeysABSTRACT
Despite the increasing importance of the Canadian elk industry, the veterinary literature concerning diseases of elk is sparse, in particular for the neonatal period. This study summarizes necropsy findings in 111 farmed elk calves, up to 30 days of age, submitted to the diagnostic laboratory of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine over a 9-year period (990 to 1998). Causes of mortality fit into 3 categories: infectious disease, noninfectious disease, and undetermined. Organisms causing disease included Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Cryptosporidium sp. Starvation, including dehydration, was also a significant cause of mortality. Necropsy records are a useful source of information, but their scope is limited. There is a need for research that determines the prevalence of neonatal elk diseases and identifies risk factors for morbidity and mortality.
