Review of laboratory submissions from New World camelids in England and Wales (2000-2011).

Sample submissions to the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency's (AHVLA's) diagnostic laboratory network in England and Wales were reviewed for diseases affecting New World camelids (NWCs). In the years 2000-2011, 6757 submissions were analysed, including 5154/6757 (76.3%) for diagnosing a disease problem and 1603/6757 (23.7%) for monitoring (no clinical disease). Wasting (weight loss, ill-thrift) was the most commonly reported clinical sign across all age groups. A diagnosis was reached for 1765/5154 (34.2%) diagnostic submissions. The proportion of submissions with diagnoses was higher for carcasses than non-carcass samples and multiple diagnoses were more likely to be reached from carcasses. Parasitic diseases were collectively the most common problem, including parasitic gastroenteritis (319/1765, 18.2%), coccidiosis (187/1765, 10.6%), fascioliasis (151/1765, 8.6%), ectoparasitic infestations (86/1765, 4.9%) and cryptosporidiosis (24/1765, 1.4%). The most frequently diagnosed non-parasitic problems included nutritional diseases (182/1765, 10.3%), septicaemia (104/1765, 5.9%, including 45 cases of colisepticaemia), gastric ulceration (79/1765, 4.5%), tumours/neoplastic diseases (65/1765, 3.7%), tuberculosis (57/1765, 3.2%), clostridial diseases (44/1765, 2.5%), congenital anomalies (41/1765, 2.3%), peritonitis (39/1765, 2.2%) and Johne's disease (20/1765, 1.1%).

Evaluation of methods for measuring coverage and representativeness of an early-warning disease surveillance system.

Early-warning surveillance provides an essential component of the evidence required to protect animal health. Assessing the proportion of the population included in surveillance systems (coverage) provides a measure of the effectiveness of early-warning surveillance, and contributes to ensuring that these systems are efficient. This paper describes an investigation of methods used for assessing the coverage and representativeness of the 'FarmFile' early-warning surveillance system. This system uses information collected with samples submitted to diagnostic laboratories by private veterinary practitioners in England and Wales. Available data on pig holdings and veterinary practices in four English counties, selected to represent a range of diverse population characteristics, were supplemented using surveys of veterinary practices. Coverage assessments were based on submissions made to FarmFile in 2009. The proportion of holdings covered varied from 5-62 per cent in Devon and Cumbria, and 16-97 per cent in Norfolk and East Riding of Yorkshire. The results suggest that while the proportion of individual pigs covered by the current early-warning surveillance system is high, small and breeding-only holdings in some regions may be poorly covered. Coverage assessments vary depending on the methods used for their assessment, and multiple assessment methods can provide a 'range' within which coverage lies.

Salmonella infection in cattle in Great Britain, 2003 to 2008.

Surveillance data for clinical disease in cattle in Great Britain due to Salmonella infections were analysed for the period 2003 to 2008 in order to describe seasonality and to investigate possible associations between Salmonella diagnoses and other variables such as region, climate, age and production type. A clear seasonal pattern was shown for Salmonella infection, coinciding with the second half of the year. The incidence of Salmonella Dublin and Salmonella Typhimurium was highest in the west of the country, which has the greatest cattle density, but this was not a feature of diagnoses with other serovars. Abortion was a more common clinical sign of S Dublin infections, but was relatively unusual in the case of S Typhimurium. The observed clinical picture and age of affected animals were largely determined by the seasonality of dairy cattle calving in Great Britain.

Review of diagnostic laboratory submissions of adult cattle 'found dead' in England and Wales in 2004.

A total of 253 submissions from adult cattle 'found dead' in England and Wales were referred to the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in 2004. Carcases accounted for 54 per cent of the submissions and were of more diagnostic value than other types of sample. Whether the animals were beef or dairy, their distance from the laboratory and the number of deaths in the incident affected the likelihood of samples being submitted. The probability of reaching a diagnosis was influenced by the type of sample, the level of testing and the interval from sampling to receipt in the laboratory. Systemic disease was the most frequent cause of death in both dairy and beef cattle with hypomagnesaemia being the most frequent diagnosis (52 per cent) in beef cattle. In dairy cattle, 34 per cent of the diagnoses were for sporadic events, including haemorrhage and torsions of the digestive and reproductive tracts.