Risk factors for African swine fever incursion in Romanian domestic farms during 2019.

African swine fever (ASF) entered Georgia in 2007 and the EU in 2014. In the EU, the virus primarily spread in wild boar (Sus scrofa) in the period from 2014-2018. However, from the summer 2018, numerous domestic pig farms in Romania were affected by ASF. In contrast to the existing knowledge on ASF transmission routes, the understanding of risk factors and the importance of different transmission routes is still limited. In the period from May to September 2019, 655 Romanian pig farms were included in a matched case-control study investigating possible risk factors for ASF incursion in commercial and backyard pig farms. The results showed that close proximity to outbreaks in domestic farms was a risk factor in commercial as well as backyard farms. Furthermore, in backyard farms, herd size, wild boar abundance around the farm, number of domestic outbreaks within 2 km around farms, short distance to wild boar cases and visits of professionals working on farms were statistically significant risk factors. Additionally, growing crops around the farm, which could potentially attract wild boar, and feeding forage from ASF affected areas to the pigs were risk factors for ASF incursion in backyard farms.

Assessing the potential spread and maintenance of foot-and-mouth disease virus infection in wild ungulates: general principles and application to a specific scenario in Thrace.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), due to infection with serotype O virus, occurred in wild boar and within eleven outbreaks in domestic livestock in the south-east of Bulgaria, Thrace region, in 2011. Hence, the issue of the potential for the spread and maintenance of FMD virus (FMDV) infection in a population of wild ungulates became important. This assessment focused on the spread and maintenance of FMDV infection within a hypothetical wild boar and deer population in an environment, which is characterized by a climate transitional between Mediterranean and continental and variable wildlife population densities. The assessment was based on three aspects: (i) a systematic review of the literature focusing on experimental infection studies to identify the parameters describing the duration of FMDV infection in deer and wild boar, as well as observational studies assessing the occurrence of FMDV infection in wild deer and wild boar populations, (ii) prevalence survey data of wild boar and deer in Bulgaria and Turkey and (iii) an epidemiological model, simulating the host-to-host spread of FMDV infections. It is concluded, based on all three aspects, that the wildlife population in Thrace, and so wildlife populations in similar ecological settings, are probably not able to maintain FMD in the long term in the absence of FMDV infection in the domestic host population. However, limited spread of FMDV infection in time and space in the wildlife populations can occur. If there is a continued cross-over of FMDV between domestic and wildlife populations or a higher population density, virus circulation may be prolonged.

A systematic review of the efficacy of prophylactic control measures for naturally occurring canine leishmaniosis. Part II: topically applied insecticide treatments and prophylactic medications.

The objective of this study was to systematically review the efficacy of topically applied insecticide treatments of dogs (impregnated collars, spot-ons), and prophylactic medications to prevent natural Leishmania infantum (L. infantum) infection in dogs. Randomised controlled trials (RCT), non-randomised clinical trials, cohort studies and case-control studies that investigated preventive efficacy for natural L. infantum infection in dogs were eligible for inclusion. Two review authors independently assessed each study against the inclusion criteria, independently extracted relevant data from all included studies and assessed the risk of methodological shortcomings in each individual study. The odds ratio (OR) and absolute risk reduction (ARR) for dichotomous outcomes and mean difference for continuous outcomes were calculated. Meta-analysis was not performed due to heterogeneity of the studies identified. The search yielded 937 articles, from which 84 full text articles were selected for second stage screening. Eleven eligible studies were included; four on collars (two RCTs), three on spot-ons (two RCTs - one looking at two different dosing regimens), three on prophylactic medications (all RCTs) and one on both collars and spot-ons summarised in this paper. All of the studies were considered to be at a high risk of methodological shortcomings, with the exception of one spot-on study which was considered to be at an unclear risk of methodological shortcomings. Deltamethrin collars, 65% permethrin, 10% imidacloprid with 50% permethrin spot-ons and domperidone prophylactic medication tended to significantly reduce the proportion of dogs infected with L. infantum based on either parasitological or serological evidence.

A systematic review of the efficacy of prophylactic control measures for naturally-occurring canine leishmaniosis, part I: vaccinations.

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is an important zoonotic disease; however, the efficacy of available vaccines for the prevention of naturally-occurring Leishmania infantum (L. infantum) infection in dogs remains unclear. The objective of this review was to determine the efficacy of currently available vaccines to prevent naturally-occurring L. infantum infection in dogs. Four bibliographic databases (CAB Direct 2011, Web of Science 2011, U.S. National Library of Medicine 2011 and Literatura Latino Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde) were searched along with eight sets of conference proceedings and the International Veterinary Information Service (IVIS) database, from 1980 to November 2012. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), non-randomised clinical trials (NRCTs), cohort studies and case-control studies that investigated vaccine efficacy for natural L. infantum infection in dogs were eligible for inclusion. Two review authors independently assessed each study against the inclusion criteria, independently extracted relevant data from all included studies and assessed the risk of methodological shortcomings in each individual study. The odds ratio (OR) and absolute risk reduction (ARR) for dichotomous outcomes and mean difference for continuous outcomes were calculated. Meta-analysis was not performed due to heterogeneity of the studies identified. The search was conducted for all mitigations for CanL and yielded the title and abstract of 937 articles, from which 84 articles were screened based on full text. Twelve studies on vaccinations (five RCTs, seven NRCTs) were identified. Ten studies were at a high risk of methodological shortcomings, whilst two were at an unclear risk. The use of 200 µg ALM protein, Leishmune(®), CaniLeish(®), LiESAp with MDP, and ALM with BCG tended to significantly reduce the proportion of dogs infected with L. infantum based on either parasitological or serological evidence. The use of lyophilized protein vaccine significantly increased the proportion of dogs infected with L. infantum based on either parasitological or serological evidence. There is peer-reviewed evidence that control measures are effective in preventing CanL with the results suggesting that between 6 and 54% of infections could be prevented with vaccination. However, this evidence is based on a small number of RCTs, all of which are either at high or unclear risk of methodological shortcomings. Well-designed, adequately powered and properly reported randomised clinical trials are needed to clearly establish efficacy of vaccines as CanL control measures.

The frequency and distribution of canine leishmaniosis diagnosed by veterinary practitioners in Europe.

This study aimed to evaluate the frequency and spatial distribution of canine leishmaniosis (CanL) in France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. An online questionnaire investigated the location and frequency of CanL cases diagnosed by veterinary practitioners. Further data from the practice management systems of veterinary clinics in France were provided by a financial benchmarking company in relation to all treatment and test invoice data from participating practices. The geographical and temporal web interest in leishmaniosis was explored using Google Trends. Veterinary practitioners from France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain completed 1231 questionnaires. The percentage of practice-attending dogs with a veterinary diagnosis of CanL ranged from 0.71% in France to 7.80% in Greece. However, due to regional differences in response rates, particularly in France, the mean regional estimates may better reflect the disease burden. Benchmarking data relating to approximately 180,000 dogs estimated that 0.05% of dogs attending veterinary clinics were treated for CanL or euthanased with suspected CanL in France. The regional frequency of Google web queries for leishmaniosis generally reflected the spatial patterns of disease identified from the other data sources. In conclusion, CanL was a relatively common diagnosis in veterinary clinics in many regions of the countries studied. Knowledge of CanL in endemic areas can direct the use of preventative measures and help estimate the likelihood of infection in dogs visiting or inhabiting these countries.

Equine trypanosomosis in the Central River Division of The Gambia: a study of veterinary gate-clinic consultation records.

The objective of this study was to provide epidemiological information of equine trypanosomosis in the Central River Division (CRD) of The Gambia. Therefore, 2285 consultations records of equines, admitted in a gate-clinic at Sololo in CRD, were studied retrospectively. The data were recorded in the period between September 1995 and July 2002 and comprised consultations of 2113 horses and 172 donkeys. 'Trypanosome infection' was the most frequently diagnosed condition and accounted for 61% of the cases. Horses were more frequently diagnosed with trypanosome infections than donkeys (p<0.001), with an occurrence of 63% compared to 43% in donkeys. In both horses and donkeys, trypanosome infections were mainly due to Trypanosoma congolense (64%) and T. vivax (32%). There was no difference observed in the occurrence of trypanosome infections in male or female donkeys (p=0.585), but there were more female (67.8%) horses observed with trypanosome infections than male horses (60.7%; p=0.003). There was no difference observed in the occurrence of trypanosome infections in donkeys older or younger than 1 year (p=0.130), but more older horses (63.2% >1 year) were observed with trypanosome infections than young horses (54.5% <1 year; p=0.033). The number of donkeys and horses with trypanosome infections decreased during the rainy season (June-September). The majority of equines that were admitted with trypanosome infections were severely anaemic. The average packed cell volume (PCV) declined with increasing parasitaemia (p=0.006). Seventy-four percent of the farmers' predictions of trypanosome infections in their equines were confirmed by darkground-microscopy. That proved that farmers had a fairly accurate knowledge of the diseases affecting their equines. The treatments executed at the gate-clinic were generally effective. The few (0.4%) relapses of the T. vivax infections that were previously treated with diminazene aceturate in this study were not sufficient to prove drug resistance. The study showed that the analysis of consultation records at a gate-clinic can provide complementary information to conventional epidemiological studies in the same research area.

Susceptibility of West African Dwarf goats and WAD x Saanen crosses to experimental infection with Trypanosoma congolense.

West African Dwarf goats (WADs) and their Saanen crosses were experimentally infected with Trypanosoma congolense. No significant differences were found between trypanosome parasitaemia and antibody response of the crossbred and WAD goats. Neither the WAD goats nor the Saanen crosses were able to control the drop in PCV following trypanosome infection. The level of anaemia caused by the trypanosome infection was similar in the two breeds during the trial. Based on these findings, no difference in tolerance or susceptibility to T. congolense could be demonstrated between the WAD goats and their Saanen crosses. Although the weight of all goats increased during the trial, the crosses gained significantly more weight than the WAD goats. The trypanosome infection reduced the growth rate of both breeds, but this reduction was not statistically significant. Crossbreeding trypanotolerant WADs with trypanosusceptible Saanen goats might, therefore, be an effective means of increasing productivity.