[Flock status - sheep flock assessment - Ressource and management related welfare indicators]. / Herdenstatus ­ Beurteilung von Schafherden.

The welfare status of sheep flocks may be assessed via animal-, resource-, and management-related indicators. The benefits of multiple-choice questionnaires are however impaired by the diversity of sheep breeds and husbandry. From a veterinary flock health management point of view, the presented review describes the influence of environment, climate, supervision as well as additional factors under consideration of legal regulations. The improvement of welfare is a common concern of all players in the field of farm animal husbandry. Based on this, challenges as well as possibilities for improvement exist for legal and administrative institutions as well as pharmaceutical industry.

A comparison of different vaccination schemes used in sheep combining inactivated bluetongue vaccines against serotypes 4 and 8.

Eight different vaccination schemes using four commercially available inactivated Bluetongue vaccines against serotypes 4 and 8 in three different combinations (setting 1-3) were tested under field conditions for their ability to generate a measurable immune response in sheep. Animals of setting 1 (groups A-D) were simultaneously vaccinated using either individual injections at different locations (groups A & D) or double injection by a twin-syringe (groups B & C). For both application methods, a one-shot vaccination (groups C & D) was compared to a boosted vaccination (groups A & B). Sheep of setting 2 (groups E-G) were vaccinated in an alternating, boosted pattern at fortnightly intervals starting with serotype 4 (groups E & F) or vice versa (group G). Group H of setting 3 was vaccinated simultaneously and vaccines were injected individually as a one-shot application. Each group consisted of 30 sheep. The immunogenic response was tested in all sheep (n = 240) by ELISA (IDScreen®Bluetongue Competition), while serum neutralisation tests were performed in five to six sheep from each group (n = 45). All vaccine combinations were well tolerated by all sheep. Of all vaccines and schemes described, the simultaneous double injected boosted vaccination of setting 1 (group B) yielded the highest median serotype-specific titres 26 weeks after the first vaccination (afv) and 100% seropositive animals (ELISA) one year afv. In setting 1, there were no relevant significant differences in the immunogenic response between simultaneously applied vaccines at different sites or at the same injection site. Importantly, a one-shot vaccination induced comparable immunogenicity to a boosted injection half a year afv. Low serotype-specific neutralising antibody levels were detected in settings 2 and 3 and are attributed to diverse factors which may have influenced the measured immunogenicity.

Presence of Antibodies against Bluetongue Virus (BTV) in Sheep 5 to 7.5 Years after Vaccination with Inactivated BTV-8 Vaccines.

Thirty-six female sheep, previously vaccinated against Bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8) using inactivated vaccines, were included in this field study. In Germany, vaccination was compulsory in 2008 and 2009, voluntary in 2010 and early 2011, and later, was prohibited in 2011. Due to their age, eighteen sheep had been vaccinated for two or more consecutive years, while a further eighteen animals had only been vaccinated once or not at all. The sheep were blood sampled five (n = 31) to 7.5 years (n = 5) after their last vaccination. All serum samples (n = 36) were tested for BTV group-specific antibodies by an ELISA (IDScreen® Bluetongue Competition assay, ID Vet). In five of the animals, the BTV-8 serotype-specific antibody titers were measured by serum neutralization (SN). The majority of sheep that were vaccinated annually for two or more years showed a positive ELISA (14/18 sheep) and a SN (two of two sheep) result 5 years after their last vaccination. Most of the sheep vaccinated fewer than twice showed a negative ELISA result 5 to 7.5 years after their last vaccination (13/18 animals). The three animals in this group tested by SN showed one negative and two positive results. This short communication is the first to describe the presence of BTV antibodies in sheep 5 to 7.5 years after vaccination with inactivated BTV-8 vaccines.

[Claw infections in sheep - treatment options in veterinary practice, with special emphasis on ovine footrot treatment. - An update]. / Klaueninfektionen beim Schaf ­ Therapiemöglichkeiten in der tierärztlichen Praxis unter besonderer Berück sichtigung der Moderhinkebekämpfung.

Infectious causes of lameness in sheep remain of considerable clinical importance. Because of the availability of newly licensed drugs, important changes in therapy options, particularly for ovine footrot, have occurred. This paper provides an overview of common and rarer infectious causes of lameness in sheep, and presents a detailed review of recent advances in research regarding the aetiology, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and control of ovine foot rot. Despite the recent release of several antibiotics licensed for the treatment of footrot in sheep, the use of footbaths following the cascade of regulations remains a crucial part of many integrated treatment and control programmes. The sustainable control of foot rot requires recent advances in science to be put into practice, with tailor-made control programmes for each individual farm. The article presents various treatment options and potential routes of control and eradication.