A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the species of Anaplasma spp. and estimate its prevalence in cattle of the three main cattle-producing Galapagos Islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal and Isabela) using indirect PCR assays, genetic sequencing and ELISA. Ticks were also collected from cattle and scanned for 47 tick-borne pathogens in a 48 × 48 real-time PCR chip. A mixed effects logistic regression was performed to identify potential risk factors explaining Anaplasma infection in cattle. A. phagocytophilum was not detected in any of the tested animals. Genetic sequencing allowed detection of A. platys-like strains in 11 (36.7%) of the 30 Anaplasma spp.-positive samples analysed. A. marginale was widespread in the three islands with a global between-herd prevalence of 100% [89; 100] and a median within-herd prevalence of 93%. A significant association was found between A. marginale infection and age with higher odds of being positive for adults (OR = 3.3 [1.2; 9.9] ). All collected ticks were identified as Rhipicephalus microplus. A. marginale, Babesia bigemina, Borrelia theileri and Francisella-like endosymbiont were detected in tick pools. These results show that the Galapagos Islands are endemic for A. marginale.
Attacks using animal pathogens can have devastating socioeconomic, public health and national security consequences. The livestock sector has some inherent vulnerabilities which put it at risk to the deliberate or accidental spread of disease. The growing concern of countries about the risks of agro-terrorism and agro-crime has led to efforts to prepare against potential attacks. One recent international effort is the launch of a joint OIE, FAO and INTERPOL project in 2019 to build resilience against agro-terrorism and agro-crime targeting animal health with the financial support of the Weapons Threat Reduction Programme of Global Affairs Canada. Given the importance of strong animal health surveillance systems for the early and effective response to agro-terrorism and agro-crime, the project will use the FAO Surveillance Evaluation Tool (SET) and its new Biothreat Detection Module to evaluate beneficiary countries’ capacities to detect criminal or terrorist animal health events. This paper presents the development of the new SET Biothreat Detection Module and how it will be used to evaluate surveillance for agro-terrorism and agro-crime animal disease threats. The module will be piloted in early 2021 and, once finalized, will be used by beneficiary countries of the joint OIE-FAO-INTERPOL project. Results from evaluations using SET and its Biothreat Detection Module are expected to provide a baseline from which countries can build targeted capacity for animal disease surveillance including early detection and investigation of potential terrorist or criminal events involving zoonotic and non-zoonotic animal pathogens.
Bovine brucellosis is a worldwide zoonotic disease that still burdens several countries in the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Although the disease is present in Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands seem to be free from the disease based on a survey conducted in 1997 where all tested animals showed negative results. This study aimed at estimating the probability of freedom from brucellosis in this Ecuadorian province in 2014. A survey was implemented on the three main cattle-producing islands of the province: Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristóbal. Thirty-three cattle farms and 410 cattle were tested for brucellosis using the Rose Bengal test and indirect ELISA. All animals showed negative results for both tests. Probability of freedom was estimated at 98%, 91% and 88% for Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristóbal, respectively, considering a herd-level design seroprevalence of 20% and animal-level design seroprevalence of 15%, and assuming a perfect specificity of the survey. The negative results found in 1997 and present surveys suggest that the Galapagos Islands are free from bovine brucellosis.
Attacks using animal pathogens can have devastating socioeconomic, public health and national security consequences. The livestock sector has some inherent vulnerabilities which put it at risk to the deliberate or accidental spread of disease. The growing concern of countries about the risks of agro-terrorism and agro-crime has led to efforts to prepare against potential attacks. One recent international effort is the launch of a joint OIE, FAO and INTERPOL project in 2019 to build resilience against agro-terrorism and agro-crime targeting animal health with the financial support of the Weapons Threat Reduction Programme of Global Affairs Canada. Given the importance of strong animal health surveillance systems for the early and effective response to agro-terrorism and agro-crime, the project uses the FAO Surveillance Evaluation Tool (SET) and its new Biothreat Detection Module to evaluate beneficiary countries’ capacities to detect criminal or terrorist animal health events. This paper presents the development of the new SET Biothreat Detection Module and how it will be used to evaluate surveillance for agro-terrorism and agro-crime animal threats. The module will be piloted in early 2021 and, once finalized, will be used by beneficiary countries of the joint OIE-FAO-INTERPOL project. Results from evaluations using SET and its Biothreat Detection Module are expected to provide a baseline from which countries can build targeted capacity for animal disease surveillance including early detection and investigation of potential terrorist or criminal events involving zoonotic and non-zoonotic animal pathogens.
The bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a sensitive method to diagnose diseases of the distal portion of the lower respiratory tract and has been broadly used by numerous researchers. Cytocentrifugation is the choice cytological preparation technique, but demands specific and costly equipment. Therefore, the present paper intends to verify the applicability of the linear smear technique to evaluate BAL samples. For this, BAL samples of 30 equines were used and the cytological preparations were done by cytocentrifugation and linear smear techniques. All glass microscope slides were fixed and stained with Giemsa for the differential cell count. Regarding the effect of the preparation technique on differential counts, no significant difference in any cell type was found. The linear smear is a reliable alternative and can be recommended as a substitution to cytocentrifugation. Keywords:Horse. Bronchoalveolar lavage. Cytocentrifugation. Linear smear. ResumoO lavado broncoalveolar (LBA) é um método sensível para diagnosticar doenças do trato respiratório posterior e vem sendo utilizado por diversos pesquisadores. A citocentrifugação, técnica de escolha para processar amostras citológicas de LBA, exige equipamentos específicos e caros. Por isso, este trabalho verificou a aplicabilidade da técnica de esfregaço linear para avaliação citológica do LBA. Foram utilizadas amostras de LBA de 30 equinos adultos. As preparações citológicas foram realizadas tanto por citocentrifugação quanto por esfregaço linear. Todas as lâminas foram fixadas e coradas com Giemsa para realização da contagem celular diferencial. Não foram encontradas alterações morfológicas significativas e nem diferenças estatísticas entre nenhum dos tipos celulares processados pelos dois métodos, o que permite afirmar que o método de esfregaço linear é uma alternativa segura para avaliação morfológica celular do LBA de equinos, podendo ser utilizado no lugar da citocentrifugação quando esta não estiver disponível. Palavras
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