A n episode of unusual disease resulting in deaths in different species at a wildlife rehabilitation center in the United Kingdom during late 2020 led to the retrospective detection of infl uenza A virus subtype H5N8 of avian origin in 5 mute swans, a fox, and 3 seals. The wildlife rehabilitation center admits >6,000 animals each year. New arrivals are initially housed in a quarantine facility upon admission. Four juvenile common seals (Phoca vitulina), 1 juvenile gray seal (Halichoerus grypus), and 1 juvenile red fox (Vulpes vulpes) died or were euthanized over a 2-day period. The fox died suddenly after a short period of nonspecifi c malaise and inappetence. The seals exhibited sudden-onset neurologic signs, including seizures before death or euthanasia (Figure 1). This mortality event occurred ≈1 week after the deaths or euthanasia of 5 mute swans (Cygnus olor) held in isolation at the center because of acute-onset malaise and terminal seizures. The 5 swans were submitted for examination and testing under the Avian Infl uenza Wild Bird Surveillance Scheme (undertaken by the United Kingdom's Animal and Plant Health Agency) (1), and they tested positive for highly pathogenic avian infl uenza A(H5N8) virus.The unusual spatiotemporal cluster of unexplained death and neurologic disease in multiple avian and nonavian species warranted further investigation. Infl uenza of avian origin was not suspected in the fox and seals, and none of the other captive birds at the center showed any clinical signs of disease. The linkage between the mortality event in the swans and that observed in the fox and seals was not
Beef and milk production systems in Ireland are largely dependent on a grass-based diet with cattle spending long periods of the year at pasture (Drennan and McGee 2009). As a result, cattle are frequently exposed to gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) challenge. Within grassbased production systems, anthelmintics are essential to optimising performance and any reduction in their efficacy may lead to reduced animal performance. Although anthelmintic resistance (AR) is more commonly reported in sheep (Sutherland and Leathwick 2011), it has been increasingly reported in cattle worldwide (Stafford and Coles 1999, Loveridge and others 2003, Soutello and others 2007, Demeler and others 2009, edmonds and others 2010). To date, there have been no published reports of AR in cattle in Ireland. We report the findings of a faecal egg count reduction test (feCRT) conducted at two Irish agricultural research farms (Study A and B). Two different software programmes were used to determine anthelmintic efficacy. All animal procedures performed in this study were conducted under experimental license (B100/2869) from the Irish Department of Health and Children, in accordance with the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 and the european Communities (Amendment of Cruelty to Animals Act 1876) Regulation 2002 and 2005. Study A was conducted at Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Co. Wexford, Ireland (longitude 6°30′ W; latitude 52°17′ N; elevation 65 m above sea level (asl)). Sixty Holstein-friesian male calves, naive to anthelmintics, were used in this study. Calves were randomised by age, weight and feC to one of four treatment groups (n=15 per treatment
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