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> Emerging Animal Health Issues
| Emerging Animal Health Issues |
List
of Emerging Animal Health Issues Projects
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| Current Projects |
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| Past Projects |
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Methods
Development
The premise of CEI's emerging issues
identification work is that information which could provide
early warning of an emerging event is available, however,
capturing and processing the information requires new
approaches. To that end, CEI has a number of projects
underway developing and evaluating new approaches. CEI
is applying "text-mining" technology to allow it to continuously
scan the Web, news wires, and e-mail discussion groups
for information about animal health issues. Daily
feeds from these internet and other on-line sources populate
a master database against which powerful search and analysis
capabilities are applied to extract items pointing to
disease outbreaks and other emerging health situations.
In collaboration with other VS offices, CEI launched
an intranet web site to facilitate on-line information
exchanges on emerging animal health issues within APHIS.
Agency professionals worldwide will be able to share
current information on animal health events. Finally,
CEI is exploring the viability of establishing networks
of private and public veterinarians connected through
the Internet to exchange information on unique animal
health and disease events.
Analytical Projects
CEI's analytical projects range from
work describing particular disease syndromes to work exploring
the potential impact of climatic events and environmental
concerns on animal health. CEI evaluates the potential
impact of animal health events in other countries on the
United States. CEI also summarizes the "state-of-knowledge"
for selected emerging conditions. |
| Epizootiology and Ecology
of Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (WEE) |
| Western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE) is an arthropod-borne
virus infection that is confined to the Western Hemisphere
and is caused by a WEE complex of four closely related
viruses. WEE virus is associated more frequently with
disease in animals and humans than are the remaining members of the
WEE complex. WEE virus has been isolated from horses, wild birds,
mammals, mosquitoes and humans in numerous states west of the Mississippi
River.
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| Recent
Spread of Highly Pathogenic (H5N1) Avian Influenza
in Birds (PDF 183KB) |
| During the spring and summer of 2005, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI, subtype H5N1) started spreading westward out of Southeast Asia, where it has been circulating for several years. By the fall, HPAI was reported in poultry and/or wild birds in several countries in Central Asia and around the Black Sea. The range of HPAI expanded rapidly beginning in 2006, and by the end of April, H5N1 virus had been found in 34 countries not previously reporting the disease.
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| Epizootiology and Ecology
of Anthrax |
This paper describes what is known
about the ecology of anthrax, and it reviews several
significant outbreaks of anthrax in livestock populations
in the US and abroad. The epizootics reviewed herein
included a period of at least 30 years (1971 to 2001),
three continents (North America, Australia, Africa),
four countries/provinces (the United States, Canada,
Namibia, Victoria) and two broad classifications of
animals (domesticated livestock and wildlife). Anthrax
epizootics in livestock and wildlife are restricted
to specific geographical regions, regardless of continent,
country, or geopolitical unit within a given country.
Epizootics in livestock in the US are restricted to
states west of the Mississippi River. Similarly, epizootics
of anthrax in livestock and bison in Canada have been
restricted to the western provinces.
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| Caliciviruses of Animals
in the United States |
| Caliciviruses of animals
in the US first began to receive attention approximately
70 years ago. Since then, numerous caliciviruses have
been isolated from a variety of animal species. The epizootics
of rabbit hemorrhagic disease in the US in 2000 and 2001,
and the reported isolation of a “vesicular exanthema
of swine-like calicivirus” from an aborted bovine
fetus in 2002 have heightened concerns about the roles
of caliciviruses in diseases of animals. This paper provides
the reader with an introduction to the caliciviruses of
animals. The current taxonomy, natural history, epidemiology,
clinical signs, zoonotic aspects, and the significance
of caliciviruses in animal health were discussed.
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| Animal Health Hazards
of Concern During Natural Disasters |
| The objective of this
paper is to describe some of the major natural disasters
that have occurred in the U.S. during recent years and
to review some infectious and non-infectious hazards that,
at the very least, are perceived to be related directly
to natural disasters. The number and types of natural
disasters, the basic ecology and epidemiology of several
infectious hazards that are thought to be affected by
the climatic and environmental changes during natural
disasters, and the impact of natural disasters on some
non-infectious hazards of animals are presented.
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| Epizootiology and Ecology
of Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE) |
| Eastern equine encephalomyelitis viruses (EEEV)
are members of the Alphavirus genus, family
Togaviridae. EEEV can be transmitted to equines
and humans during the bite of an infected mosquito. In
addition to horses and humans, EEEV can produce severe
disease in common livestock species such as swine and
cattle. EEEV, or virus-specific antibodies, have
been recovered from birds such as the turkey, pheasant,
quail, ostrich, and emu, among others. Other
animals in which EEEV have been found are the turtle,
snake, hamster, and fish. In addition to the
mosquito, EEEV have been isolated from the horse fly,
blackfly, mite, lice, and Culicoides spp. The
majority of EEEV isolates have been from only 27 species
of mosquito, and a high percentage of the isolates
have been from a single species of mosquito, Culiseta
melanura.
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| Emerging Animal Health Issues
Identification and Analysis Training Course |
This is a training course CEI
offers approximately every two years. The objectives of
the course are to:
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Develop an understanding of
surveillance for and analysis of emerging animal
health issues, and how they differ from surveillance
and analysis for known and established animal health
issues;
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Learn about specific methods
and techniques for surveillance and analysis of
emerging animal health issues, including hands-on
usage of data sources and databases;
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Explore the design and implement
a system for identification and assessment of emerging
issues; and
- Practice interpretation and assessment of emerging
animal health issues.
Click
here to sign up for notification of the next course.
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| Antimicrobial Resistance
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| Antimicrobial resistant
pathogens and the role of antibiotic use in livestock
production are causing increasing international concern.
This report will provide a knowledge base related
to antimicrobial resistance which will assist decision
makers in assigning research priorities and resources.
The report will briefly describe the following:
the origins and mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance,
antimicrobial use in food animals in the US, the epidemiology
of antimicrobial resistance, implications of antimicrobial
resistance for human and animal health, and current activities
and future needs related to antimicrobial resistance.
This document is available by section, or as the entire
document (367 KB)
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| Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
(BSE) |
BSE was first identified
in Great Britain in 1986. CEI produced several reports
which address the risk of an outbreak of BSE in the United
States.
- Bibliography for Transmissible
Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE, 8/96) Contains
a comprehensive bibliography of articles up to 1996
from refereed journals and publications of government,
professional associations, and international organizations.
Subjects covered include TSE's, BSE, human spongiform
encephalopathies, Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy
(TME), scrapie, and spongiform encephalopathies in
other species.
- Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy:
Implications for the U.S. - A Follow Up 4/96 Update
to the original report published in 1993 (see below).
It provides an updated review of the BSE outbreak
in Great Britain, risk factors for BSE in the
United States, and review of surveillance for BSE
in the U.S.
- Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy: Implications
for the U.S., 12/93 Contains a review of BSE
in Great Britain, a discussion of risk factors and
surveillance for BSE in the U.S., and a quantitative
assessment of the possible role of nonambulatory cattle
in transmissible spongiform encephalopathy in the
U.S.
- U.S. Rendering and Feed-Manufacturing
Industries: Evaluation of Practices with Risk Potential
for BSE, 11/92 Describes a 1991-92 survey
of U.S. rendering and feed-manufacturing industries
and results regarding risk of U.S. cattle contracting
BSE.
- Quantitative Risk Assessment of BSE in the U.S.,
1/92 Presents a systems model of BSE epidemiology,
scrapie/BSE contamination of rendered product, risk
assessments at state and county levels, etc.
- Qualitative Analysis of BSE Risk Factors in the
U.S., 1/92 Discusses differences and similarities
of epidemiologic risk factors for BSE between the
U.S. and Great Britain, including sheep population,
cattle inventories, slaughter, rendering and feed
industries, etc.
- Related Website: The Veterinary Services BSE webpage
can be found at www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/bse/bse.html
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| Dioxins in the Food Chain:
Background |
| Dioxin and related chemical
compounds are toxic industrial pollutants which are ubiquitous
and persistent in the environment, and which accumulate
in the fat tissue of animals and humans. Foods of animal
origin are the primary source of human exposure to dioxins.
In June 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
completed a ten-year effort to reassess the science base
associated with dioxin and closely related compounds and
their associated risk to human health. The draft dioxin
reassessment concludes that dioxin is a human carcinogen
and that the lifetime cancer risk associated with the
average person’s body burden of dioxin is between
1 in 1000 and 1 in 100. This estimate of risk is ten times
higher than EPA’s previous estimate and represents
a very significant public health concern. |
| El Nino's Potential
Impact on Disease Occurrence |
| The effect of climate
changes on infectious diseases, particularly vector-borne
disease occurrence, is both an animal health and public
health issue.
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| Escherichia coli 0157:H7
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Contamination of
food with the bacteria E. coli O157:H7 is an important
zoonotic food safety issue. CEI has helped define the
role of cattle as a source of E. coli O157:H7 in food
products.
- An Update: Escherichia coli
O157:H7, 6/97 This update focuses on E.
coli O157:H7 as a continuing source of illness in
humans, improvements in diagnosis, testing and reporting,
and reports on the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in
the cattle population as well as post-harvest control
measures. The Executive Summary mentioned below is
included as an appendix in the Update.
- Executive Summary, E. Coli
O157:H7 - Issues and Ramifications, 3/94 Summarizes
an 80-page report which addresses why E. coli O157:H7
is an important human pathogen, what is known about
E. coli O157:H7 in cattle, production and consumption
patterns for ground beef, and future directions.
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| Foot and Mouth Disease
(FMD) |
| FMD, a viral disease
of cloven-hooved animals (e.g. cattle, sheep, swine, deer
etc.), has not been identified in North America since
1954. This virus is highly contagious and its economic
consequences would be huge if it were introduced into
U.S. livestock.
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| Foreign Animal Disease
Risks Posed by Travelers |
| Commercial airlines
carry more than 1.4 million persons across international
borders every day and these travelers pose a potential
risk for foreign animal disease (FAD) transmission.
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| Salmonella Typhimurium
DT 104 |
| Recent reports of
a multiple antibiotic resistant strain of Salmonella Typhimurium
DT104 in humans and animals, especially cattle, have raised
emerging disease issues of international concern.
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