Introduction of rabies serology and the relevant service
Ai-Ping Hsu
Abstract
According to the statistics from the World Health Organization, approximately 60,000 people worldwide die from dog-mediated rabies every year. Therefore, sound rabies border control measures (especially rabies quarantine for international movement of dogs and cats) can effectively prevent this deadly zoonotic disease. Since 1993, the World Organization for Animal Health has recommended that animals undergo rabies vaccination and detect the antibody titers from the immunized serum, to replace quarantine measures. With international follow-ups, rabies serology testing has been the crucial standard for international movements of dogs and cats. This oral presentation will show the development background and testing procedures of rabies serology, and also the rabies serology testing services in our institute.
Serotype, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Phylogenetic Analysis of Streptococcus suis
Nan-Ling Kuan
Abstract
Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is a significant zoonotic pathogen that can cause various illnesses in animals such as meningitis, arthritis, endocarditis, sepsis, pneumonia, and sudden death. It can also lead to meningitis and sepsis in humans. This study aims to enhance the accuracy of identifying S. suis strains from diseased animals, as current biochemical identification techniques are unreliable. Out of 314 strains of streptococci from diseased animals, 149 were confirmed as S. suis. There are up to 21 serotypes of S. suis, with serotype 3 being the most commonly seen, followed by serotypes 2, 8, and 4. Serotypes of some isolates could not be distinguished. In the phylogenetic analysis, the sequence types (ST) of 136 S. suis strains included ST1 and ST28, commonly found in human infection cases, as well as various common types in pigs such as ST27, ST94, ST1831, ST1832 and ST1844. Combining genotype and serotype analysis, four main clonal complexes (CC) were identified: CC27 (mainly serotype 3), CC28 (mainly serotype 2), CC94 (mainly serotype 4), and CC1831 (mainly serotype 8). Antimicrobial susceptibility tests showed that almost all S. suis strains were resistant to clindamycin and oxytetracycline but remained sensitive to ceftiofur. Therefore, careful selection of antimicrobial agents is required during treatment.
Report on Attendance of Regional Seminar for WOAH National Focal Points for Veterinary Laboratories
Yu-Pin Liu
Abstract
The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) held a reginal seminar in Tokyo, Japan from July 16 to 18 in order to make the contact focal points of veterinary laboratories in members understand their tasks and responsibilities, and to promote exchanges and coordination among veterinary laboratories in member. During the seminar, opinions were exchanged on emerging issues in veterinary laboratory diagnosis and management, laboratory network connections were promoted, and representatives of reference laboratories from various countries were invited to participate in the discussion. The conclusions of the seminar include: The specialist commissions play a key role in the development and revision of the WOAH International Standards, collaborate with its global scientific network; Rabies surveillance and diagnostics are important for this neglected disease; any national laboratories can request the twinning program and the reference laboratories play the role of parent. This seminar will continue to be held in the future to maintain contact among members in the region and share important epidemic information.