Re-examination of samples producing low-confidence results for the detection of antibodies against Peste des Petits Ruminants
Kuo-Jung Tsai
Abstract
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), also known as sheep and goat plague, is a highly contagious viral disease affecting goat and sheep. In the last 15 years, PPR has expanded from its endemic range, in Africa, the Middle East and India, to Central Asia and China. In 2017, four veterinary faculties were tasked to monitor for the presence of PPR antibodies in Taiwanese goat and sheep populations by the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ), within the Council of Agriculture. A commercial ELISA kit for antibody detection was used to screen sera from goat farms in Taiwan. A few sera from some of the goat farms displayed questionable results. The sera samples with low diagnostic confidence were further sent to the Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI) for more testing. After an epidemiological investigation followed by a re-examination of those samples and the collection of new samples from the field site, we used the detection PPR viral RNA and more antibody tests, to determine that those goat farms were not PPR-infected.
Diagnosis and case reports of avian botulism in poultry
Yen-Ping Chen
Abstract
Avian botulism, also known as limberneck and Western duck sickness, is a paralytic, often fatal disease found in birds. The disease results from the ingestion of toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Seven types of botulinum neurotoxins, designated as types A through G, have been identified. Almost all outbreaks in poultry are caused by the type C or a mosaic type C/D neurotoxin, although types A, D or E can also be involved. Clinically, paralyzed legs are usually one of the first symptoms to be observed in cases of avian botulism, with paralysis later spreading to the wings, neck, and eyelids. Death thus usually results from dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and cardiac/respiratory failure. Typically, there are no characteristic gross or microscopic lesions in birds dying of botulism. The most reliable test for avian botulism is the mouse inoculation test, although the polymerase chain reaction technique is also successfully applied in the detection of Clostridium botulinum and for the differentiation of the various neurotoxin genes. From 2002 to 2017, our laboratory received 56 botulism-suspected poultry cases. Most of these suspected cases came from wild birds, especially waterfowl. Twenty-one cases (37.5%) were positive for botulinum toxins or the presence of the neurotoxin genes. We also encountered two cases of mosaic type C/D botulism in wild birds in 2015.
Technical cooperation with Vietnam on aquatic animal health and techonology
Sue Min Huang
Abstract
The objective of this project was to visit local grouper and shrimp farms, to learn how production is scaled, the industrial division of labor, as well as the production and marketing model for aquatic animals in Vietnam and to find new potential business opportunities as part of the Taiwanese government’s new Southbound Policy. The Vietnamese government has set up rapid response policies in order to ensure the safety and stability of its aquatic products for export and industrial development. The policies strictly require that the quality and stability of the aquatic animal export products comply with international food safety regulations. In the production chain, they encouraged and supported the assistance of global technical teams to comprehensively and rapidly upgrade domestic aquaculture technologies. These policies also emphasized the necessity of proper animal health monitoring and maintenance, the establishment of Biofloc technology (for more efficient feeding), and avoiding the use of pesticides.. In addition, we visited the Vietnam National Veterinary Research Institute to exchange technical information and expertise on aquatic animal vaccine technology as well as to stimulate future cooperation. Visits to local shrimp farms further helped us to understand current production technology and the mode of aquaculture production (CP shrimp breeding farm). The policies of the Vietnamese government for the control of shrimp diseases as well as its rapid adoption of international food safety regulations for aquatic-animal exports are good models for the Taiwanese government to follow.