Volume: 219, Published: 19 April 2023

China: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) confirmed in buffalo
Date: 17 April 2023; Disease: FMD; Location: Guangxi, Chongzuo, Daxin, and Xinjiang Uygur, China
A case of domestic buffalo was confirmed with FMD out of a susceptible population of 79 animals. The incident was reported in Leiping Animal Health Inspection and disinfection station along Highway S60, China. Read more at WOAH. Similarly 6 cases of FMD were confirmed in domestic cattle in Erbatai Animal Health Inspection and disinfection station along Highway G3012. 12 animals were killed and disposed of. Read more at WOAH.

Pakistan: Five-year-old boy dies of rabies at Indus Hospital
Date: 16 April 2023; Disease: Rabies; Location: Indus Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
A five-year-old boy became the first victim of rabies encephalitis as he died at the Indus Hospital Karachi in Malir area, officials reported. The patient was brought to the hospital in a precarious condition, who was diagnosed as a full-blown case of rabies encephalitis. The boy was bitten by a rabid dog some 45 days back, but he did not receive even a single dose of the anti-rabies vaccine, an official of the Indus Hospital shared. It is the first death due to rabies encephalitis in Karachi this year, Sindh health department officials said, adding that last year, around 31,000 people were bitten by stray dogs, and four of the victims died. An Indus Hospital official said around 3,500 people, mostly women and children, had been treated for dog-bites at the hospital till 15 April 2023. Read more at The News International.

Republic of Korea: Two more cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) reported
Date: 15 April 2023; Disease: HPAI; Location: Yeongam and Jangheung, South Seoul, Rep of Korea
Two additional cases of a HPAI strain, bringing the total cases reported from poultry farms since last October to 75, the Agriculture Ministry shared. One of the two cases was confirmed at a duck farm in Yeongam, about 310 kilometers south of Seoul, and the other at another duck farm located in Jangheung, 320 km south of the capital, on the same day, according to the ministry. The authorities sent their early response team to the sites to take containment steps, such as limiting access to the farms, the ministry said. There were about 14,000 ducks raised at the farm in Yeongam and about 15,000 ducks at the Jangheung farm. Read more at Yonhap News Agency.

Republic of Korea: African swine fever (ASF) occurred at a pig farm
Date: 14 April 2023; Disease: ASF; Location: Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Republic of Korea
ASF was confirmed on a pig farm (6,095 heads) located in Changsu-myeon, Pocheon City within the quarantine zone of the Farm No. 1 (3.2km distance, 6,000 breeding) where ASF was detected during inspection before shipment to the slaughterhouse on 19 March. Read official news at MAFRA.
Unofficial media added that the farm is not of the same corporation of the farms where ASF were confirmed in March. There are no other pig farms within a radius of 500m from the farm, and there are 153,000 pigs in 81 farms within a radius of 10km. Read more at Pigpeople.

Indonesia: Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) confirmed in domestic birds
Date: 13 April 2023; Disease: HPAI; Location: Jawa Barat, Indonesia
500 cases of domestic bird were confirmed positive for HPAI. No deaths were reported. Read more at FAO.

China: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) confirmed in domestic birds
Date: 10 April 2023; Disease: HPAI (H5N1); Location: Taiwan Sheng, Taiwan province of China
A total of 1658 domestic birds died of HPAI (H5N1) and 16030 bird were destroyed due to an outbreak of HPAI (H5N1). Read more at FAO.

China: Update on the H3N8 avian influenza case
Date: 10 April 2023
The World Health Organization (WHO) has shared additional details on the H3N8 case reported earlier.  The case was a 56-year-old female from Guangdong province with an onset of illness on 22 February 2023. The case was detected through severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) surveillance systems. She was hospitalized for severe pneumonia on 3 March 2023 and subsequently died on 16 March 2023. The patient had multiple underlying conditions. She had a history of exposure to live poultry before the onset of the disease. No close contacts of the case developed an infection or symptoms of illness at the time of reporting. The environmental samples were collected from the patient’s residence and the wet market where the patient was exposed before the onset of illness. The results of testing showed that the samples collected from the wet market were positive for H3. Read more at Outbreak News Today.
Avian influenza A(H3N8) viruses are commonly detected globally in animals. Influenza A(H3N8) viruses are some of the most commonly found subtypes in birds, causing little to no sign of disease in either domestic poultry or wild birds. Cross-species transmission of A(H3N8) avian influenza viruses has been reported for various mammal species, including being endemic in dogs and horses (WHO).

Philippines: More than 70 rabies deaths reported year to date
Date: 13 April 2023
Last month was Rabies Awareness Month in the Philippines and officials reminded the public to have pets vaccinated and to seek immediate medical attention for animal bites to prevent rabies infections and rabies-related injuries and deaths. From the beginning of the year through 18 March, the Philippines has reported 73 human rabies cases/deaths, a slight increase from last year’s cases/death at the same time (69). Regions reporting the most human cases include Central Luzon (17) and Calabarzon (10). The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation acting president and chief executive officer said that addressing rabies begins with prevention, and this can be done by ensuring that pets like dogs are properly vaccinated against rabies. Read more at Outbreak News Today.

Avian influenza sample from Chilean man showed some signs of adaptation to mammals
Date: 14 April 2023
A sample of avian influenza isolated from a Chilean man who fell ill last month contains 2 genetic mutations that are signs of adaptation to mammals, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. In experimental animal studies, the mutations, both of which are in what is known as the PB2 gene, have previously been shown to help the virus replicate better in mammalian cells. The risk to the public remains low, health officials said, and no additional human cases have been linked to the Chilean man, who remains hospitalized. Moreover, the sample was missing other critical genetic changes that scientists believe would be necessary for the virus, known as H5N1, to spread efficiently among humans, including mutations that would stabilize the virus and help it bind more tightly to human cells. Read more at New York Times. Science Magazine further reported that additional mutations are needed for sustained human to human transmission.  The victims are varied, from thousands of sea lions off the coast of Peru to mink farmed for fur in Spain to grizzly bears in Montana and harbor seals in Maine. For months, the avian influenza virus that has been decimating birds across the world has also sickened and killed a menagerie of mammals, raising fears it might evolve to spread more efficiently between these animals, and ultimately between people. Read more at Science.

Driving role of climatic and socio-environmental factors on human brucellosis in China: machine-learning-based predictive analyses
Date: 12 April 2023
Brucellosis is a common zoonotic infectious disease in China. This study aimed to investigate the incidence trends of brucellosis in China, construct an optimal prediction model, and analyze the driving role of climatic factors for human brucellosis. Using brucellosis incidence, and the socioeconomic and climatic data for 2014–2020 in China, the study performed spatiotemporal analyses and calculated correlations with brucellosis incidence in China, developed and compared a series of regression and Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average X (SARIMAX) models for brucellosis prediction based on socioeconomic and climatic data, and analyzed the relationship between extreme weather conditions and brucellosis incidence using copula models. The study concluded that significant seasonal and climatic zone differences were observed for brucellosis incidence in China. Sunlight, humidity, and wind speed significantly influenced brucellosis. The SARIMAX model performed better for brucellosis prediction than did the regression model. Notably, high sunshine and humidity values in extreme weather conditions negatively affect brucellosis. Brucellosis should be managed according to the “One Health” concept. Read full text at Biomed Central (DOI).

African swine fever (ASF) Asia and Pacific situation update
Date: 13 April 2023
Highlights from the most recent ASF situation update in the Asia and Pacific region includes reports of additional ASF outbreaks in Pocheon in Gyeonggi-do, The Republic of Korea; in domestic pigs and wild boars in Malaysia; Sarpang District, Bhutan; and fifth ASF outbreak in Sudurpashchim Province this year in Nepal. Read more at FAO.

Scientists develop new test to diagnose Brucella canis
Date: 13 April 2023
Researchers at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) have developed a new test to diagnose Brucella canis, a zoonotic disease that can spread to people through contact with infected dogs. The Cornell Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC) is the only lab in the country offering a new test that measures antibodies in dogs directed against Brucella canis antigens — the Canine Brucella Multiplex (CBM) assay. Brucella canis, which affects up to six percent of dogs in the United States, shows a variety of symptoms, from spontaneous abortion to spinal pain, and therefore is difficult to detect. The average time to identify the disease in a dog is about six months, according to a paper co-authored by Pinn-Woodcock and five other Cornell researchers, which was published in the American Journal of Veterinary Research. The lengthy diagnosis has raised concerns among veterinarians and state health officials because Brucella canis can spread to humans, causing flu-like symptoms, organ-based complications involving the skeletal system and possible problems with pregnancy. Read more at Cornell University (Original) and Vet Candy.

Changes in emergency on-farm killing of poultry
Date: 13 April 2023
Mindful of the inevitable situations that require birds to be emergency killed on farm to alleviate pain and suffering, regulations were brought in at EU and UK level through the European Council Regulation 1099/2009 and the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing Regulations. Cervical dislocation at the time was reported to be the most widely used method prior to these legislative changes, which took place from 1 January 2013. Based on the scientific evidence available and concern for bird welfare, these legislative changes incorporated restrictions based on bird weight for both manual (<3kg) and mechanical (<5kg) cervical dislocation, and introduced an upper limit in the number of applications for manual cervical dislocation of up to 70 birds per person per day. It also removed methods which showed evidence of crushing injury to the neck. Read more at Poultry World.

Evidence of lumpy skin disease (LSD) virus infection in camels
Date: 7 April 2023
Countries in the Indian subcontinent are currently facing a deadly epidemic of lumpy skin disease (LSD).  LSD is primarily a disease of cattle. Buffaloes may sometimes develop mild illness, however, other domestic animals are considered resistant to LSD. We confirmed the LSDV infection in camels as evidenced by skin nodules on the body surface of the affected camels, isolation of LSD virus (LSDV) and amplification of LSDV-specific gene segments from the skin nodules (PCR), nucleotide sequencing of the viral genome and, demonstration of anti-LSDV antibodies in serum. Phylogenetic analysis based on nucleotide sequencing of ORF011, ORF012 and ORF036 revealed that the virus (LSDV/Camel/India/2022/Bikaner) is related to the historical NI-2490/Kenya/KSGP-like field strains which are predominantly circulating in the Indian subcontinent. This is the first report wherein LSDV has been to infect camels. Read more at Science Direct.

Thailand: Impact of lumpy skin disease (LSD) outbreaks on monthly milk production on dairy farms in Thailand
Date: 6 April 2023
Outbreaks of LSD have resulted in substantial economic losses to the dairy industry in Thailand. This study aimed to determine the influence of LSD outbreaks on monthly milk production levels. Milk production for dairy farms located in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand, belonging to the Khon Kaen Dairy Cooperative, was affected by LSD outbreaks from May to August of 2021. The resulting data were analyzed using general linear mixed models. It was estimated that the LSD outbreak caused economic losses totaling 2,413,000 Thai Baht (68,943 USD) over the outbreak period. The monthly farm milk production level in May differed from the levels in June and August. Dairy farmers experienced losses between 8.23 and 9.96 tons of milk each month, which equated to between 4180 and 14,440 Thai Baht (119.43 and 412.57 USD) in monthly income. This study demonstrated that LSD outbreaks on dairy farms resulted in significant farm milk production losses. Our findings will increase awareness among authorities and stakeholders in the dairy industry of Thailand, as well as to assist in the prevention of future LSD outbreaks and minimize the negative impacts of LSD. Read full text at Veterinary World.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infections in foxes: can the 2021 H5N1 strain adapt to mammals?
Date: March 2023
During the 2020-2022 epizootic of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) several infections of mammalian species were reported in Europe. In the Netherlands, HPAI H5N1 virus infections were detected in three wild red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) that were submitted with neurological symptoms between December 2021 and February 2022. Histopathological analysis demonstrated the virus was mainly present in the brain, with limited or no detection in the respiratory tract and other organs. Phylogenetic analysis showed the three fox viruses were not closely related, but were related to HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b viruses found in wild birds. In addition, limited virus shedding was detected suggesting the virus was not transmitted between the foxes. Genetic analysis demonstrated the presence of mammalian adaptation E627K in the polymerase basic two (PB2) protein of the two fox viruses. In both foxes the avian (PB2-627E) and the mammalian (PB2-627K) variant were present as a mixture in the virus population, which suggests the mutation emerged in these specific animals. The two variant viruses were isolated and virus replication and passaging experiments were performed. These experiments showed mutation PB2-627K increases replication of the virus in mammalian cell lines compared to the chicken cell line, and at the lower temperatures of the mammalian upper respiratory tract. This study showed the HPAI H5N1 virus is capable of adaptation to mammals, however more adaptive mutations are required to allow efficient transmission between mammals. Therefore, surveillance in mammals should be expanded to closely monitor the emergence of zoonotic mutations for pandemic preparedness. Read more at Wageningen University and Research.

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