Click on text below to see the vid

Test EVERY Cow in the Food Chain

Test EVERY Cow in the Food Chain
Like Other Countries Do

Monday, December 27, 2010

Mad Deer / Virginia

CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE, CERVID - USA (14): (VIRGINIA)
***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: 22 Dec 2010
Source: NV Daily [edited]



Chronic wasting disease likely could threaten the region's deer
population for years, according to the state agency studying the illness.

A 4-point buck killed in western Frederick County in late November
2010 tested positive for the disease, according to a news release
from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

The positive test marked only the 2nd time the disease has appeared
in a deer specimen in Virginia, according to the release. A hunter
shot the buck near the West Virginia line, less than 2 miles from
where Virginia's 1st case of CWD appeared last year [2009], the
agency reported.

"The one thing this does is it confirms that last year's [2009] was
not a fluke," said Nelson Lafon, deer project coordinator for the
department. "We know the disease is in the area, and it means we're
in this for the long haul, and we've kinda told hunters and folks at
those public meetings we held that we see ourselves doing this
[testing] for years."

The agency foresees collecting 500 samples or more from the
containment area during each hunting season and monitoring the
disease in the hopes it doesn't spread, Lafon said.

The state's counterparts in West Virginia continue to find cases of
CWD in neighboring Hampshire County, WV, according to Lafon. The
agencies remain in contact almost weekly, he said, sharing sample
data and other information to model the prevalence of the disease.

"It is, realistically, all part of the same outbreak," Lafon said.
"Having the presence of that disease and then continuing to find it
right on our border is what concerns us. Even if we somehow knock it
out in Virginia, we still have that source, if you will, on the other
side of the border. It makes it more challenging to combat. You know,
the deer don't know the boundary, and the landscape's pretty much the
same on either side."

The project coordinator said he doesn't think the latest case will
spur more action because the deer was found close to the previous
year's [2009] discovery. The department after last season banned
feeding and rehabilitating deer, moving their waste, carcasses and
parts from the containment area, and put a bag limit in effect for
private lands, according to the press release. "We kind of opened the
tool box, and we're already using pretty much every tool in there,"
Lafon said. "But it does mean that we're gonna continue looking for
the disease."

The department also awaits test results on about 100 more samples.
The agency cannot determine whether to change its strategies until
after the season ends 1 Jan 2011 and the department has received all
test results, according to the release.

The agency lauded hunters for their cooperation in helping with the
study, which covers Shenandoah and Frederick counties west of
Interstate 81 and north of Va. 675 near Edinburg. Hunters submitted
the head and necks of the deer they bagged, and the department tested
the samples for the disease, along with carcasses of those killed on the road.

"Hunters have done just about everything they can," he said.

More than a week remains in this deer-hunting season, and the
department continues to urge successful hunters to submit samples in
the refrigerated stations set up at designated locations. Collection
centers likely will be open 2 Jan 2011 for hunters to drop off
samples, Lafon said.

CWD, which affects the nervous system, has been detected in 18 states
and 2 Canadian provinces. The disease [eventually] kills the infected
deer, elk or moose, but no evidence exists to show the animals can
naturally transmit the illness to humans, livestock or pets,
according to the release.

Visit for more
information.

[Byline: Alex Bridges]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail

[This does not seem to represent an expansion of the disease beyond
last year's 2009 containment zone. Although the state has referenced
last year, it refers to the last hunting season, which ended in January 2010.

The specimen referred to in the article above may lead us to believe
that either the animal was early in its infection and not showing
clinical signs, or the hunter saw an affected deer and gave it a
rapid death. We are not told the condition of the animal, but most
hunters are looking for healthy animals, so likely this deer was not
showing clinical signs.

As a positive animal, does the department issue a hunting tag to
allow this hunter to try for another animal? While there is no
evidence that this disease affects people, most people dispose of the
meat as an exercise in an abundance of caution. This disease has been
in the United States since the 1960's and possibly farther back than
that without evidence of it affecting humans or other predators. - Mod.TG]

[see also:
Chronic wasting disease, cervid - USA (02): (VA) 20100124.0261]
................................................sb/tg/msp/mpp

More about CWD; http://www.welcometohunting.com/video/CWD/cable/cwd.html


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Saturday, December 25, 2010

Big-Meat Beg Senators for Analysis of Rule

Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), this week sent a letter signed by 11 of his colleagues to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging him to follow through on his pledge to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of changes to livestock marketing regulations proposed by the Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration. Vilsack pledged in a recent meeting with meat industry officials that USDA would conduct "a far more rigorous cost-benefit analysis" of the proposed GIPSA livestock rule.

It is estimated that the rule would cost the pork industry, alone, $333 million annually after an initial $69 million expense. The National Pork Producers Council, in comments filed last month, asked that GIPSA withdraw all portions of the proposed rule that went beyond the five issues Congress asked it to address.

Full article;
http://www.porkmag.com/directories.asp?pgID=675&ed_id=10345

Friday, December 17, 2010

Scripps Research Scientists Show Prions Mutate and Adapt to Host Environment

17/12/2010 05:18:00

Findings Point to Normal Prion Protein as Most Effective Therapeutic Target for "Mad Cow" and Related Diseases

JUPITER, FL – Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shown that prions, bits of infectious protein that can cause fatal neurodegenerative disease such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or "mad cow disease," have the ability to adapt to survive in a new host environment.

In this regard, although they lack DNA and RNA, they behave much like viruses, producing distinct self-perpetuating structural mutations that provide a clear evolutionary advantage.

The study was published this week in the online Early Edition the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"We found that when a particular prion strain is transferred from brain cells to a different cell line, its properties gradually change, giving rise to a variant strain that is better adapted to this new cellular environment," said Charles Weissmann, M.D., Ph.D., the head of Scripps Florida's Department of Infectology, who led the study. "If those same prions are subsequently transferred to another cell line, they change again, adapting to these new host cells. And if returned to the brain, the prions gradually regain their original properties. We found physical evidence that, at least in one case, the fold of the prion changed when its properties changed."

Darwinian Evolution Without DNA

These new findings come approximately one year after Weissmann and colleagues published a study in the January 1, 2010 edition of the journal Science that showed that prions were capable of Darwinian evolution.

That earlier study also showed that prions can develop large numbers of mutations and that these mutations can bring about such evolutionary adaptations as drug resistance, a phenomenon previously known to occur only in bacteria and viruses. This study also suggested that the normal prion protein – which occurs naturally in mammalian cells – may prove to be a more effective therapeutic target than its abnormal toxic relation.

"Because prions can adapt to changing environments, it now becomes clear that it will be more difficult than originally thought to find drugs that will work against them," Weissmann said. "But if you could develop a drug that inhibits formation of the normal prion protein, you could, in essence, starve the infectious prions and prevent them from reproducing. This approach to treatment, although technically demanding, can be envisaged because, as we have shown earlier, deprivation of PrP is not detrimental to health – at least to the health of mice."

Folding and Misfolding

Prions, which are composed solely of protein, are classified by distinct strains, characterized by their incubation time and the disease they cause. In addition to BSE/mad cow disease in cattle, diseases caused by prions include scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease in deer, and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. Prions have the ability to reproduce, despite the fact that they contain no nucleic acid genome.

Mammalian cells normally produce cellular prion protein or PrPC. During infection, abnormal or misfolded protein – known as PrPSc – converts the normal host prion protein into its toxic form by changing its conformation or shape. The end-stage consists of large sheets (polymers) of these misfolded proteins, which causes massive tissue and cell damage.

"The infectious prion protein can fold in different ways, and depending on the fold, a different prion strain results," Weissmann said. "As long as prions are maintained in the same host, they retain their characteristic fold, so that strains breed true."

When prions multiply, however, that fold is not always reproduced correctly, so a prion population contains many variants, albeit at low levels.

The new study found that when a prion population is transferred to a different host, one of the variants may replicate faster – an evolutionary advantage – and become the dominant strain. This new population also contains variants, one of which may be selected over others when transferred to a different host.

"The result is that prions, although devoid of genetic material, behave similarly to viruses and other pathogens, in that they can mutate and undergo evolutionary selection," Weissmann said. "They do it by changing their fold, while viruses incur changes in their nucleic acid sequence."

Diverse Yet Related

The new study suggests that prion populations constitute a "quasi-species" similar in nature to RNA viruses and retroviruses, such as flu viruses and HIV.

The idea of a quasi-species was first conceived by Manfred Eigen, a German biophysicist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1967. Basically, a quasi-species is a complex, self-perpetuating population of diverse and related entities that act as a whole. It was Weissmann, however, who in 1978 provided the first confirmation of the theory through the study of a particular bacteriophage – a virus that infects bacteria – while he was director of the Institut für Molekularbiologie in Zürich, Switzerland.

But that's where the comparison ends, Weissmann said.

"The fact that they behave like viruses doesn't mean they're anything like a virus," he said. "A bicycle is like a car in that it gets you from one place to the other, but they're not the same. The end effect is the same, however. Prions and viruses are both able to change their structure to survive."

The first author of the study, "Transfer of a Prion Strain to Different Hosts Leads to Emergence of Strain Variants," is Sukhvir P. Mahal of Scripps Research. Other authors include Shawn Browning, Jiali Li, and Irena Suponitsky-Kroyter, also of Scripps Research. For more information, see http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/12/13/1013014108.abstract .

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Alafi Family Foundation.

About The Scripps Research Institute

The Scripps Research Institute is one of the world's largest independent, non-profit biomedical research organizations, at the forefront of basic biomedical science that seeks to comprehend the most fundamental processes of life. Scripps Research is internationally recognized for its discoveries in immunology, molecular and cellular biology, chemistry, neurosciences, autoimmune, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases, and synthetic vaccine development. Established in its current configuration in 1961, it employs approximately 3,000 scientists, postdoctoral fellows, scientific and other technicians, doctoral degree graduate students, and administrative and technical support personnel. Scripps Research is headquartered in La Jolla, California. It also includes Scripps Florida, whose researchers focus on basic biomedical science, drug discovery, and technology development. Scripps Florida is located in Jupiter, Florida. For more information, see www.scripps.edu .






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Mika Ono
10550 North Torrey Pines Road
La Jolla, California 92037
Tel: 858-784-2052
Fax: 858.784.8136
mikaono@scripps.edu

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

First Case of Death from Human Mad-Cow Disease Reported in Tiawan

A Taiwanese man, who spent eight years in the United Kingdom before returning home, died earlier this year from what appeared to be mad-cow disease, the Centers for Disease Control reports.


Full Article; http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201012080028

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Rapid Test for Mad-Cow Disease Coming Soon

No doubt in my mind, this is NOT good news for the USDA and the "Meat-Growers" of the world. Once this test is in production, the REAL gravity and prevalence of the matter will become known;

http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/rethinking-healthcare/coming-soon-a-rapid-test-for-mad-cow-disease/2291/

"Meat-Growers" Ask: Wheres the Beef in S. Korea's Free Trade Agreement

Apparently, the issue of American Beef Imports to S. Korea was left out of the Free Trade Agreement; http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-korea-free-trade-deal-beef/story?id=12313952

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

New Prion Discovery Reveals Drug-Target for Mad Cow Disease & Related Illnesses

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101201102601.htm

Counsil Conclusions on TSE / USA the Worst

The U.S. has lower sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards (SPS) for imports than many other countries, especially those concerning bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). These low standards have made the U.S. a dumping ground for beef from the countries that have experienced BSE problems.

Full article; http://transmissiblespongiformencephalopathy.blogspot.com/2010/11/council-conclusions-on-tse-road-map-2.html

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Physician Finds Relationship Between Contaminated Food & Alzheimers

http://atomic5.com/physician-lawrence-broxmeyer-finds-relationship-between-contaminated-food-and-alzheimers

French Court Sets Date in Hormone Scandal Trial

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i1KJuxgf-oHWP5r6zR-wDt29RTdw?docId=CNG.fec6f3aa9abd3e72e578e9dd700205c7.c71

Gov't Worries Carcass Disposal May Contaminate Ground, Water

Fenstermacher said some people are objecting to the offensive smells coming from the Dead Animal Removal (DAR) composting area located in the vicinity of Cambridge Road. A spokesperson from DAR said they use a composting process which eats up the animal in a short time. He said about a year-and-a-half ago the government became concerned that the process used by many places to dispose of dead farm animals might permit the spread of mad cow disease, so places like Valley Protein could no longer take dead farm animals, and that this was why they started their service to farmers.
DAR is working on the issue by putting in a new solar digester which will reduce the odor. DAR is a service to the public approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and licensed by the Department of Environmental Protection.

A resident living near the composting operation said that it is not a pleasant smell, but is bearable, and added that it occurs one day a week or a few days during the summer.

Fenstermacher said that the Township talked to the Amish neighbors, who like the service because it is free. Twenty to 30 animals are composted weekly. There is no limit on the permit.



http://www.tricountyrecord.com/articles/2010/11/23/news/doc4cec3cfa74dbc102383658.txt?viewmode=default

USDA Sues Dead Beat Meat Co.

Eastern Livestock Co. , reported to be one of the nations largest beef suppliers, dosent pay its bils.Owes cattlemen big time;

http://newsandtribune.com/local/x1455936765/USDA-takes-official-action-against-Eastern-Livestock

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Mad Cow Prions Thrive in Dirt (Even After Freeze)

And it is important to remember, these silly little malformed prions DONT cook out with heat;

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/46231/

NO meat is safe!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS - USA (40): (MICHIGAN) EQUINE

*********************************************************
A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: Mon 8 Nov 2010
Source: Kalamazoo Gazette [edited]



Equine encephalitis toll reaches 133 in south west Michigan
-----------------------------------------------------------
The state has reported a final tally for one of the worst outbreaks of
eastern equine encephalitis in 30 years -- by veterinarians' counts 133
horses were stricken, with all but 4 killed by the mosquitoborne disease,
most in south west Michigan.

At 55 confirmed EEE cases, 2010 is tied with 1981 for having the 2nd
highest number on record, said Michigan Department of Agriculture State
Veterinarian Steven Halstead. In 1980, there were 93 confirmed cases. How
many unconfirmed cases occurred in those years is unclear, Halstead said.

Why the discrepancy between 133 dead horses this summer [2010] and the
official tally of only 55? It's not that the additional 78 cases are in
question, Halstead said. It's that laboratory testing to confirm the EEE
diagnosis was not conducted in the majority of the deaths.

Veterinarians, required to report diseases such as EEE, may base their
diagnoses on clinical signs alone -- neurological impairment and, usually,
death in the case of EEE. But for the diagnosis to be confirmed, brain
tissue samples must be submitted for laboratory testing.

It's up to the horse owner to pay for the test, which can cost as much as
USD 200. There's no requirement that it be done, but without testing, that
horse's death will not be counted among the "confirmed" cases.

That galls veterinarian Jim Connell of Town and Country Veterinary Hospital
in Allegan, who said an artificially low tally misrepresents the level of
threat and may have contributed to complacency among horse owners.

An effective vaccine is available, but Connell said many horse owners have
cut back on the vaccinations available to protect their horses from
diseases such as EEE, rabies, and West Nile virus because money is tight.
"At some level it was spend money on the horse or spend money for
groceries," he said, and many horse owners took the chance that their horse
would not be exposed.

This year [2010], a huge population of mosquitoes combined with a growing
number of unprotected horses contributed to the rapid spread of the disease.

Connell said, for the sake of solid statistics and a more accurate picture
of the level of risk, he would like to see some government health agencies
share the cost of testing. "We're dealing with a federal and state mandate
to report this disease, while putting the onus of payment (for
confirmation) onto the owner --who is in this spot because he couldn't
afford to vaccinate in the 1st place," the Allegan veterinarian said.

When the 1st reports of horses stricken by EEE began emerging in Barry
County, state agriculture officials and private veterinarians began ramping
up efforts to get the word out. "We provided updates on the outbreak to the
Michigan Veterinary Medical Association, the Michigan Equine Partnership,
Michigan State University [MSU] College of Veterinary Medicine, and MSU
Extension," Halstead said. Local health departments were informed weekly
and Michigan's Emerging Diseases website was updated weekly.

Yet, "in the horse community, on the horse grapevine, this should have been
the topic of conversation and in the heat of this thing -- it wasn't,"
Connell said. "For the life of me, I don't understand why. I'm very
frustrated that the horse community didn't seem to take this seriously."

It's all hindsight now. Cold weather has killed the mosquitoes that carry
the virus, so no new cases are expected. In the end, Barry County was
hardest hit, with 43 cases either reported by veterinarians or confirmed by
the state. Most other cases were also from south west Michigan counties,
though sick horses were discovered in Eaton, Livingston, Jackson, and
Oakland counties as well. 6 horses died without a county of residence recorded.

Health officials say 3 people in Michigan were stricken with EEE this year
[2010] as well. "The take home message," Connell said, "is for God's sake,
vaccinate your horse next year -- work with your vet to make it happen."

[byline: Rosemary Parker]

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail


[Dr Connell is right -- vaccinate! Make it happen. This is a preventable
tragedy for every owner, for the veterinarians, for the equine victim.

While the disease has waned for now, it will be back next year. - Mod.TG

The state of Michigan in the Great Lakes Region of the US can be located on
the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at .
The counties mentioned can be seen on the map at
. - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]

[see also:
Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (39): (NJ) 20101027.3903
Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (38): (FL) equine, correction 20101022.3826
Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (37): (IN) equine 20101021.3816
Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (36): (NE) equine, not 20101015.3737
Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (35): (FL) equine 20101015.3736
Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (34): (OH,NY) equine 20101012.3698
Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (33): (MI) human, equine 20101003.3587
Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (32): (OH) equine 20101002.3575
Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (31): (NY) equine, human 20100926.3494
Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (30): (AL, NE, OH) equine 20100918.3375
Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (20): (FL), fatal 20100818.2871
Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (10): (MA, MI) 20100728.2529
Eastern equine encephalitis - USA: (FL) 20100527.1755]

.................sb/tg/mj/sh



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Friday, November 5, 2010

PRION DISEASE UPDATE 2010 (10)

*****************************
A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


[With the continuing decline of the number of cases in the human
population of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease -- abbreviated
previously as vCJD or CJD (new var.) in ProMED-mail -- it has been
decided to broaden the scope of the occasional ProMED-mail updates to
include other prion-related diseases. In addition to vCJD, data on
other forms of CJD: sporadic, iatrogenic, familial, and GSS
(Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease) are included also since they
may have some relevance to the incidence and etiology of vCJD. - Mod.CP]

In this update:
[1] UK: National CJD Surveillance Unit - monthly statistics as of Mon
1 Nov 2010 - no new vCJD cases
[2] France: Institut de Veille Sanitaire - monthly statistics as of
Fri 29 Oct 2010 - no new vCJD cases
[3] USA: National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center - data
not updated since 31 Jul 2010, no indigenous vCJD
[4] Prion disease susceptibility

******
[1] UK: National CJD Surveillance Unit - monthly statistics as of Mon
1 Nov 2010 - no new vCJD cases
Date: Mon 1 Nov 2010
Source: UK National CJD Surveillance Unit, monthly statistics [edited]



The number of deaths due to definite or probable vCJD cases remains
170. A total of 4 definite/probable patients are still alive so the
total number of definite or probable vCJD cases remains 174.

Although 3 new deaths due to vCJD were recorded in 2009 and now 3
deaths in 2010 so far, the overall picture is still consistent with
the view that the vCJD outbreak in the UK is in decline, albeit now
with a pronounced tail. The 1st cases were observed in 1995, and the
peak number of deaths was 28 in the year 2000, followed by 20 in
2001, 17 in 2002, 18 in 2003, 9 in 2004, 5 in 2005, 5 in 2006, 5 in
2007, one in 2008, 3 in 2009, and now 3 so far in 2010.

Totals for all types of CJD cases in the UK so far in the year 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------
During the 1st 10 months of 2010, there have been 126 referrals, 54
fatal cases of sporadic CJD, 3 fatal cases of vCJD, 2 cases of
iatrogenic CJD, 2 cases of familial CJD, and one case of GSS.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail


******
[2] France: Institut de Veille Sanitaire - monthly statistics as of
Fri 29 Oct 2010 - no new vCJD cases
Date: Fri 5 Nov 2010
Source: IVS - Maladie de Creutzfeldt-Jakob et maladies apparentees
[in French, trans. & summ. Mod.CP, edited]



During the 1st 10 months of 2010, there were 1332 referrals, 75
confirmed cases of sporadic CJD, 4 cases of familial CJD, and no
cases of iatrogenic CJD or vCJD.

A total of 25 cases of confirmed or probable vCJD have been recorded
in France since records began in 1992. There was 1 case in 1996, 1 in
2000, 1 in 2001, 3 in 2002, 2 in 2004, 6 in 2005, 6 in 2006, 3 in
2007, 2 in 2009, and none so far in 2010.

The 25 confirmed cases comprise 13 females and 12 males. All 25 are
now deceased. Their median age is 37 (between 19 and 58). 7 were
resident in the Ile-de-France and 18 in the provinces. All the
identified cases have been Met-Met homozygotes. No risk factor has
been identified. One of the 25 had made frequent visits to the United
Kingdom, during about 10 years from 1987.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail


******
[3] USA: National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center - data
not updated since 31 Jul 2010, no indigenous vCJD
Date: Fri 5 Nov 2010
Source: US National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center [edited]



No update since 31 Jul 2010.

During the 7 month period 1 Jan 2010 to 31 Jul 2010, there were 204
referrals, 124 of whom were classified as prion disease, comprising
85 cases of sporadic CJD, 20 of familial CJD, and no cases of
iatrogenic CJD or vCJD.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail


******
[4] Prion disease susceptibility
Date: Mon 1 Nov 2010
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA
(PNAS) [edited]



Ref: MQ Khan, B Sweeting, VK Mulligan, et al: Prion disease
susceptibility is affected by beta-structure folding propensity and
local side-chain interactions in PrP. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2010
(Epub ahead of print); doi:10.1073/pnas.1005267107
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract
--------
Prion diseases occur when the normally alpha-helical prion protein
(PrP) converts to a pathological beta-structured state with prion
infectivity (PrPSc). Exposure to PrPSc from other mammals can
catalyze this conversion. Evidence from experimental and accidental
transmission of prions suggests that mammals vary in their prion
disease susceptibility: hamsters and mice show relatively high
susceptibility, whereas rabbits, horses, and dogs show low susceptibility.

Using a novel approach to quantify conformational states of PrP by
circular dichroism (CD), we find that prion susceptibility tracks
with the intrinsic propensity of mammalian PrP to convert from the
native, alpha-helical state to a cytotoxic beta-structured state,
which exists in a monomer-octamer equilibrium. It has been
controversial whether beta-structured monomers exist at acidic pH;
sedimentation equilibrium and dual-wavelength CD evidence is
presented for an equilibrium between a beta-structured monomer and
octamer in some acidic pH conditions.

Our X-ray crystallographic structure of rabbit PrP has identified a
key helix-capping motif implicated in the low prion disease
susceptibility of rabbits. Removal of this capping motif increases
the beta-structure folding propensity of rabbit PrP to match that of
PrP from mouse, a species more susceptible to prion disease.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail


[This research provides a physical explanation of how changes in the
structure of the prion protein can affect the prion disease
susceptibility of different mammals. - Mod.CP]

[see also:
Prion disease update 2010 (09) 20101006.3622
Prion disease update 2010 (08) 20100911.3285
Prion disease update 2010 (07) 20100809.2720
Prion disease update 2010 (06) 20100706.2248
Prion disease update 2010 (05) 20100507.1488
Prion disease update 2010 (04) 20100405.1091
Prion disease update 2010 (03) 20100304.0709
Prion disease update 2010 (02) 20100205.0386
Prion disease update 2010 20100107.0076]
...................................cp/mj/mpp

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ProMED-mail makes every effort to verify the reports that
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thereon, are not guaranteed. The reader assumes all risks in
using information posted or archived by ProMED-mail. ISID
and its associated service providers shall not be held
responsible for errors or omissions or held liable for any
damages incurred as a result of use or reliance upon posted
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Monday, November 1, 2010

Big-Horn Die Off Attributed to Domestic Sheep

http://www.cast-science.org/websiteUploads/publicationPDFs/Sheep%20Pasteurellosis%20Commentary156.pdf

USDA LIES about Brucellisos Tranmission: Blames Buffalo for Infecting Cows

Everyone who knows anything about disease transmission between wild and domestic animals knows it is the DOMESTICS that endanger the wild ones.

USDA is using this PHONEY report to kill off thousands of buffalo;
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_dis_spec/cattle/downloads/cattle-bison.pdf

When the better course of action would be to get the damn welfare ranchers privately owned cows off of our public lands. Not only would it greatly help to stop the spread of this dreaded disease, but would SAVE our Nation nearly a billion dollars a year (cost to public to maintain the Public Grazing Program)

BRUCELLOSIS, BOVINE - USA: (WYOMING)

************************************
A ProMED-mail post (My annotations in red)

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: Wed 27 Oct 2010
Source: trib.com [edited]

According to the state veterinarian 3 cows from a northwest Wyoming
cattle herd have initially tested positive for brucellosis.

Dr Jim Logan said in a media release this morning [27 Oct 2010] his
agency was notified by the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory that
blood from the 3 cows reacted to tests for brucellosis. The cows are
from a single herd in Park County.

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that can cause cattle, elk, and
bison to abort their calves.

Scientists believe the area around Yellowstone National Park in
northwest Wyoming contains the last remaining reservoirs of the
disease. The disease can be transmitted from wildlife to cattle.

(I believe it is the other way around, see wiki; Brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone area:

"Wild bison and elk in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) are the last remaining reservoir of Brucella abortus in the U.S. The recent transmission of brucellosis from cattle to elk in Idaho and Wyoming illustrates how brucellosis in domestic cattle around the GYA may negatively affect wildlife. Eliminating brucellosis from this area is a challenge, because these animals are on public land and there are many viewpoints involved in the management of these animals."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brucellosis


Logan said reactors on blood tests do not absolutely prove that
cattle are infected with brucellosis. However, Logan said the
reactors were very strong indicators that the likelihood of infection is high.

Tissue and blood samples were collected from the 3 cows and submitted
to the state lab for a full diagnostic evaluation. Tests results may
take up to 2 weeks to complete.

The presence of the disease within the herd -- if confirmed through
further testing -- could result in additional testing requirements
and strict adherence to quarantine procedures to keep Wyoming from
losing its federal brucellosis-free status.

[Byline: Jeff Gearino]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail


[This area around Cody, Wyoming is adjacent to Yellowstone National
Park, where spillover from infected bison and elk herds has been a
major road block in the effort to eradicate brucellosis from the
national cattle herd. The area can be seen on the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at .

See

for a nice overview of the problem by USDA APHIS (Animal Plant Health
Inspection Service). - Mod.PC]

[see also:
Brucellosis, cervid - USA (05): Yellowstone 20100427.1352
Brucellosis, cervid - USA (04): Yellowstone 20100425.1340
Brucellosis, cervid - USA (03): (Gtr. Yellowstone Ecosystem 20100401.1048
Brucellosis, cervid - USA: (WY) corr. 20100212.0501
Brucellosis, cervid - USA: (WY) 20100211.0480
2009
----
Brucellosis, bovine - USA: (ID) 20091215.4249
Brucellosis, cervids - USA (02): (WY) 20090220.0718
Brucellosis, cervids - USA: (MT) 20090117.0196
2008
----
Brucellosis, bovine - USA (08): (MT), loss of status 20080905.2770
Brucellosis, bovine - USA (07): (WY) 20080807.2427
Brucellosis, bovine - USA (06): (WY) ex elk 20080727.2288
Brucellosis, bovine - USA (03): (WY) 20080619.1907]
...................................pc/mj/mpp

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Sunday, October 31, 2010

CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE, CERVID - USA (11): (WYOMING)

***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: 25 Oct 2010
Source: Wyoming Game and Fish Department [edited]



Two deer harvested on 15 Oct 2010 in deer hunt areas 47 and 51 in the
Bighorn Basin have tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD),
a brain disease known to affect some deer, elk and moose. One deer, a
mule deer buck, was harvested in area 47 in the Durphy Gulch area.
The other CWD positive, a white-tailed doe, was harvested in area 51
near the Horse Creek/Shell Valley Road.

Personnel at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department(WGFD) Laboratory
analyzed samples taken as part of the department's annual CWD survey
and discovered positive results for the 2 deer.

WGFD wildlife disease specialist Hank Edwards said the discovery of
CWD in those areas was not unexpected since there have been positive
tests in animals in surrounding areas 122, 125, 41, 46, 27 and 23.

After a review of available scientific data, the World Health
Organization in December 1999 stated: "There is currently no evidence
that CWD in cervidae (deer and elk) is transmitted to humans." In
2004, Dr. Ermias Belay of the Center for Disease Control said: "The
lack of evidence of a link between CWD transmission and unusual cases
of CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a human prion disease) despite
several epidemiological investigations suggests that the risk, if
any, of transmission of CWD to humans is low." Nonetheless, to avoid
risk, both organizations say parts or products from any animal that
looks sick and/or tests positive for CWD should not be eaten.

For more information on chronic wasting disease, visit the Chronic
Wasting Disease Alliance website at .

--
Communicated by:
Terry S. Singeltary Sr.

[It is the fall season when hunting of cervids occurs. As hunter
surveillance programs are underway and tests are being conducted, it
is likely that there will be many more such reports from various
places across North America coming out soon.

Wyoming is a state known to have CWD, so this occurrence does not
seem surprising, nor does it seem to have moved into zones in the
state where it has not previously been detected. - Mod.TG]

[see also:
Chronic wasting disease, cervid - USA (10): (WY)20101022.3822
Chronic wasting disease, cervids - USA (09): (SD) 20100521.1687
Chronic wasting disease, cervids - Canada (02): (SK) susp. 20100518.1629
Chronic wasting disease, cervids - USA (08): (ND) 1st rep. 20100323.0924
Chronic wasting disease, cervids - Canada: (AB) 20100320.0888
Chronic wasting disease, cervid - USA (07): (KS) 20100313.0814
Chronic wasting disease, cervid - USA (06): (UT) 1st elk 20100313.0810
Chronic wasting disease, cervid - USA (06): (KS) 20100312.0801
Chronic wasting disease, cervid - USA (05): (KS) 20100311.0790
Chronic wasting disease, cervid - USA (04): (KS) 20100306.0741
Chronic wasting disease, cervid - USA (03): (MO) 1st rep. 20100303.0697
Chronic wasting disease, cervid - USA (02): (VA) 20100124.0261
Chronic wasting disease, cervid - USA: (WV) 2009 20100120.0224]
............................................tg/msp/dk

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Monday, October 4, 2010

Temple (of Blood) Grandin Lecture

Greetings,


Fresh off an award-winning movie about her amazing life story, famed animal behaviorist Dr. Temple Grandin joins us on Open Mic to talk about animal welfare conditions in U.S. agriculture. Recently named one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time Magazine, Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, says she wants to reform livestock and poultry handling and behavior practices on farms and ranches and in processing plants. She provides examples of industry players who are doing what she describes as the “right things” by animals and puts a percentage on the numbers that are not. The author of over 400 published articles within the field of animal sciences weighs in on The Humane Society of the United States' undercover investigations and makes a clear distinction between animal welfare and animal rights. The interview runs about 13 minutes and can be found at http://www.agri-pulse.com/
http://www.agri-pulse.com/>







Sara R. Wyant

Editor

Agri-Pulse

630-247-7142 (cell)

573-873-0802 (Camdenton, MO. office)

202-547-5588 (Washington, DC office)

www.Agri-Pulse.com

Monday, September 27, 2010

EEE / NY / Equine Infection / Human Death

EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS - USA (31): (NEW YORK), EQUINE, HUMAN


***********************************************

A ProMED-mail post



ProMED-mail is a program of the

International Society for Infectious Diseases





Date: 24 Sep 2010

Source: Syracuse.com [edited]







Two more horses in Onondaga County have tested positive for eastern

equine encephalitis, the county Health Department announced Friday

[24 Sep 2010] afternoon.



The horses, which were kept on Lamson Road in Lysander, became ill

and died on 17 Sep 2010, officials said.



So far, 3 cases of EEE have been confirmed this year [2010] in the

county, officials said. The 1st horse, which was stabled on Oswego

Road in Lysander, was euthanized on 10 Sep 2010.



An Onondaga County resident infected with the virus died earlier this

month [September 2010], the 4th human EEE death in Central New York since 1971.



County health officials Friday [24 Sep 2010] also announced that no

EEE was found among mosquitoes trapped last week and tested this week.



Although EEE cases are rare, the virus is one of the most serious

mosquito-borne diseases. About 1/3rd of people infected with it die.

Most survivors suffer significant brain damage. There is no specific

treatment for EEE, nor is there a human vaccine.



Symptoms can range from a mild flu-like illness to sudden fever,

muscle pains and a headache that's often followed quickly by seizures

and coma. Symptoms can appear within 5-15 days after the bite of an

infected mosquito. EEE is diagnosed through blood or spinal fluid.



Fresh water swamps like the Cicero Swamp are breeding grounds for

EEE-infected mosquitoes. The county conducted aerial spraying of the

swamp earlier this month [September 2010].



Dr. Cynthia Morrow, county health commissioner, urged people to

continue to remain vigilant and to take measures to reduce exposure

to mosquitoes.



She advised residents to use insect repellent, wear long-sleeve

shirts and long pants outdoors, and refrain from outdoor activity

during prime mosquito feeding times at dawn and dusk.



--

Communicated by:

ProMED-mail



[Although this article states that EEE cases are rare, clearly that

is in humans. This year [2010] has seen many equines affected with

this mosquito-borne disease. Mosquitoes transmit the disease to

horses and to people. Horses cannot transmit the disease to other

horses or to humans.



Horses can be given a preventative vaccine, and owners should

consider a spray or wipe-on product manufactured for the horse to

keep flies and mosquitoes off of the animals.



Human beings are encouraged to use mosquito repellant, avoid the

mosquito-prime times of dusk and dawn, to wear long sleeves when out

at these times, and to clean up any location of standing water that

may be a source of mosquito breeding. - Mod.TG]



[It is noteworthy that earlier this month (September 2010), there was

a human fatality from EEE in Onondaga County NY (see prior

ProMED-mail posting Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (27): (NY)

human 20100905.3188), and late last month (August 2010), there was a

report on an equine case of EEE in neighboring Oswego County NY.



For a map of New York State showing counties, see

. - Mod.MPP]



[see also;

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (30): (AL, NE, OH) equine 20100918.3375

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (29): (MI) 20100914.3311

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (28): (MI,FL) 20100907.3202

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (27): (NY) human 20100905.3188

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (26): (MI, FL) equine, human 20100901.3115

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (25): (MA) human 20100830.3089

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (24): (NY, MI) equine, cervid 20100827.3045

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (23): (MI) 20100824.2975

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (22): (VA, MA) 20100820.2911

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (21): (GA) equine 20100819.2893

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (20): (FL), fatal 20100818.2871

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (19): (MI) equine, human susp 20100817.2850

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (18): (MA) equine, human 20100816.2836

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (17): (FL) equine 20100815.2813

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (16): (MI) 20100814.2790

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (15): (FL) sentinel avian 20100810.2728

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (14): (FL), equine, sentinel avian

20100807.2691

Eastern equine encephalitis, equine - USA (13) (FL, MA) 20100806.2675

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (12): (MA) 20100803.2620

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (11): (FL) fatal, human, equine 20100731.2569

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (10): (MA, MI) 20100728.2529

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (09): (FL) fatal 20100723.2469

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (08): (LA) 20100716.2374

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (07): (FL) 20100715.2363

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (06): (FL, GA) 20100710.2312

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (05): (FL) 20100708.2274

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (04): (FL) 20100630.2178

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (03): (FL) 20100627.2146

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA (02): (FL) sentinel avian 20100623.2101

Eastern equine encephalitis - USA: (FL) 20100527.1755]

.........................................sb/tg/msp/mpp



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Saturday, September 25, 2010

Diseased Cattle Graveyard Declared Safe for Development

ANTHRAX, HISTORIC GRAVESITE ­ RUSSIA (MOSCOW)


*********************************************

A ProMED-mail post



ProMED-mail is a program of the

International Society for Infectious Diseases





Date: 25 Sep 2010

Source: Pgorod [edited]







In cattle cemetery built sports complex

---------------------------------------

Specialists VyatGU in Russia have proved that the

territory of the former anthrax cattle cemetery poses no danger to residents.



The green area of 1500 square meters [1794 square

yards] on the streets of Moscow, opposite the

House of press "Vyatka," was ownerless for 80

years. The reason: Formerly it had been a burial

site for diseased animals. Two years ago, experts

at the Vyatka State University decided to

investigate what dangers this land presented.



The scientists took 180 soil samples, which were

then sent to the Saratov Institute "Microbe."

Anthrax spores were not detected and so the chief

sanitary doctor Gennady Onishchenko decided to

reduce the sanitary protection zone about the

cattle cemetery from 1500 to 50 sq. meters [60

square yards]. The scientists have proposed to

preserve the 50 sq. meters, and the remaining

1450 sq. meters to be used for the construction

of socially significant University structures.

The university needs a brand new "Polytechnical" sports complex.



Construction on the remaining cattle cemetery

site includes fencing and monitoring conditions.

The action plan includes, inter alia, the

creation of embankments and asphalt. All this is

intended to strengthen the security guarantees

for the facility, said Julia Ageyeva, the spokesperson for VyatGU.



Work on former cattle cemetery site will begin

immediately after the signing of the tripartite

plan between the Vyatka State University,

Rosselkhoznadzor and Rospotrebnadzor. The draft

for area development is being prepared.



[Byline: Helen Siyanovich]



--

Communicated by:

Sabine Zentis

Castleview Pedigree English Longhorns, Gut Laach

52385 Nideggen, Germany





[Over the past 10 years there have been scattered

reports about this historic cattle grave, but

little of any meaning. It is fortunate that it

appears to be safe for development. - Mod.MHJ]



[see also:

Anthrax, livestock - Russia (Chechnya, Moscow, Penza) 20060223.0587]

....................mhj/ejp/mpp



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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Bovine TB Epidemic in UK Results in Un-Fettered Badger Kills

BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS - UK (03): NEW CONTROL PROGRAM


***********************************************

A ProMED-mail post



ProMED-mail is a program of the

International Society for Infectious Diseases





[1]

Date: Wed 15 Sep 2010

Source: Defra press release [edited]







Proposals for additional measures to help control bovine tuberculosis

in cattle were published for public consultation today [15 Sep 2010]

by Agriculture Minister Jim Paice.



Defra is consulting on a proposal to issue licences to farmers and

landowners who wish to cull and/or vaccinate badgers at their own

expense. These licences would be subject to strict licence criteria

to ensure badger control is done effectively, humanely and with high

regard for animal welfare.



Jim Paice said: "Bovine TB is having a devastating effect on many

farm businesses and families, especially in the West and South West

of England. Last year [2009], 25 000 cattle were slaughtered because

of the disease, and it cost the taxpayer over GBP 63 million [USD

98.4 million] in England alone."



"We can't go on like this. It's clear that the current approach has

failed to stop the spread of this terrible disease. We need to take

urgent action to halt its spread. No single measure will be enough to

tackle the disease on its own. But the science is clear: there is no

doubt that badgers are a significant reservoir for the disease, and

without taking action to control the disease in them, it will

continue to spread. No country in the world has eradicated bovine TB

without dealing with the reservoir in wildlife. That's why I'm today

[15 Sep 2010] launching a consultation on how we can tackle the

disease in badgers. A decision on our approach will be taken

following the consultation. I intend to publish a comprehensive and

balanced bovine TB eradication programme early in 2011."



The consultation proposes issuing licences under the Protection of

Badgers Act 1992 to enable farmers and landowners to cull badgers, at

their own expense. Under the government's new proposal, they will be

able to use vaccination either on its own or in combination with

culling. Licences would be subject to strict criteria to ensure

culling is carried out effectively, humanely and with high regard to

animal welfare. They will also be asked to explain how they intend to

minimise the negative effect in the surrounding area identified by

the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT). Farmers and landowners

are already able to apply for licences to vaccinate badgers.



Culling will only be allowed in areas where there is a high incidence

of bovine TB in cattle.



Jim Paice added: "I have looked carefully at the potential for using

badger vaccination. Based on veterinary advice and the available

scientific evidence, the government's assessment is that vaccination

on its own will not reduce disease as quickly as culling. However, by

using it in combination with culling, it is possible to maximise the

effectiveness of badger control in reducing bovine TB in cattle."



"Cattle measures will remain central to the government's bovine TB

programme, though some changes are planned to ensure that they are

better targeted on the basis of disease risk. Most existing cattle

measures will remain firmly in place; in some cases, controls will be

tightened where we know there is a higher disease risk, and in some

cases, burdens on farmers will be reduced, but only where we are

confident that this will not increase disease risk." Jim Paice

confirmed that pre-movement testing will remain in place following a

review and announced some minor changes to TB testing that will take

effect immediately.



Further details can be found via

.



Notes



1. The consultation closes on 8 Dec 2010 and can be found at

.



2. Badger culling has the potential to reduce bovine TB in cattle by

rapidly reducing the overall number of infected badgers, thus

reducing the rate of transmission of the disease to cattle. The main

body of evidence on the impact badger culling has on incidence of

bovine TB in cattle is the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT),

which took place between 1998 and 2007. The results of this major

government-funded trial demonstrate that badger culling, done on a

sufficient scale, in a widespread, coordinated and efficient way, and

over a sustained period of time, would reduce the incidence of bovine

TB in cattle in high incidence areas. No other country in the world

with a similar reservoir of bovine TB in wildlife has eradicated TB

from cattle without stringent wildlife control measures.



3. The RBCT showed that incidence of TB in cattle on land immediately

surrounding the culling area increased initially. Over the course of

the trial, this negative effect tailed off, and the latest RBCT

analysis shows that the level of TB in cattle in the surrounding area

is comparable with the un-culled survey-only areas. However, measures

can be put in place to mitigate the negative effects seen in the

surrounding area, such as setting a required minimum area over which

culling must take place and making use of barriers such as coastlines

and major rivers, to limit badger movement. Also badgers in the

surrounding area could be vaccinated.



4. Badger control licences would be subject to strict criteria to

ensure that measures are carried out effectively, humanely, and with

high regard to animal welfare. This will include a requirement that

any culling must take place over a minimum area of 150 sq/km so we

can be confident it will have a net beneficial effect. This means

that we would expect to receive licence applications from groups of

farmers and landowners rather than individuals. Applicants will also

need to demonstrate that they have considered taking further steps to

minimise the potential detrimental effect at the edge of a culling

area.



5. Licences will only permit culling by cage-trapping and shooting,

and by shooting free-running badgers, carried out by trained,

competent operators with appropriate firearms licences. Defra ruled

out gassing and snaring on the basis that we do not have sufficient

evidence to demonstrate that they are humane and effective methods of

culling.



6. The government will fund the cost of the licensing operation and

monitor the effects of the policy. We expect the farming industry to

bear the direct costs of badger control.



7. We will continue to look over the next few months at: Changes to

TB terminology; strengthening controls on high risk unconfirmed

breakdowns; extending the use of gamma interferon testing to all

confirmed breakdown herds in the 2-year testing areas; providing

better support for TB restricted farmers by enhancing their options

for selling surplus stock.



8. In 2009/10, controlling bovine TB cost the taxpayer GBP 63 million

[USD 98.4 million] in England. An additional GBP 8.9 million [USD

13.9 million] was spent on research.



--

Communicated by:

Sabine Zentis

Gut Laach

52385 Nideggen, Germany





******

[2]

Date: Wed 15 Sep 010

Source: Written Ministerial Statement [edited]







Bovine Tuberculosis, by the Minister of State for Agriculture and

Food (Jim Paice)

-----------------------------------------------

Bovine TB is having a devastating effect on many farm businesses and

families. The situation is steadily getting worse; the number of

animals slaughtered each year is unacceptable, and more farms are

affected as the disease spreads across the country. The area of

England affected by bovine TB has grown from isolated pockets in the

late 1980s to cover large areas of the West and South West of

England. 6.4 percent of herds in England were under bovine TB

restriction at the end of 2009. The figure was 14.3 percent in the

South West. In 2009, over 25 000 cattle were slaughtered due to TB in

England.



The cost to government of controlling bovine TB in England was over

GBP 63 million [USD 98.4] in 2009/10 (excluding scientific research).

These costs are rising year by year, and there is a strong case for

early effective action to turn this around. Furthermore, this has

been raised as a concern by others across Europe, and we are under

increasing pressure from the European Commission to strengthen our

controls.



Eradicating bovine TB is our long term goal, but it is clear that the

approach to date has failed. We need to take additional measures

urgently to stop the disease spreading and to start to reverse the

rising trend. The farming industry, veterinary profession and

government need to work in partnership to achieve this.



There is no single solution to tackling bovine TB; we need to use

every tool in the toolbox. Cattle measures will remain the foundation

of our bovine TB control programme, but we will not succeed in

eliminating the disease in cattle unless we also tackle the disease

in badgers. The science is clear; there is no doubt that badgers are

a reservoir of the disease and transmit bovine TB to cattle. No other

country in the world with a similar reservoir in wildlife has

eradicated TB from cattle without stringent wildlife control measures.



That is why the Coalition Government has committed, as part of a

package of measures, to develop affordable options for a

carefully-managed and science-led policy of badger control in areas

with high and persistent levels of bovine TB in cattle. I am today

[15 Sep 2010] launching a consultation on the government's proposed

approach to badger control in England.



Badger culling has the potential to reduce bovine TB in cattle by

rapidly reducing the overall number of infected badgers, thus

reducing the rate of transmission of the disease to cattle. The main

body of evidence on the impact badger culling has on incidence of

bovine TB in cattle is the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT)

which took place between 1998 and 2007. The results of this major

government-funded trial demonstrate that badger culling, done on a

sufficient scale, in a widespread, coordinated and efficient way, and

over a sustained period of time, would reduce the incidence of bovine

TB in cattle in high incidence areas. Analysis of the results

covering the whole period from the beginning of culling to July 2010

show that the beneficial effects of culling persist over this time

and that the initial detrimental effect seen at the edge of the

culled area had disappeared by 12-18 months after culling stopped.



The proposal on which I am launching the consultation today [15 Sep

2010] is to issue licences under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992

to enable farmers and landowners to cull badgers, at their own

expense. Under existing arrangements, farmers and landowners are

already able to apply for licences to vaccinate badgers. Under the

government's new proposal, they will be able to use vaccination

either on its own or in combination with culling. The government's

proposal will empower farmers to take control of reducing the risks

of transmission from the wildlife reservoir at the local level.



Licences would be subject to strict criteria to ensure that the

badger control measures are carried out effectively, humanely, and

with high regard to animal welfare. This will include a requirement

that any culling must take place over a minimum area of 150 square km

so we can be confident it will have a net beneficial effect. This

means that we would expect to receive licence applications from

groups of farmers and landowners rather than individuals. Applicants

will also need to demonstrate that they have considered taking

further steps to minimise the potential detrimental effect at the

edge of a culling area. Culling licences will only permit culling by

cage-trapping and shooting, and by shooting free-running badgers,

carried out by trained, competent operators with the appropriate

licences. We have ruled out gassing and snaring on the basis that we

do not currently have sufficient evidence to demonstrate that they

are humane and effective methods of culling.



I have looked carefully at the potential for using badger

vaccination. Based on veterinary advice and the available scientific

evidence my assessment is that vaccination will not be as effective

as culling in quickly lowering the weight of infection in the badger

population. Vaccination does not guarantee that all badgers are fully

protected from infection, and it would take some time to develop

immunity within a local population. In addition, the fact that the

1st injectable badger vaccine was only licensed in March 2010 means

that there is only very limited experience of using vaccination in

the field and no hard evidence on the contribution badger vaccination

would make to reducing the disease in cattle. However, vaccination is

still likely to reduce disease risk and have greater disease control

benefits than taking no action to tackle bovine TB in badgers. In

addition, when used in combination with culling, vaccination could

help to mitigate the perturbation effects of cul!

ling.



The government's highest priority is to reduce the deficit, and it is

vital that any new policy is affordable. This is why we expect the

farming industry to bear the direct costs of badger control.

Government will fund the licensing operation and monitor the impacts

of the policy.



I do not approach these issues lightly. No one wants to kill badgers,

but the scientific evidence and veterinary advice clearly suggests

that this is the quickest and most effective way to bring down the

weight of infection in the badger population and in turn reduce the

rate of transmission of bovine TB to cattle. We also don't want to

see culling for longer than is necessary, and we intend to review how

the policy is working after 4 years.



I have met with the Badger Trust and separately with other interested

stakeholders to explain the evidence and rationale behind the

proposal. All have been offered the opportunity to discuss the

consultation in further detail with Defra.



The consultation is available on Defra's website

()

from today [15 Sep 2010] and will close on 8 Dec 2010. A decision on

this policy will be made early in 2011, taking account of views

provided during this consultation and the available scientific and

economic evidence.



The consultation document also highlights that we are planning a

number of changes to existing cattle measures to ensure that they are

better targeted on the basis of disease risk. Most existing cattle

measures will remain firmly in place; in some cases, we will be

looking to tighten controls where we know there is a higher disease

risk; and in some cases we will be looking to reduce burdens on

farmers, but only where we are confident that this will not increase

disease risk.



I am today [15 Sep 2010] publishing the report of a review of

pre-movement testing which is available on the Defra website

().

This has concluded that the current policy has been successful in

reducing bovine TB spread, provided a significant benefit for the

taxpayer and a net benefit for the farming industry. The pre-movement

testing policy will, therefore, remain in place, though we plan to

look again at the current exemptions to see whether they are still

necessary.



We will be making some minor changes to TB testing with immediate

effect. These include reducing the testing of new and reformed herds,

stopping the testing of young calves, rationalising post-breakdown

testing in low-risk herds where bovine TB is not confirmed and

rationalising the testing of herds neighbouring a confirmed TB

breakdown. These changes will reduce costs to the taxpayer and the

burden on farmers without increasing disease risk, and will ensure we

are not gold-plating EU legal requirements.



Over the next few months, I also intend to make changes to TB

terminology, strengthen controls on high risk unconfirmed breakdowns,

reduce the number of tracing tests and extend the use of gamma

interferon testing to all confirmed breakdown herds in the 2 yearly

testing areas. And I will ensure better support for TB restricted

cattle farmers by enhancing their options for selling surplus stock.

Further details of these changes will be announced in due course.



The Coalition Government is committed to dealing with this terrible

disease and reducing its burden on farmers and the taxpayer as

quickly as possible. A decision on our approach will be taken

following the consultation on badger control being launched today [15

Sep 2010]. I intend to publish a comprehensive and balanced bovine TB

eradication programme early in 2011.



--

Communicated by:

Sabine Zentis

Gut Laach

52385 Nideggen, Germany





******

[3]

Date: Wed 15 Sep 2010

Source: The Telegraph [edited]







Allowing farmers to cull badgers on their land was never going to be

a popular political decision, and it's no surprise that the new

government has made the move at this early stage of parliament: an

election is sufficiently far away that much of the popular disquiet

will have calmed down by then.



The outcry against badger culling is not based on the threat to the

species: there's no shortage of badgers in the United Kingdom. Recent

estimates have put the population at 250 000 adults, with around 172

000 cubs being born each spring. The anger is based instead on an

understandable concern for the individual animals rather than any

conservation-based risk to the species.



The plans have been made after a sharp rise in tuberculosis in

cattle, which is thought to be spread by badgers. But how big a

problem is bovine TB? Historically, the main issue has been the risk

to humans, not to animals. In the 1930's, 2500 people were dying

annually from the disease. Around 9000 people are currently infected

with TB every year in the UK, but most of these cases are now caused

by the human TB bug (_Mycobacterium tuberculosis_). The government

bovine TB control strategy has been highly effective, with less than

one per cent of all confirmed cases of TB in humans now due to

infection with _Mycobacterium bovis_ (Bovine TB). Yet the disease has

proven stubbornly difficult to eradicate completely from the national

herd, and in recent years, the incidence has been increasing.



There's been huge controversy over the role of badgers in the spread

of bovine TB (bTB), with successive studies producing apparently

contradictory results. Yes, badgers are definitely involved in

spreading the disease, but no, killing them does not always improve

the situation. If healthy badgers are killed in a TB-free area,

infected badgers may wander into the newly vacated niche, bringing TB

with them. Badger-lovers argue that this means that any culling of

badgers is not justified. Others reach a different conclusion: if

badger culling is carried out, it just needs to be planned carefully

so that it doesn't make things worse.



Over a year ago, the British Veterinary Association established a new

policy approving of the culling of badgers in specific circumstances,

based on their experts' best assessment of all the evidence

available. The BVA justified its decision with logical bullet points,

paraphrased as follows:



1. The continuing spread of bTB within cattle and wildlife has an

unacceptable impact on animal health and welfare and has the

potential for being a risk to public health.



2. Cost-effective control and eradication of bTB from cattle and

wildlife populations must be the ultimate aim. Further action must be

taken immediately to reverse the increasing prevalence of TB in

cattle.



3. Control measures in cattle must be accompanied by simultaneous and

coordinated measures in badgers and other wildlife and susceptible

farmed species.



4. In certain circumstances, targeted and managed badger culling is

necessary in carefully selected areas where badgers are regarded as a

significant contributor to the persistent presence of bTB. The

methods employed by this control must be humane.



The danger of today's headlines ("Farmers to get all clear to cull

badgers") is that an uncontrolled anti-badger pogrom may be

unleashed. Healthy badgers may be killed in areas without TB, leading

to the inwards migration of TB-carrying badgers from neighbouring

areas.



If the unsavoury task of killing badgers has to be done, it must only

be done in a calculated, careful way with close veterinary

supervision. And the results must be monitored, so that if, after

all, it is not effective, it must be stopped.



In the meantime, efforts need to continue to produce an effective

oral vaccine for badgers; once this is available, old Brock can

finally be left to live in peace.



[Byline: Pete Wedderburn]



--

Communicated by:

ProMED-mail



[Subscribers are referred to the 8 Apr 2009 Final Report of the

Bovine TB Advisory Group, presented to UK's Minister for Farming and

the Environment, and the chief veterinary officer for Defra,

available at

.



The conclusions (page 4) included the following point 8, with which

we fully concurred (see archived 20090707.2443):



"Given the current rate of spread of TB, we are concerned there may

be over-reliance on a future vaccination programme (cattle and

badgers); this should not negate the urgent need for measures to

tackle the problem now." - Mod.AS]



[see also:

Bovine tuberculosis - UK: (England), wild boar 20100522.1703

Bovine tuberculosis - UK: (England) sheep 20100319.0879

2009

----

Bovine tuberculosis, human - UK: (England) 20090808.2815

Bovine tuberculosis - UK (05): (England) alpaca 20090730.2667

Bovine tuberculosis - UK (04): badger vaccination 20090707.2443

Bovine tuberculosis - UK (03): increased incidence 20090514.1809

Bovine tuberculosis - UK, New Zealand: vaccination 20090325.1160

Bovine tuberculosis - UK (02): (Wales) 20090323.1143

Tuberculosis, bovine - UK: (02) 20090320.1121

Tuberculosis, bovine - UK: (Wales) 20090107.0066

2008

----

Bovine tuberculosis, feline - UK (02) 20081126.3722

Bovine tuberculosis - UK: increased incidence 20081123.3696

Bovine tuberculosis, domestic animals - UK (03): 2005-2006 20081114.3594

Bovine tuberculosis, domestic animals - UK (02) 20081112.3565

Bovine tuberculosis, domestic animals - UK 20081111.3551

Bovine tuberculosis, feline - UK 20081005.3141

Bovine tuberculosis, human, canine - UK: (England) (02) 20080927.3054

Bovine tuberculosis, human, canine - UK: (England) 20080903.2751

Bovine tuberculosis, caprine - UK: (Wales) 20080723.2229

Bovine tuberculosis - UK, Ireland, Netherlands ex UK 20080718.2186

2006

----

Bovine tuberculosis, human - UK (England) (02) 20061015.2967

Bovine tuberculosis, human - UK (England) 20061009.2896

2004

----

Bovine tuberculosis, human - UK (Gloucestershire) (02) 20040716.1930

Bovine tuberculosis, human - UK (Gloucestershire) 20040714.1890]

................................................arn/msp/lm



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ProMED-mail makes every effort to verify the reports that

are posted, but the accuracy and completeness of the

information, and of any statements or opinions based

thereon, are not guaranteed. The reader assumes all risks in

using information posted or archived by ProMED-mail. ISID

and its associated service providers shall not be held

responsible for errors or omissions or held liable for any

damages incurred as a result of use or reliance upon posted

or archived material.

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************************************************************

Visit ProMED-mail's web site at .

Send all items for posting to: promed@promedmail.org (NOT to

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Russia Dumps 200 Tonnes of Anthrax Tainted Horsemeat

ANTHRAX, HUMAN, EQUINE - RUSSIA (02): (OMSK) DUMPLINGS DUMPED


*************************************************************

A ProMED-mail post



ProMED-mail is a program of the

International Society for Infectious Diseases





Date: 14 Sep 2010

Source: Itar-Tass [edited]

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=15489745&PageNum=0



Some 200 tons of convenience foods to be disposed over anthrax threat

---------------------------------------------------------------------

About 200 tons of convenience foods that might contain anthrax

bacillus will be disposed of in Russia's cities of Omsk,

Khanty-Mansiisk, Tver, Surgut, and others.



Chief sanitarian doctor for Russia's Omsk region Alexander Kriga on

Monday [13 Sep 2010] ordered [the disposal] of more than 195 tons of

meat-stuffed convenience foods produced in the period from 13 Jul

through 6 Aug 2010 by the Darina company and 2 more private

enterprises. The companies used horse meat bought from the Aitenov

farm, where anthrax cases were reported among horses. Moreover, 6

farm workers were reported to catch the disease, and one of them died.



According to Kriga, subject to disposal will also [cover] prepared

foods made from meats other than horse meat but manufactured within

the same time span and with the use of the same equipment.

"Practically all our resolutions are challenged at courts but the

claimants lose every one of them," he noted.



--

Communicated by:

ProMED-mail





[Back in late July/early August 2010 some 127 people were under

observation and preventive prophylaxis, and 6 were hospitalized with

one death. Then the Russian press mentioned some 2.5 metric tons of

horse meat had been identified as possibly contaminated. Products

manufactured between 13 Jul and 28 Jul 2010 were then identified for

destruction. Plus 14.3 tons had been shipped to Nizhnevartovsk

[Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region], about 11 tons to Tver and

Khanty-Mansiysk, and 500 pounds to Moscow. Patently the problem is

much larger than originally considered. - Mod.MHJ]



[The interactive HealthMap/ProMED map for Russia is available at:

- CopyEd.EJP]



[see also:

Anthrax, human, equine - Russia: (OM) dumplings 20100805.2644

2009

----

Anthrax, human, equine - Russia: (Bashkortostan) 20090113.0141

2008

----

Anthrax, human, equine - Russia (03): (Bashkortostan) 20081123.3699

Anthrax, human, equine - Russia (02): (Bashkortostan) 20080907.2789

Anthrax, human, equine - Russia: (RB) 20080830.2720]

....................sb/mhj/ejp/lm



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************************************************************

ProMED-mail makes every effort to verify the reports that

are posted, but the accuracy and completeness of the

information, and of any statements or opinions based

thereon, are not guaranteed. The reader assumes all risks in

using information posted or archived by ProMED-mail. ISID

and its associated service providers shall not be held

responsible for errors or omissions or held liable for any

damages incurred as a result of use or reliance upon posted

or archived material.

************************************************************

Donate to ProMED-mail. Details available at:



************************************************************

Visit ProMED-mail's web site at .

Send all items for posting to: promed@promedmail.org (NOT to

an individual moderator). If you do not give your full name

name and affiliation, it may not be posted. You may unsub-

scribe at .

For assistance from a human being, send mail to:

.

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