| 51. |
- Berg, Lotta, et al.
(författare)
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Patologins viktiga bidrag till djurskyddet
- 2022
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Ingår i: Svensk Veterinärtidning. - 0346-2250. ; 74, s. 18-20
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Patologin kan spela en avgörande roll i samband med djurskyddsärenden. Här berättar Lotta Berg och Elina Åsbjer, som även ingår i Sveriges Veterinärförbunds djurskyddsutskott, om olika aspekter av forensisk veterinärmedicin
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| 52. |
- Berg, Lotta, et al.
(författare)
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Scientific Opinion on African swine fever
- 2014
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Ingår i: EFSA Journal. - : Wiley. - 1831-4732. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The risk for endemicity of ASF in the eastern neighbouring countries of the EU and spread of ASFV to unaffected areas was updated until 31/01/2014. The assessment was based on a literature review and expert knowledge elicitation. The risk that ASF is endemic in Georgia, Armenia and the Russian Federation has increased from moderate to high, particularly due to challenges in outbreak control in the backyard production sector. The risk that ASFV will spread further into unaffected areas from these countries, mainly through movement of contaminated pork, infected pigs or contaminated vehicles, has remained high. In Ukraine and Belarus, the risk for ASF endemicity was considered moderate. Although only few outbreaks have been reported, which have been stamped out, only limited activities are ongoing to facilitate early detection of secondary spread. Further, there is a continuous risk of ASFV re-introduction from the Russian Federation, due to transboundary movements of people, pork or infected wild boar. The number of backyard farms is greatest in the west of Ukraine and westwards spread of ASFV could result in an infected area near the EU border, difficult to control. In Georgia, Armenia and the Russian Federation, the risk for endemicity of ASF in the wild boar population is considered moderate, mainly due to spill-over from the domestic pig population, whereas in Ukraine and Belarus this was considered to be low. In those areas in the Russian Federation where wild boar density is high, this risk may be higher. Intensive hunting pressure in affected wild boar populations may increase the risk for spread, possibly with severe implications across international borders. The risk for different matrices to be infected/contaminated and maintain infectious ASFV at the moment of transportation into the EU was assessed and ranged from very high for frozen meat, to very low for crops.
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| 53. |
- Berg, Lotta, et al.
(författare)
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Scientific opinion on monitoring procedures at slaughterhouses for bovines
- 2013
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Ingår i: EFSA Journal. - : Wiley. - 1831-4732. ; 11(12)
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This scientific opinion proposes toolboxes of welfare indicators for developing monitoring procedures at slaughterhouses for bovines stunned with penetrative captive bolt or slaughtered without stunning. In particular, the opinion proposes welfare indicators together with their corresponding outcomes of consciousness, unconsciousness or death. In the case of slaughter with captive bolt stunning, the opinion proposes a toolbox of indicators and the outcomes to be used to assess consciousness in bovine animals at three key stages of monitoring: (a) after stunning and during shackling and hoisting; (b) during neck cutting or sticking; and (c) during bleeding. For slaughter of bovines without stunning, a set of indicators and outcomes are proposed in another toolbox to be used for (a) assessing unconsciousness, before releasing bovines from restraint; and (b) confirming death before carcass dressing begins. Various activities-including a systematic literature review, an online survey and stakeholders' and hearing experts' meetings-were conducted to gather information about the specificity, sensitivity and feasibility of the indicators that can be included in the toolboxes. The frequency of checking differs according to the role of each person responsible for ensuring animal welfare. Personnel performing stunning, shackling, hoisting and/or bleeding will have to check all the animals and confirm that they are not conscious following stunning or before release from the restraint. For the animal welfare officer, who has the overall responsibility for animal welfare, a mathematical model for the sampling protocols is proposed, giving some allowance to set the sample size of animals that he/she needs to check at a given throughput rate (total number of animals slaughtered in the slaughterhouse) and tolerance level (number of potential failures). Finally, different risk factors and scenarios are proposed to define a ‘normal' or a ‘reinforced' monitoring protocol, according to the needs of the slaughterhouse.
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| 54. |
- Berg, Lotta, et al.
(författare)
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Scientific Opinion on the electrical parameters for the stunning of lambs and kid goats
- 2013
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Ingår i: EFSA Journal. - : Wiley. - 1831-4732. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Panel on Animal Health and Welfare was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on two studies performed by IRTA: "Evaluation of the electrical stunning effectiveness in sheep with a current intensity lower than 1 Ampere" and "Evaluation of the electrical stunning effectiveness with electric currents lower than 1 A in lambs and kid goats". To achieve this, the first step was to define the type of study, critical variables, experimental design, data collection and analysis and reporting needed to supply scientific evidence that a given electrical stunning protocol of small ruminants provides a level of animal welfare at least equivalent to that ensured by the use of a minimum current of 1 A. These criteria were then applied to the two IRTA studies. The submitted studies are not adequate for a full welfare assessment of the alternative method studied because they do not fulfil the eligibility criteria and the reporting quality criteria defined in this opinion. The shortcomings of the studies are identified to make clear where improvements are required. To be considered for a full assessment of the welfare implications of the use of minimum currents lower than 1 A for electrical stunning of small ruminants a study must meet the eligibility standards described herein. A full assessment of the welfare implications of the use of minimum currents lower than 1 A for electrical stunning of small ruminants would need to take into account the restraining methods, the pre-stunning, and the stunning phases of the slaughter process and the correlation of the study findings with the results of other scientific evidence.
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| 55. |
- Berg, Lotta, et al.
(författare)
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Scientific opinion on the use of carbon dioxide for stunning rabbits
- 2013
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Ingår i: EFSA Journal. - : Wiley. - 1831-4732. ; 11, s. 1-33
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Panel on Animal Health and Welfare was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the use of carbon dioxide for stunning rabbits. Specifically, EFSA was asked to give its view on the findings of the study performed by the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain) and the Animal Technology Centre CITA-ITAVIA "Estudio sobre la valoración mediante parámetros técnicos y de manejo del sistema de aturdimiento con gas CO2". As a first step, the type of study, critical variables, experimental design, data collection and analysis and reporting methods needed to supply scientific evidence that the use of CO2 is an acceptable alternative for the stunning of rabbits were defined. These criteria were then applied to the study. The submitted study is not adequate for a full welfare assessment of the alternative method studied because it does not fulfil the eligibility criteria and the reporting quality criteria defined in this opinion. The shortcomings of the study have been highlighted to indicate where improvements are required. To be considered for a full assessment of the welfare implications of the use of high concentrations of CO2 as a stunning method for rabbits, a study must meet the eligibility standards described herein. A full assessment of the welfare implications of the use of high concentrations of CO2 as a stunning method for rabbits would need to take into account the restraining methods, the pre-stunning, and the stunning phases of the slaughter process and the correlation of the study findings with the results of other scientific evidence.
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| 56. |
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| 57. |
- Breed, Andrew C., et al.
(författare)
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Evidence of endemic Hendra virus infection in flying-foxes (Pteropus conspicillatus) : implications for disease risk management
- 2011
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 6, s. e28816-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigated the seroepidemiology of Hendra virus in a spectacled flying-fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) population in northern Australia, near the location of an equine and associated human Hendra virus infection in late 2004. The pattern of infection in the population was investigated using a serial cross-sectional serological study over a 25-month period, with blood sampled from 521 individuals over six sampling sessions. Antibody titres to the virus were determined by virus neutralisation test. In contrast to the expected episodic infection pattern, we observed that seroprevalence gradually increased over the two years suggesting infection was endemic in the population over the study period. Our results suggested age, pregnancy and lactation were significant risk factors for a detectable neutralizing antibody response. Antibody titres were significantly higher in females than males, with the highest titres occurring in pregnant animals. Temporal variation in antibody titres suggests that herd immunity to the virus may wax and wane on a seasonal basis. These findings support an endemic infection pattern of henipaviruses in bat populations suggesting their infection dynamics may differ significantly from the acute, self limiting episodic pattern observed with related viruses (e.g. measles virus, phocine distemper virus, rinderpest virus) hence requiring a much smaller critical host population size to sustain the virus. These findings help inform predictive modelling of henipavirus infection in bat populations, and indicate that the life cycle of the reservoir species should be taken into account when developing risk management strategies for henipaviruses.
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| 58. |
- Cassi, Xavier Fernandez, et al.
(författare)
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Microbial communities and Food safety aspects of crickets (Acheta domestica) reared under controlled conditions
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of insects as food and feed. - 2352-4588. ; 6, s. 429-440
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In an approach combining microbiological culture methods with high-throughput sequencing, this study investigated the microbial communities (bacteria, moulds and yeasts) in Swedish-produced edible crickets (Acheta domesticus) reared in a controlled environment. The effects of different feeds on microbial loads and populations in crickets were also studied. The crickets used were third-generation offspring from wild-caught individuals from Sweden, which are adapted to grow in a laboratory environment. The efficiency of rinsing to decrease microbial load was evaluated not obtaining a significant decrease of plating counts for total aerobic counts (TAC) and Enterobacteriaceae. Crickets were divided into three batches and fed different diets (control feed, early-cut red clover hay (ECH), late-cut fresh red clover (LCF)) for 62 days. Bacterial numbers (TAC and Enterobacteriaceae) on whole raw crickets ranged between 7 and 8 log cfu/g. Pre-rinsing in water did not reduce these levels (P=0.19). All batches tested negative for the food-borne bacteria Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus and Clostridium perfringens. The mean mould count for crickets fed control feed was 2.8 log cfu/g, while the values for crickets fed ECH and LCF were 4.2 and 4.5 log cfu/g, respectively. The dominant bacterial communities were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, with Firmicutes and Proteobacteria dominating in crickets fed control feed, Firmicutes dominating in crickets fed LCF and Proteobacteria dominating in crickets fed ECH. Aspergillus flavus, a fungus that is capable of producing mycotoxins, was detected in control feed and ECH reared crickets. More work is needed to identify specific food-borne pathogens in edible crickets and establish possible bacterial quality reference values, as an important step in developing microbial quality and safety parameters to ensure consumer safety.
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| 59. |
- Chenais, Erika
(författare)
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African swine fever in Uganda : epidemiology and socio-economic impact in the smallholder setting
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the last decade millions of people have been able to leave poverty, increasing the regional demand for meat and livestock products. In combination with reforms in market and agricultural policy, this has led to an increase in pig production in sub-Saharan Africa, most notably in Uganda. The growing pig sector could be an important contributor to poverty reduction among smallholder pig keepers. However, the growing pig population has been followed by an increase in African swine fever (ASF) incidence. ASF is a contagious, typically very lethal, haemorrhagic, viral disease of domestic pigs. The overall goal of this doctoral project was to develop the understanding of ASF epidemiology in the smallholder setting in Uganda. Four studies were conducted in two districts in northern Uganda among smallholder farmers, other pig production value-chain actors, and a medium-sized farm. The studies included group- and individual interviews as well as biological and environmental sampling and testing for the virus. Data were analysed using semi-qualitative and quantitative methods. The thesis concluded that ASF was endemic in the study area, and that outbreaks could be detected using retrospective and real-time farmer reports. ASF outbreaks were associated with activities of humans, such as trade in pigs and pig products and free-range management systems. ASF outbreaks had long-term negative social and economic impact for pig production value-chain actors on all investigated levels in the value chain. For smallholder farmers, the impact was aggravated with increasing herd size. Trade and consumption of sick and dead pigs were commonly used as coping strategies. Farm-level biosecurity was insufficient for ASF protection and awareness of control methods did not guarantee their implementation. The continuous ASF transmission in the study area was not driven by lack of knowledge, but rather by cultural circumstances, taboos and poverty. Therefore, in order for control methods to be successfully and sustainably implemented, they need to be developed in participation with the communities, adapted to the local context, socially acceptable, flexible, and cost-effective.
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| 60. |
- Cuevas Romero, Julieta Sandra
(författare)
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Studies of the molecular genetics and epidemiology of porcine rubulavirus infection
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Porcine rubulavirus (PorPV) infection emerged spontaneously in pigs in Mexico in the early 1980s. Since the report of the initial outbreak of the disease, only one full-length genome from a strain isolated in 1984 (PorPV-LPMV/1984) has been sequenced. There is therefore limited information about the genetic variation of this virus. The overall objective of this thesis was to develop molecular techniques to help in the diagnostic field and to investigate in greater detail the full genomes of several isolates, and if possible, gain insights into the persistence, molecular epidemiology and the possible reservoirs of PorPV. In addition, a characterisation of the immune response during acute and persistent infection was included. A real-time RT-PCR was developed for the detection of viral RNA from PorPV in clinical samples using TaqMan technology and primers for the P gene. This assay was highly sensitive (approximately 10 copies per reaction), specific, reproducible and a very useful tool for molecular diagnostics and for enabling studies of various aspects of PorPV throughout this thesis. RT-PCRs based on the NP and P genes were used to study the tissue distribution of the virus. Viral mRNA in the lymph nodes showed that the NP gene was consistently detected in the parotid, submaxilar, cervical and mesenteric nodes and the pancreas. Full-length genomes were sequenced from new isolates obtained from clinical cases of infected swine. The genetic comparison and phylogenetic analysis indicated that three different genetic variants of PorPV had spread in the swine population and that a new generation of circulating virus with a pronounced attenuation has begun to emerge in nature. We also report the isolation of PorPV, or a related virus, from frugivorous, insectivorous, and hematophagous bats. A partial genome sequence analysis showed a 99.97 - 100% amino acid identity to the reference strain isolated from swine. However, larger parts of the genome must be sequenced to ascertain the genetic relationship between these viruses. The study of the immune response during acute and persistent infection revealed enhanced levels of CD8+, CD4+ and CD2+ T-cells in all infected pigs at 10 days PI. CD8+ T-cell subpopulations were significantly higher (p<0.05) at 10 and 250 days PI, and CD4+ T-lymphocytes were also significant at 250 days PI. In summary, this work developed molecular techniques that can be used to study the pathogenesis and molecular epidemiology of PorPV. The knowledge of the presence of different virus variants in nature, associated with a wildlife reservoir of PorPV can provide greater knowledge regarding the molecular genetic changes and useful data to establish new strategies in the control of this virus in Mexico.
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