During a six-week period in the late dry season, 75% of farrowing sows experienced problems with stillbirths and weak neonatal piglets. Sows appeared to farrow normally, however most piglets in affected litters were either born dead or very weak, trembling and dying within hours. Piglets that survived a few hours went on to become apparently healthy. No deformed piglets were noted, and mummified foetuses were rare. Sows were fat, kept outside on dirt until farrowing and fed exclusively locally baked white bread. Sows and growing pigs appeared clinically healthy. Gross post-mortem findings in eight piglets revealed near or at-term partially haired piglets. There was moderate oedema of subcutaneous and connective tissues primarily in the head, neck, shoulders and forelimbs in four. Most piglets, particularly the more autolysed ones, had a scant to moderate amount of blood-tinged clear fluid in the abdomen or thorax. One piglet had a few epicardial petechial haemorrhages. Thyroid glands were prominent, being approximately the same diameter as the trachea. Histological examination of various tissues from several piglets was largely unremarkable, with no evidence of tissue necrosis or inflammation. Histological evidence of thyroid gland hyperplasia was equivocal. Bacterial culture of abdominal fluid and filtering organs from affected piglets was either unproductive, or yielded primarily E. coli, with occasional isolates of Streptococcus spp. or other miscellaneous bacteria. Virus isolation was unsuccessful from spleen and stomach content of three piglets using baby hamster kidney and pig testes cell lines. Tests for antibodies to Japanese encephalitis were negative on abdominal/ thoracic fluid from three affected piglets and two sows that had recent stillborn litters. These two sows were also negative for antibodies to Leptospira interrogans serovars hardjo , pomona and tarassovi. Referral testing at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory included serological tests on body cavity effusions of affected piglets and/or sow sera for a variety of diseases that could conceivably cause the reproductive problems in this case. This included tests for antibodies to porcine parvovirus, Aujesky’s disease, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, classical swine fever and Menangle virus. All of these tests were negative. Porcine circovirus testing for antibodies was also conducted on sow sera and was positive. However, this was judged to be insignificant given that the features of this disease problem were not typical of porcine multisystemic wasting syndrome, and seropositivity to these viruses is high in Australia. At the end of the day, our advice was that this was not likely an infectious disease problem. Based on the clues of a diet limited to white bread, the disease apparently manifesting exclusively as stillborn/weak piglets, some with substantial oedema of the anterior subcutaneous tissues and prominent thyroid glands, a tentative diagnosis of congenital hypothyroidism was made. Australia is generally considered iodine deficient, and soil in coastal areas in particular may be low in iodine due to leaching from heavy monsoon rains. The farmer added iodised salt to the diet, after which there were no further problems with stillbirths or weak piglets in the herd. Cathy Shilton Veterinary Pathologist 8999 2227 Inside Issue 38 ; July 2005 Avian influenza Page 2 Influenza in Racing Greyhounds Page 3 CVO report Page 4 Regional Round-up Page 5 Tristate 2005 Summary Page 6 Person in Profile Page 7 Rats, Pythons and Parasites Page 8 Case report - Cattle deaths Page 8 Phone: (08) 8999 2249 Fax: (08) 8999 2024 Email: [email protected]Website: www.dbird.nt.gov.au ISSN: 1446-5094
Transcript
During a six-week period in the late dry season, 75% of farrowing sows experienced problems with stillbirths and weak neonatal piglets. Sows appeared to farrow normally, however most piglets in affected litters were either born dead or very weak, trembling and dying within hours. Piglets that survived a few hours went on to become apparently healthy. No deformed piglets were noted, and mummified foetuses were rare. Sows were fat, kept outside on dirt until farrowing and fed exclusively locally baked white bread. Sows and growing pigs appeared clinically healthy. Gross post-mortem findings in eight piglets revealed near or at-term partially haired piglets. There was moderate oedema of subcutaneous and connective tissues primarily in the head, neck, shoulders and forelimbs in four. Most piglets, particularly the more autolysed ones, had a scant to moderate amount of blood-tinged clear fluid in the abdomen or thorax. One piglet had a few epicardial petechial haemorrhages. Thyroid glands were prominent, being approximately the same diameter as the trachea. Histological examination of various tissues from several piglets was largely unremarkable, with no evidence of tissue necrosis or inflammation. Histological evidence of thyroid gland hyperplasia was equivocal. Bacterial culture of abdominal fluid and filtering organs from affected piglets was either unproductive, or yielded primarily E. coli, with occasional isolates of Streptococcus spp. or other miscellaneous bacteria. Virus isolation was unsuccessful from spleen and stomach content of three piglets using baby hamster kidney and pig testes cell lines. Tests for antibodies to Japanese encephalitis were negative on abdominal/thoracic fluid from three affected piglets and two sows that had recent stillborn litters. These two sows were also negative for antibodies to Leptospira interrogans serovars hardjo , pomona and tarassovi. Referral testing at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory included serological tests on body cavity effusions of affected piglets and/or sow sera for a variety of diseases that could conceivably cause the reproductive problems in this case. This included tests for antibodies to porcine parvovirus, Aujesky’s disease, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, classical swine fever and Menangle virus. All of these tests were negative. Porcine
circovirus testing for antibodies was also conducted on sow sera and was positive. However, this was judged to be insignificant given that the features of this disease problem were not typical of porcine multisystemic wasting syndrome, and seropositivity to these viruses is high in Australia. At the end of the day, our advice was that this was not likely an infectious disease problem. Based on the clues of a diet limited to white bread, the disease apparently manifesting exclusively as stillborn/weak piglets, some with substantial oedema of the anterior subcutaneous tissues and prominent thyroid glands, a tentative diagnosis of congenital hypothyroidism was made. Australia is generally considered iodine deficient, and soil in coastal areas in particular may be low in iodine due to leaching from heavy monsoon rains. The farmer added iodised salt to the diet, after which there were no further problems with stillbirths or weak piglets in the herd.
Avian Influenza (AI) is a very topical issue and will be the subject of a national emergency animal disease exercise, Exercise Eleusis, from 29th November to 1st December 2005. The hypothetical outbreak of avian influenza will focus on the diagnosis and management of the disease, administrative and logistical arrangements, and both internal and external communication. The simulation will also aim at strengthening the working relationships between government and industry and will play an important role in training people who would be involved in responding to a real disease outbreak. The scenario will be based on several states being infected with implications for other jurisdictions. Although it is an agricultural emergency, human health authorities will participate. This will test a joint response to a zoonotic disease. Animal Health Committee is extending its AUSVETPLAN policy to eradicate Low Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (LPAI) from the poultry industry. This article explains briefly some of the epidemiology of Avian Influenza that shapes our thinking in Australia. Influenza viruses are a cause of concern because of their ability to change virulence in different animal species by antigenic drift, mutation and re-assortment. LPAI viruses are restricted to replication at sites in the host such as the respiratory and intestinal tracts. In contrast, the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) viruses replicate systemically, damaging vital organs and tissues, which results in severe disease and death.
At this time, all HPAI have been shown to be caused by either H5 or H7 subtype viruses. A relatively small number of human cases and mortalities have occurred in the recent Asian outbreak. No human infections with LPAI viruses of H5 and H7 subtype have been recorded, and only a small number of infections have been recorded with H9N2 subtype virus. The Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing remains concerned about the potential for AI viruses, and particularly the H5N1 HPAI viruses in the south-eastern Asian poultry epidemic, leading to a world pandemic of influenza following virus re-assortment into a new virulent subtype.
At present, in the disease control legislation of all states and territories, LPAI virus infections are not subject to the EAD Response Agreement for disease control activities or notifiable diseases. Discussions have commenced and this will change in late 2005.
There have been five outbreaks of HPAI in Australia and all have occurred in commercial poultry operations;
• all were of H7 subtype virus in 1976, 1985, 1992, 1994 and 1997
• all outbreaks were thought to have been initiated from infection in ducks
• viruses can be assumed to be endemic in Australian water bird populations
• all affected premises had deficient biosecurity from direct and/or indirect exposure through water bird contact and/or contaminated water supplies and
• a number probably started with infection by a LPAI virus that mutated to become HPAI.
Illness of Australians handling infected poultry has not been recorded in previous outbreaks of HPAI so it would be most unlikely that Australian LPAI H7 subtype viruses would produce illness in humans. There should be no difficulty now for Australia in differentiating the pathogenicity of LPAI and HPAI viruses in an outbreak in Australia with currently available techniques. LPAI viruses have not been recorded as producing disease in Australian commercial poultry but there can be no guarantee that LPAI in Australia will continue to behave as in the past. The full range of clinical expression is possible, which makes the different diagnoses list for poultry quite long. The main reason for eradicating LPAI is that they have the capacity to mutate to high pathogenicity. The natural, reservoir hosts for LPAI are wild, water birds (easily infected but no disease) and LPAI viruses are transmitted to domestic poultry from these reservoir hosts. In Australia, Anseriform birds (ducks, geese, swans) do not migrate beyond a circle of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. The species that migrate to the northern hemisphere are all Charadriform birds (waders, terns, stilts, gulls etc); presumably these species infect the ducks after returning from migration and there is a need for direct contact between species. Possibly transfer from Charadriform to Anseriform birds is a rare event given that Australian H7 viruses have remained a distinct group within the Eurasian H7 subtype viruses for at least 21 years. The role of the many spill-over hosts is not fully understood. Attempts to isolate AI viruses from Australian water birds in recent times have been singularly unsuccessful apart from one H3 subtype isolate last year; H7 subtype viruses have not been isolated from wild Australian water fowl and H5 has been isolated from waterfowl but not domestic poultry. The following situations were identified as possible entry points for infection from the wild bird reservoir:
• there is a trend for large layer operators to raise some birds on their farms free range to ensure
supermarket requirements for a range of products are available • in the layer industry, 10% total production is from
alternative systems including free range • the number of independent operators of free-range
chickens are increasing around the major cities (Continued on page 3)
AHNNT - Issue 38 July 2005 Page 3
• emus and ostriches are basically raised free range apart from a brooding phase
• quail and a number of other game birds are reared in and outside shed accommodation.
• industry personnel returning from holidays in Asia may pose a risk for introducing HPAI H5N1 directly from Asia to Australian poultry operations.
No active or targeted surveillance of domestic poultry, that could be considered to be at high risk of LPAI infection, has been undertaken in Australia to be able to determine the risk that infection might or might not occur. The end of the current drought in eastern Australia might be a time when increased vigilance for an incursion would be appropriate. In summary, LPAI virus infections have led to serious outbreaks of HPAI over the years. Once ignored, LPAI virus infections have become significant issues in
international trade and the current human obsession about being shielded from infectious diseases is unlikely to diminish in the short term. Australia is favourably placed to meet future challenges if it acts proactively to control LPAI infections in the poultry industry. Excerpted and edited from; Decisions LPAI Workshop Report February 2005 Andrew Turner Consulting Pty Ltd AHC 05 OOS 20 Further reference; http://www.outbreak.gov.au/ AUSVETPLAN Avian Influenza Manual http://www.aahc.com.au/ Contribution provided by Kevin de Witte, Principal Veterinary Officer,Katherine. Please contact Kevin on 8973 9758 for further information.
(Continued from page 2)
Recurrent outbreaks of severe respiratory disease characterized by coughing and fever have occurred in greyhounds at racing kennels in the U.S. in recent years. In January 2004, a typical outbreak occurred in 22 racing greyhounds in Jacksonville, Florida. Most of these dogs had fevers and cough, but eight died from haemorrhagic pneumonia. In June 2004, a similar outbreak occurred in thousands of greyhounds at race tracks in six states. There are no reports documenting the cause of these acute respiratory disease outbreaks in racing greyhounds. The objective of this work was to identify the etiological agent(s) involved in the January and June 2004 outbreaks. Paired acute and convalescent nasal swabs and serum samples were collected from dogs with clinical signs and from asymptomatic dogs housed in contact with sick dogs. Bacterial cultures were performed with the nasal swabs. Virus neutralisation and haemagglutination assays were performed on serum. Post-mortem examinations were conducted on dogs that died during the outbreaks. Bacterial cultures, virus isolation studies, and immunohistochemistry assays for viral antigens were performed with respiratory tract tissues. None of the common canine respiratory pathogens, including Bordetella bronchiseptica , distemper virus, adenovirus type 2, and parainfluenza virus, were identified as the etiological agent(s). Pathologic findings included: (1)severe pulmonary and pleural haemorrhage; (2)acute to subacute erosive to hyperplastic tracheitis, bronchitis, and bronchiolitis; and (3) bronchopneumonia. The epithelial lining and airway
lumens in these tissues were infiltrated by neutrophils and macrophages. Influenza A subtype H3N8 virus was isolated from the lungs of a Florida dog that died in January and a Texas dog that died in June. Influenza H3N8 virus was recovered from archived lung tissue from a Florida greyhound that died during a respiratory disease outbreak in 2003. Genetic sequence analyses and phylogenetic comparisons determined that all three canine isolates were closely related and have evolved from contemporary strains of equine influenza H3N8. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated influenza antigen in bronchial gland epithelial cells, bronchial and bronchiolar epithelial cells, and in alveolar macrophages. Seroconversion to the canine influenza virus was demonstrated by haemagglutination inhibition and microneutralization assays. Based on virus isolation from lungs, viral antigens in lung tissues, and seroconversion data, we conclude that the novel canine influenza virus was the etiological agent responsible for the January and June 2004 respiratory disease outbreaks in racing greyhounds. This represents the first report of influenza virus associated with respiratory disease in dogs.
Source; ProMed: Archive Number 20050525.1445
Published Date 25-MAY-2005
AHNNT - Issue 38 July 2005 Page 4
National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for Cattle The mandatory use of Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFIDs) for Northern Territory cattle moving to saleyards, feedlots and properties in the other States commenced on 1st July 2005. Cattle sent to abattoirs generally require an RFID eartag, transaction eartag or tailtag depending on the State of destination and if the property of origin is the property of birth or another property. From 1st August 2006 the Northern Territory will require the mandatory use of RFIDs for cattle moving to saleyards. From 1st July 2006 cattle moving to abattoirs will require RFIDs unless from the property of birth when transaction eartags or tailtags will be required. From 1st July 2007 the Northern Territory will require an RFID in all cattle moving to another property. Cattle moving to live export will not require RFIDs where the herd based tracing system provides traceability. The change to mandatory use of RFIDs is being adopted to support a nationally consistent approach to traceability. An RFID eartag is applied on the property with the RFID read at each change of property or other location and the data transferred to the NLIS database. All Australian cattle will eventually have whole of life traceability. The hardware and software systems which support NLIS are under continuing development. However, there will be a few challenges over the next few years, to make the system work.
Consultation will begin soon with all sectors of the cattle industry to develop an implementation plan for the next three years. National Biosecurity System A national biosecurity system is being developed to protect the negative impacts of pests, diseases and weeds on the economy and the environment. This system would involve all agricultural industries, government and the public. Systems need to be in place to minimise the risk of an incursion, and mount effective response capacity and rapid diagnostic capability. Departmental Reorganisation The previous department of Business, Industry and Resource Development (an amalgam of Primary Industry and Fisheries, Mines and Energy, Business and Industry and Asian Relations and Trade) has been broken up into a department for primary industries (DPIFM) (Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines) which includes animal health and welfare and a separate department for business, economic and regional development (DBERD). Service delivery will not be affected. The details are being worked on at the moment.
Brian Radunz Chief Veterinary Officer
8999 2130
CVO report
Out and about The last quarter in Katherine has seen some staff changes with Willie Bradshaw being appointed as a temporary Stock Inspector and Greg Scott moving to Acting Regional Stock Inspector. Senior Stock Inspector Tony Moran has been appointed as the new manager at Kidman Springs and will be leaving Katherine by late July. We wish him all the best in his new position. Farm and Garden Day held on 16th April at Katherine Research Station was extremely successful with an Avian Influenza and biosecurity information pack distributed to poultry owners. Animal Production Services in Katherine held a Stock Course at Top Springs for Camfield and Montejinnie stations. Sue Hourigan and Tony Moran participated delivering the Horse and Cattle Health and Management sections. Ted Martin, regional stock inspector for the Tennant Creek region, assisted Northern Australian Quarantine Strategy (NAQS) in a survey of the gulf from the mouth of the Limmen Bight river to the Queensland border. The main focus was on performing post mortems and obtaining samples from feral pigs. Pig populations were found in areas that were pig-free during the previous survey in 2002. The feral cattle population has remained static since the Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign (BTEC) days.
AHNNT - Issue 38 July 2005 Page 5
Katherine A total of 31 disease investigations were carried out in cattle of which 17 were active surveillance programs (mainly TB and transmissible spongiform encephalopathy). Nine investigations were carried out on other stock, mainly horses and goats. Of these, only one was active surveillance (insect trap collection). Twenty five properties were visited for this purpose during the period. A total of 7,178 TB tests were carried out on seven properties with 15 reactors being investigated. One lung lesion submitted to Berrimah Veterinary Laboratories proved to be a degenerating hydatid cyst. Various samples from 17 animals were submitted for TSE surveillance. (Mad Cow Program). In May, around 130 head of cattle died in a particular paddock that had a previous history of suspected blue-green algae poisoning. The problem stopped when the animals were moved onto another paddock. Botulism was suspected as the cause of
death of cattle and peacocks in the Katherine rural area. There have also been a few reports of suspect bovine ephemeral fever (3-day sickness) in cattle around the region and equine herpesvirus 1 was diagnosed in one horse.
Tennant Creek All the properties in the southern half of the Tennant Creek region are in drought to some degree. Pasture conditions and availability of feed differ from property to property, but also within property boundaries as a reflection of the patchy distribution of light rain that did fall earlier in the year. Recent rain of 12 to 20mm fell across most of the Barkly region with some places to the south of Tennant reporting up to 55mm. Apart from bringing out some green pick, no significant changes in the current conditions are expected. Tick numbers on properties in the tick infested area are noticeably lower than previous years. Climatic conditions are presumed to be the main reason for this phenomenon, but last year's extensive bush fires across most of the region may have been contributing as well. Suspected bovine ephemeral fever cases have only been reported this year from the gulf area and adjacent properties in the north. No severe outbreaks or associated deaths were reported, nor did it affect the central Barkly as in previous years. A post-mortem was performed on a downer cow on a northern Barkly property revealed no organ abnormalities, but the bones were thin and broke easily. A phosphorus deficiency was suspected, and this was supported by a low serum phosphorus level. This cow was lactating and in a relative poor condition, although the animals were receiving high levels of a phosphorus and urea lick supplement.
Francois Human Regional Veterinary Officer Tennant Creek
89624486
A number of horses, from the Katherine region have, for some years, been ill with neurological signs. In 1999 staff of the virology laboratory at Berrimah Veterinary Laboratories (BVL) isolated identical viruses from two of these horses. This has been reported in AHNNT a number of times with the last occasion being the article in Issue 35 (October 2004) when we were able to report that the virus shows high homology (99%) to the recently named Peruvian horse sickness virus (PHSV).
We have recently developed a reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction test (RT-PCR) test to detect this virus and have screened all the viruses that we had isolated from sick horses, from 1999 to present. The RT-PCR test detected PHSV in all the isolated viruses, indicating that this virus may be more wide spread than previously thought.
Susan Walsh Virology Technician
8999 2280
Regional Roundup
AHNNT - Issue 38 July 2005 Page 6
Several Berrimah Veterinary Laboratories staff members attended the Australian Society for Microbiology Tristate Meeting that was held in Darwin on July 8th & 9th, 2005. The meeting focused on topics of special interest in the Australian tropics as well as disease issues in our nearest neighbours. Highlights included: John Reeder, from the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, presented a brilliant summary of re -emergent and emerging infectious diseases in PNG. Main diseases of concern include bacterial pneumonia, diarrhoea and measles, with young children being most heavily affected and frequently dying from these diseases that are relatively easily treated in first-world countries. Human tuberculosis is also thought to be on the rise in PNG, although recent reliable statistics are lacking. Malaria is also a major problem, with trials of a malaria vaccine planned for the near future in PNG. David Smith from the University of Western Australia reviewed West Nile virus (WNV) and the potential impact if the New York strain was to enter Australia. It is unknown if the presence of Kunjin virus, Australia’s endemic strain of WNV, would mitigate an outbreak of serious disease or establishment of endemicity if a more pathogenic strain of WNV were to enter Australia. Peter Whelan, from the Northern Territory Centre for Disease Control, provided a summary of Dengue disease and the situation in Australia. Outbreaks of Dengue occur in far North Queensland with increasing frequency, with the first case fatality in 2004. The disease was also discovered this year in several of the Torres Strait Islands. The disease became topical in the NT last year when one of the vectors of Dengue, the mosquito Aedes aegypti , was found in Tennant Creek. Eradication programs aimed at this mosquito species have been ongoing in the region ever since, supported by extensive federal funding, and show promise of being successful.
Researcher Thomas Riley presented results on the antimicrobial properties of tea tree oil. Tea tree oil contains numerous active components, including terpinen-4-ol which must be present at 30% in pure oil by international standard. Scientific research shows tea tree oil to be effective as a topical agent against bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus and fungi including Candida yeast and the fungi responsible for fingernail infections. Tea tree oil is also a traditional topical treatment for scabies. Shelley Walton and the team at Menzies School of Health Research in the Northern Territory has been working on scabies for several years, due to prevalence of the disease in 30-50% of children in Aboriginal communities. They have discovered that although dog, wallaby and human scabies mites are visually indistinguishable, they are genetically different, therefore the disease isn’t a zoonosis. There is a large immunological basis for the symptoms in subsequent infections, and scabies mites are becoming resistant to topical acaricides and ivermectin. Bart Currie from the Royal Darwin Hospital reviewed micro and macro pathogens of the Top End. Topics included snake envenomation, for which Darwin hospitals have an excellent record of treatment (and for which alcohol consumption is a statistically significant risk factor) and leptospirosis, in which the ecology seems to be changing to increasing numbers of cases in remote areas. Melioidosis is also still a prominent Top End disease, with severe cases involving the lungs spiking with windy tropical rainstorms and cyclones that serve to aerosolise the organism and promote infection by inhalation.
Cathy Shilton Veterinary Pathologist
8999 2227
TRISTATE 2005 SUMMARY
Articles on topics of interest and letters to the editors are invited.
A Respected Colleague Remembered It is with great sadness that we note the passing of Diana Pinch. Diana was one of the founding committee members, and usually the driving force, of the Animal Health News of the Northern Territory. She was an excellent writer and possessed sound technical and analytical skills. Diane started with the department as a field based veterinary officer and then studied to become our veterinary epidemiologist. She represented the Territory on three national technical working groups. Diana had fantastic people skills and her enthusiasm, dedication and warm personality will be missed by the staff of the Pastoral division.
AHNNT - Issue 38 July 2005 Page 7
Sue is the most recent addition to the Animal Health team at Katherine Research Station. Following graduation from the University of Queensland in 2002, she headed to the Top End to fill the position of Veterinary Officer in Katherine where she has been nestled for the past few years. Her work primarily involves providing disease investigation services to the Katherine pastoral industry. She is also actively involved in several disease surveillance programs, including the National TSE Freedom Assurance program, Johnes Disease Market Assurance program, Tuberculosis Freedom Assurance program, Arbovirus Monitoring program, su rve i l l ance fo r Ba t Lyssavirus, and the National Livestock Identification System. Sue is determined to find the cause for the tailrot occurrence in Bos Indicus cattle in the NT, and plans to work in conjunction with WA and Qld Animal Health professionals. She believes it is an extremely important export issue, as cattle without tails are declined export market access. Since joining the department, Sue has had the opportunity to attend several emergency animal disease preparedness courses coordinated by Animal Health Australia to gain competency as a Field Surveillance Vet, and Surveillance and Tracing Co-ordinator. She is also an accredited TSE Surveillance Trainer. She was born in Traralgon, Victoria and grew up in Gippsland where her parents operate dairy and beef properties, and is the third of six children. Although she had great ambitions early in life to succeed as a fashion designer, she went on to complete a Science degree at Monash University with honours in Immunology. During her research at the Baker Heart Institute, she identified a new steroid binding site “the putative DHD receptor” in the rat intestinal tract. However, she was lured by her affections for animals and the outdoor office, and moved on to Queensland, where she spent the next five years completing her Veterinary Science degree. During her time at university, she was focussed on a career in dairy medicine, however when the opportunity to work in the extensive cattle industry arose following graduation, it
was too good to refuse. She was after a new experience, and with a keen interest in cattle moved up north to see what this great place had to offer. Sue has been fortunate enough to work with some of the NT’s most experienced Stock Inspectors, who have given her quite some introduction into the Industry. One of her most enjoyable experiences involved TB monitoring in buffalo in the upper Katherine river region of Arnhem Land. During September 2004, she joined the guys to assess population size, health and the TB status of the aged buffalo.
Earlier this year Sue began her Masters degree in Veterinary Public Health Management at Sydney University, where she has had the opportunity to work closely with numerous international and interstate Animal Health professionals. She was amazed at the vastly different standards in public health, and difficulties encountered by other veterinarians, particularly in third world countries. She believes it is extremely important to gain insight into how disease in other countries is managed by government veterinarians. While studying, Sue delved into the usual student careers of sales and hospitality. She spent three years advising people on which shoes to wear, and a further eight years on cuisine and beverage choices. She makes an exquisite expresso coffee and accompanying crepe suzette. She was
fortunate enough to move through the ranks in the hospitality industry from restaurant waitress to barperson to cook and then restaurant manager. Sue lives on a rural block in Katherine with her charming fiancé Brendan, a carpenter whom she met 30 years ago in the nursery at the hospital (they were born 6 days apart). She also has a rather lavishly treated dog “Rasky”, known to have quite a few frequent flyer points booked up with his interstate travel. Sue loves the people, the weather, the fishing and the landscape of the NT, and has no intention on leaving anytime soon!
AHNNT - Issue 38 July 2005 Page 8
Seven deaths were confirmed in a group of 80 cattle grazing a paddock of native pasture in the Darwin region. Deaths ceased two days after the cattle were moved to a new paddock. Clinical illness was observed in three cattle prior to death. Nervous signs were observed which included dullness, depression and circling behaviour.
Cattle of various ages ranging from yearlings to aged cows were affected. An aged cow was sampled for transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) exclusion. One heifer had bone and glass fragments in the rumen and metal and wire in the abomasum.
Haematology was unremarkable with some evidence of dehydration. Clinical chemistry showed an increased creatine phosphokinase level and moderate to marked hypophosphataemia. The differential diagnosis included lead poisoning and tick fever. A brain sample showed no evidence of inflammatory brain disease. Blood smears and impression smears of spleen and brain showed no evidence of Babesia sp . or Anaplasma sp. organisms.
A blood sample showed 6.28µmol/L of lead. Greater than 1.7µmol/L is consistent with lead toxicity and likely to be associated with clinical abnormalities. A liver sample showed 206.0µmol/kg of lead in wet weight liver. Liver lead levels on healthy animals are usually less than 10µmol/kg.
A subsequent search of the paddock revealed old car batteries which showed evidence of being chewed by cattle.
Kel Small Regional Veterinary Officer Darwin
8999 2034
The Northern Territory of Australia and the Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines disclaim any liability or responsibility or duty of care towards any person for loss or damage (including special, indirect or consequential loss or damage such as loss of revenue) suffered or caused by any use or reliance on this information. The information is provided without express or implied warranty. While care has been taken in the production of this newsletter, it is provided as general information only and the Northern Territory of Australia and the Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines do not assert that it is complete, accurate or current. The Northern Territory of Australia and the Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines accept no liability or responsibility (including for negligence) if it is misleading or incomplete or if it contains errors, omissions or is inaccurate in any way. No person should rely on this newsletter for the purpose of taking any course of action including any serious, business or investment decisions without obtaining independent and/or professional advice in relation to their particular situation.
Like most things in the Northern Territory, the snakes are big. So are the rats! And there are lots of them, particularly around the Adelaide River 60km SE of Darwin. Eridani Mulder, PhD student from Central Queensland University, spends her nights for two months of the year, out near Fogg Dam (at Beatrice Hill Research Farm) chasing water pythons and dusky rats to find out what parasites they have, and how the parasites are affected by seasonal influences. She then spends most of the following day dissecting these hosts a t t h e B e r r i m a h V e t e r i n a r y Laboratories.
The water pythons on the Adelaide River floodplain are of particular interest as >95% of everything they eat is a dusky rat. They even migrate up to 12km a year to follow the rats as they shift habitat between seasons, which presents a unique ecosystem for a parasitologist to study. Both species have so far yielded some interesting finds, including a new parasite in water pythons whose relatives have only previously been found in Venezualan iguanas.
