By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animals,SalmonellaA playground in New South Wales, Australia, has been closed because its sandpit was linked to salmonellosis in two children. Sandboxes are a potential source of a few different infectious diseases since they can be used as litterboxes by animals such as cats, raccoons, and apparently, bandicoots. In the Australian incident, two kids were diagnosed… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsAustralian Elmer Fudds beware… there are concerns that feral pig hunting is a risk factor for brucellosis in New South Wales. Brucellosis is a rare disease, but a report like this raises concern because it can be nasty, and it can also be hard to diagnose (or it’s not considered right away). We don’t have… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in HorsesAs if horse owners and veterinarians in Queensland need another infectious disease challenge….. Recently, a horse in southwest Queensland was diagnosed with Australian bat lyssavirus infection. This virus, which is similar to rabies, is present in some bats in Australia. It can be transmitted to people from bats, causing fatal disease, but human infections are… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in HorsesIn a rather impressive effort – considering the issues inherent with working with a virus like Hendra virus, the nature of the disease and the low economic value of a vaccine that would only be used in a very restricted geographic area – a Hendra virus vaccine has been released for horses. Equivac HeV should… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsThe latest edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases has an article describing a Salmonella outbreak in New South Wales, Australia, that was linked to playground sand (Staff et al, 2012). The outbreak stretched over a long period of time, from 2007-2009, and involved a strain of Salmonella called Salmonella Java. During the course of the investigation,… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in HorsesWhile I guess it’s getting beyond the point where Hendra virus infections in horses in Queensland, Australia are considered "news," it’s still a highly concerning situation. Infections caused by this fruit bat-associated virus continue to occur in the region and there’s no sign that this problem is going to go away any time soon. In… Continue Reading
By Maureen Anderson on Posted in Other diseasesAlthough the weather in Southwestern Ontario seems quite confused lately regarding whether it wants to be winter or spring, at least we’re still a few months off from having to worry about mosquitoes and the viruses they carry once again. Warmer parts of the world, however, are in the midst of their mosquito season, and… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in equIDblogBob Katter, an Australian Member of Parliament and leader of the Australian Party, has proposed culling flying foxes (fruit bats) as a way to control Hendra virus, which is spread by these large Australian bats. He’s not the first person to make such a proposal, but it’s a knee-jerk reaction that in reality doesn’t make… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in HorsesWhile you don’t want to read too much into a single case, 2012 has started off in a bad way for Queensland horses. Hendra virus was identified in a Townsville area horses that died. This zoonotic viral disease is largely restricted to Queensland, Australia, but it has a high fatality rate in horses (and people). Hendra… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in equIDblogDespite relatively intensive efforts, no cause has been identified for the deaths of 22 horses ona Kooralbyn farm in Queensland, Australia. Readily identifiable causes have been ruled out, leaving two main theories: As mentioned in an earlier post, one possibility is botulism It can be very hard to diagnose botulism in horses, and the disease… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in equIDblogA couple of days ago, I reported about a deadly outbreak on a Queensland farm that had killed a significant number of horses. A definitive diagnosis has still not been made, but it is starting to look like botulism might be the cause. In my previous assessment, I said botulism was a potential cause of an outbreak… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in equIDblogThere’s still no confirmed cause of death for 19 horses that died within a short period of time on a Kooralbyn, Queensland (Australia) farm. Sudden death and Queensland invariably conjures up thoughts of Hendra virus, considering the large number of Hendra cases that have occurred in the area this year, but that particular disease has… Continue Reading
By Maureen Anderson on Posted in equIDblogThere are a lot of recommendations out there for establishing or improving sound infection control practices on horse farms, many of which can be found on this very blog. Some refer to such practices as "biosecurity," but what’s done on horse farms compared to the often very strict biosecurity protocols at facilities such as swine… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in equIDblogA huge equine influenza virus outbreak occurred in Australia in 2007 – a classic example of what can happen when a virus gets into an area where it’s never been before. There were huge numbers of affected horses and a massive disruption to the industry due to quarantines and other control measures. A special edition… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in equIDblogIn the early 2000s, we took a lot of bad publicity in Ontario (particularly at the Ontario Veterinary College) because of MRSA in horses. While MRSA had been found in horses before and there were anecdotal reports of MRSA infections and outbreaks in different areas, the fact that we intensively investigated the issue and published a lot… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsDusty, the dog who tested positive for Hendra virus exposure on a Queensland farm, has been euthanized. The owners confirmed through their Member of Parliament that their pet had been euthanized voluntarily, rather than waiting for Biosecurity Queensland to compel them to do so. Based on publicly available information, this seems like an illogical and… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsNeil Fearon and his family have lost three horses to Hendra virus, and are concerned about one other. They are now dealing with the implications of their dog, a Kelpie named Dusty, having tested positive for Hendra virus antibodies in its blood. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the presence of antibodies in the blood of… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsAdding a new twist to the already very concerning situation in Australia, Hendra virus infection has now also been identified in a dog. It’s been a bad year for Hendra virus in Australia, with larger numbers of cases of this highly fatal disease in horses in a geographic range that seems to be expanding. Spread… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in HorsesAs Australia faces a particularly bad year for Hendra virus, with possible expansion of the range of this serious disease, there have been calls for a mass cull of flying foxes (fruit bats). These bats are the reservoir of the virus but also a protected species. The virus lives in the bats and is spread… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in HorsesYesterday, I wrote an equIDblog post about an outbreak of unexplained neurological disease in horses in the Murray River region of Australia. Today, a ProMed report indicates that Murray Valley encephalitis is now being considered as a possible cause of death in a man from the area. Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE) is one of the… Continue Reading
