Risk Assessments and Risk Mitigation to Prevent the Introduction of African Swine Fever into the Danish Pig Population.

African Swine Fever poses a significant threat to pig production. An outbreak in Denmark would have severe economic consequences, potentially resulting in a loss between 335 million and 670 million euros. To mitigate the major risk factors, the Danish authorities and the Danish pig industry have implemented several risk-reducing measures.

Body Condition Score in Danish Horses Related to Type, Use, and Training Level: Patterns, Risk, and Protective Factors.

Body condition in horses is a growing concern that has different patterns of development in horses that are above and below the ideal range. This study used professional and para-professional evaluators (veterinarians, farriers, trainers, Danish Equestrian Federation (DEF) officials) who were trained and certified in the use of a modified Henneke scoring system to assign a body condition score (BCS) on a scale of 1-9. Scores of 5-6 are regarded as ideal, and 78.

Keel bone fractures in Danish laying hens: Prevalence and risk factors.

Keel bone fractures (KBF) in commercial poultry production systems are a major welfare problem with possible economic consequences for the poultry industry. Recent investigations suggest that the overall situation may be worsening. Depending on the housing system, fracture prevalences exceeding 80% have been reported from different countries.

Lack of evidence of mastitis as a causal factor for postpartum dysgalactia syndrome in sows.

To investigate the prevalence of mastitis in sows suffering from postpartum dysgalactia syndrome (), we examined milk constituents and concentrations of lipopolysaccharides () obtained from the udder vein (v. epigastrica). As part of a case-cohort study, 109 sows were monitored daily from 60 h antepartum () to 36 h postpartum ().

Hormonal and metabolic indicators before and after farrowing in sows affected with postpartum dysgalactia syndrome.

Background: Postpartum dysgalactia syndrome (PDS) in sows is difficult to diagnose and the pathogenesis is obscure. Hormonal changes related to the disease are often difficult to distinguish from those found in the normal transition period from gestation to lactation. The study aimed to investigate metabolic and hormonal changes related to PDS with the goal of identifying potential biomarkers in sows suffering from PDS (PDS+).

The use of phoxim and bendiocarb for control of fleas in farmed mink (Mustela vison).

Background: Fleas (Ceratophyllus sciurorum) are common on farmed mink in Denmark. When present, the fleas have a negative impact on the health of the farmed mink and are of nuisance for farm staff. Severe infestations of fleas cause anemia, poor growth and may result in death of mink kits.

Inflammatory markers before and after farrowing in healthy sows and in sows affected with postpartum dysgalactia syndrome.

Background: The pathogenesis of postpartum dysgalactia syndrome (PDS) in sows is not fully elucidated and affected sows often present vague clinical signs. Accurate and timely diagnosis is difficult, and PDS is often recognized with a delay once piglets begin to starve. Increased rectal temperature of the sow is an important diagnostic parameter, but it may also be influenced by a number of other parameters and is thus difficult to interpret.

Assessment of the Risk to Public Health due to Use of Antimicrobials in Pigs-An Example of Pleuromutilins in Denmark.

Antibiotic consumption in pigs can be optimized by developing treatment guidelines, which encourage veterinarians to use effective drugs with low probability of developing resistance of importance for human health. In Denmark, treatment guidelines for use in swine production are currently under review at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. Use of pleuromutilins in swine has previously been associated with a very low risk for human health.

Bovine eimeriosis in Swedish calves: Epidemiology and insights into sampling procedures.

Bovine eimeriosis is a common, globally distributed infection in housed calves aged from 3 to 12weeks. To date, no national prevalence study revealing the occurrence and distribution of Eimeria species under Swedish environmental and farming conditions has been performed. This study revealed the excretion of Eimeria bovis or Eimeria zuernii (alone or together) in 23% of all sampled calves (N=541) and 61% of all herds (N=99).

Significance of Timing on Effect of Metaphylactic Toltrazuril Treatment against Eimeriosis in Calves.

In this multicentric, randomised, blinded and placebo-controlled field study, the effect of treatment with toltrazuril (Baycox(®) Bovis, Bayer) on oocyst excretion, diarrhoea score and weight gain was studied in Danish dairy herds with confirmed history of eimeriosis (coccidiosis) and prevalence of Eimeria bovis and Eimeria zuernii. Three commercial herds and a total of 71 calves, aged 48 - 135 days, were included. Treatment with a single oral dose of toltrazuril (15 mg/kg) was given after relocation to common pens and one week before expected outbreak of eimeriosis.

Individual predisposition to Staphylococcus aureus colonization in pigs on the basis of quantification, carriage dynamics, and serological profiles.

Previous research on Staphylococcus aureus in pigs focused on livestock-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and had a qualitative cross-sectional design. This study aimed to elucidate the frequency, load, and stability of S.

Diagnosing Aleutian mink disease infection by a new fully automated ELISA or by counter current immunoelectrophoresis: a comparison of sensitivity and specificity.

Aleutian disease (AD) is a severe disease characterized by hypergammaglobulinemia causing multiple symptoms such as acute renal failure, arteritis, reduced reproductive performance and pneumonia in mink. AD is caused by the parvovirus Aleutian mink disease virus (ADV) and diagnosed primarily based on ADV serology sometimes supplemented by organ PCR analysis. In Denmark, approximately 3.

Eimeriosis in Danish dairy calves--correlation between species, oocyst excretion and diarrhoea.

The study collected up-to-date data on prevalence and importance of Eimeria infections in Danish dairy calves with suspected clinical eimeriosis and analysed correlation between Eimeria spp., oocyst excretion and diarrhoea. From October 2010 through August 2011, veterinarians collected faecal samples from dairy herds (n = 52) with > 50 cows and a history of diarrhoea in young stock.

Investigation of the association of growth rate in grower-finishing pigs with the quantification of Lawsonia intracellularis and porcine circovirus type 2.

As a part of a prospective cohort study in four herds, a nested case control study was carried out. Five slow growing pigs (cases) and five fast growing pigs (controls) out of 60 pigs were selected for euthanasia and laboratory examination at the end of the study in each herd. A total of 238 pigs, all approximately 12 weeks old, were included in the study during the first week in the grower-finisher barn.

Crystal structure of YnjE from Escherichia coli, a sulfurtransferase with three rhodanese domains.

Rhodaneses/sulfurtransferases are ubiquitous enzymes that catalyze the transfer of sulfane sulfur from a donor molecule to a thiophilic acceptor via an active site cysteine that is modified to a persulfide during the reaction. Here, we present the first crystal structure of a triple-domain rhodanese-like protein, namely YnjE from Escherichia coli, in two states where its active site cysteine is either unmodified or present as a persulfide. Compared to well-characterized tandem domain rhodaneses, which are composed of one inactive and one active domain, YnjE contains an extra N-terminal inactive rhodanese-like domain.

Descriptive spatial epidemiology of subclinical Salmonella infection in finisher pig herds: application of a novel method of spatially adaptive smoothing.

We describe the spatial epidemiological features of the 6.8 million meat-juice serological tests that were conducted between 1995 and 2004 as part of the Danish swine Salmonella control programme. We investigated pig and farm density using edge-corrected kernel estimations.

A human health risk assessment for macrolide-resistant Campylobacter associated with the use of macrolides in Danish pig production.

In 2006, macrolides were withdrawn from the list of antibiotics recommended for veterinary treatment of diarrhoea in Danish pigs. The motive was to lower the antibiotic consumption in general and to mitigate the risk related to human infection with macrolide-resistant (Mres) Campylobacter. We subsequently conducted a risk assessment following international guidelines to address the risk for human health associated with usage of macrolides in Danish pigs.

Turning point sets the stage for emergency preparedness planning.

Nearly a billion dollars were made available to state health departments through federal grants in the spring of 2002 for public health emergency preparedness plans. Twenty-one states had already been participating for some years in The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Turning Point Initiative. This article illustrates how earlier practice and experience in developing cross-sector collaborations and institutionalizing a model of broad-based partnerships for public health decision making can increase effectiveness and efficiency in responding to a call for action around an emergency.