Is the gamma interferon assay in cattle influenced by multiple tuberculin injections?

Along with other developed countries, Canada is interested in adopting the gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) assay to test for bovine tuberculosis (TB). This study compared results of using the IFN-gamma assay in a large number of field-tested cattle in Manitoba, some previously tested with a caudal fold test (CFT) only, and others injected with tuberculins for both a CFT and a comparative cervical test (CCT). Parallel testing further compared the IFN-gamma assay and CCT results with the confirmed TB status of the animal (culture, histopathologic examination, polymerase chain reaction).

Epidemiology of an outbreak of chronic wasting disease on elk farms in Saskatchewan.

An outbreak of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in farmed elk in Saskatchewan from 1996 to 2002 was reviewed to 1, determine the progression of CWD from infection to death in farmed elk; 2, assess animal risk factors for CWD infection in farmed elk; 3, assess farm management and exposure risk factors for within herd CWD transmission; and 4, assess the suitability of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) current disease control policy for CWD in light of the findings. The results from animal movement tracing, animal testing, and a farm management questionnaire were used. The duration of CWD (time from exposure to death of a CWD test-positive animal) was between a mean minimum of 19 months and a mean maximum of 40 months.

Human illness from avian influenza H7N3, British Columbia.

Avian influenza that infects poultry in close proximity to humans is a concern because of its pandemic potential. In 2004, an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza H7N3 occurred in poultry in British Columbia, Canada. Surveillance identified two persons with confirmed avian influenza infection.

Learning from outbreaks of bovine tuberculosis near Riding Mountain National Park: applications to a foreign animal disease outbreak.

Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, is home to a population of free-roaming elk (Cervus elaphus manitobensis) that have been found to be infected with Mycobacterium bovis, the agent of bovine tuberculosis (TB). The disease has also been found in a number of cattle herds near the Park and, as a result, Manitoba has been assigned a split status for bovine TB. A number of government agencies, with input from representatives from the wildlife and agricultural sectors, have responded by devising a program to detect, investigate, control, eradicate, and prevent TB in both wild and domestic animals.