Suspect emergency animal disease investigations

Early detection of an emergency animal threat is vital to preventing the spread of disease.

Agriculture Victoria encourages and helps the reporting and investigation of suspected EADs. There were 115 field investigations to exclude suspect emergency or exotic diseases undertaken between 1 August and 31 October 2018.

Of the investigations, three were confirmed positive:

• Influenza A infection in swine was detected on one property. The consulting veterinarian advised that no specific clinical signs of influenza, such as high fever or coughing were observed in this herd. Nasal swabs from six affected sows were submitted for examination. The sows were displaying clinical signs of lethargy and reluctance to stand.
• There was an incidental finding of a low pathogenic strain of avian influenza (not H5 or H7) in a backyard chicken flock. Infectious coryza was identified as the likely primary cause of illness. (Infectious coryza, caused by the bacterium Avibacterium paragallinarum, is an acute respiratory disease of chickens characterized by nasal discharge, sneezing, and swelling of the face under the eyes.)
• Ehrlichia canis was diagnosed in an elderly kelpie-cross dog that had been imported from Thailand over eight years ago. The dog was treated but died subsequently from other causes. An assessment of the risk of transmission of the disease to other dogs in Victoria concluded that the risk in this case was negligible.

Table 1 lists the diseases tested for during the period and the number of investigations. Note that some investigations exclude more than one EAD.

Table 1. EAD exclusion testing undertaken between 1 August and 31 October 2018