Survey of current UK alpaca husbandry practices: Vaccination, treatment and supplementation.

BACKGROUND: The popularity of alpacas in the UK is increasing, with the British Alpaca Society (BAS) estimating that there are currently 45,000 registered alpacas and a further 15,000 unregistered alpacas. This research set about to investigate what husbandry procedures are currently undertaken on alpacas in the UK. METHODS: An online survey of 47 questions was created using Jisc and was available for 4.5 months. RESULTS: All 116 holdings implemented shearing and foot trimming (100.0%), and most vaccinated against clostridial disease (95.7%) and supplemented with vitamin D (91.4%). There was no obvious pattern in vitamin D dosing. A significant positive association was found between the size of the holding and whether injectable or oral vitamin D was used (p = 0.034), with smaller holdings preferring oral vitamin D products. LIMITATIONS: The survey was distributed online, including via the BAS e-Newsletter. The percentage of BAS-registered alpacas was not clarified, so it is unknown if the data are skewed by this. CONCLUSION: Although owners are ensuring that routine interventions are implemented, variation in responses implies there is no current standard protocol. This highlights that these differences may be due to logistical choices, training or varied advice, which may be due to the lack of published literature.

Surveying UK sheep farmers' vaccination techniques and the impact of vaccination training.

BACKGROUND: Vaccines are commonly used in sheep farming. However, compliance with vaccination protocols and subsequent suboptimal vaccination techniques are concerns in the industry. METHODS: An online survey containing 31 questions encompassing vaccination storage, technique and training was distributed to UK sheep farmers. Respondents were asked to mark on a sheep diagram where they would administer intramuscular (IM), intradermal, and subcutaneous (SC) vaccines. RESULTS: Of 370 respondents, only 26.1% identified the correct location for SC, 38.0% for intradermal, and 7.7% for IM vaccination. Almost half (45.5%) stored their vaccines in a fridge specific to veterinary medicines, only 33.9% used a temperature logger, and 6.4% checked their fridge temperature daily. Almost half (45.5%) kept their vaccines 48 hours or longer after broaching, and 11.1% kept them until the next time. Significantly more respondents who had received training correctly identified the location for IM vaccination (p < 0.01). However, training had no significant influence on the the correct identification of the other vaccination sites, vaccine storage or administration. CONCLUSION: Suboptimal vaccination techniques are not due to unwillingness to learn; 83.8% responded that they would consider taking a course to improve their use. However, the majority (73.9%) were unaware of the training courses available. Therefore, the industry needs to respond and promote courses.

Robust rapid-setting antibacterial liquid bandages.

Bandaging is a steadfast but time-consuming component of wound care with limited technical advancements to date. Bandages must be changed and infection risk managed. Rapid-set liquid bandages are efficient alternatives but lack durability or inherent infection control. We show here that antibacterial zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) species greatly enhance the barrier properties of the natural, waterproof, bio-adhesive polymer, shellac. The material demonstrated marked antibacterial contact properties and, in ex-vivo studies, effectively locked-in pre-applied therapeutics. When challenged in vivo with the polybacterial bovine wound infection 'digital dermatitis', Zn/Cu-shellac adhered rapidly and robustly over pre-applied antibiotic. The bandage self-degraded, appropriately, over 7 days despite extreme conditions (faecal slurry). Treatment was well-tolerated and clinical improvement was observed in animal mobility. This new class of bandage has promise for challenging topical situations in humans and other animals, especially away from controlled, sterile clinical settings where wounds urgently require protection from environmental and bacterial contamination.

Evaluation of the impact of immunization policies, including the addition of pharmacists as immunizers, on influenza vaccination coverage in Nova Scotia, Canada: 2006 to 2016.

BACKGROUND: Influenza is a serious public health concern, resulting in morbidity, mortality and significant expense to healthcare systems worldwide. Annual vaccination is the most effective way to prevent influenza. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization in Canada recommends that everyone six months of age and older without contraindications should be vaccinated. The Canadian province of Nova Scotia implemented a publicly-funded universal influenza vaccination program in the 2010-2011 influenza season. In 2013, pharmacists in Nova Scotia gained the authority to provide a variety of vaccinations, including the publicly-funded influenza vaccine. This study aimed to investigate any changes in influenza vaccine coverage following the implementation of each policy change: 1) universal publicly-funded program and 2) universal publicly-funded program with the addition of pharmacists. METHODS: Influenza seasons evaluated were from 2006-2007 to 2015-2016. Coverage was estimated by examining Nova Scotia census data with aggregate immunization administration data, including the total number of vaccinations administered according to vaccine provider (physician, public health or pharmacist), geographic region, vaccine recipient age and year. RESULTS: The analysis showed an increase in influenza vaccine coverage immediately following the implementation of the two studied policy changes. Vaccine coverage increased from 36.4 to 38% following the implementation of the universally funded vaccine policy. Following the implementation of pharmacists as immunizers, coverage increased from 35.7 to 41.7%. Vaccine coverage was highest in those 65 years of age and older during all years evaluated. Physicians provided the highest proportion of vaccines during all study periods, however a decreasing trend through all periods was observed. Physicians proportionately provided more vaccines in urban areas; whereas pharmacist and public health immunization providers in rural areas provided proportionately more vaccinations than their urban counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of a universally funded vaccination policy and the addition of pharmacists as providers of the influenza vaccine resulted in increases in vaccine coverage initially. Additional research is needed to determine the long-term impacts of the policy changes on vaccination coverage and to identify other important factors affecting vaccine uptake.