Role of import and export regulatory animal health officials in international control and surveillance for animal diseases.

The challenges to those who regulate the import and export of animals and animal products are escalating, due to the evolving nature of animal and human disease agents. The diseases and agents of interest may include low pathogenic avian influenza, bluetongue, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and foot-and-mouth disease. Fear of an incursion of an unknown or incompletely understood threat can significantly limit risk tolerance. The fear may be that an incursion will affect export trade or tourism. An incomplete knowledge of the animal health situation in the exporting country, due to insufficient surveillance for the disease agent of concern, may limit the application of science in import decisions. In addition, the disease agent may be inappropriately considered exotic if it has not been described. As a result, excessive safeguards for disease agents that do not present any new threat may be employed. To confront these challenges, we are striving toward transparency in international reporting. Moreover, regulatory import decisions exceeding the recommendations of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code and the Aquatic Animal Health Code of the World Organization for Animal Health must be fair and science-based.

Surveillance for avian influenza in the United States.

In the United States, some 1.7 million agar gel immuno diffusion (AGID) tests for avian influenza (AI) are conducted yearly by various poultry groups, governmental sectors, and private industry. In addition to the AGID test, additional testing includes virus isolations, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reactions, and hemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests. HI and neuraminidase inhibition tests are conducted on positive AGID samples to determine the subtype. Directigen, a type of antigen capture test, is used in the field in some cases. If monitoring and surveillance activities give rise to a suspicious test result, the accredited veterinarian and official State laboratory are required to report these to the governmental authorities. A thorough investigation in collaboration with the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (a World Organization for Animal Health--AI reference laboratory), State and Federal veterinarians, and others is conducted. Testing conducted as part of the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) effectively monitors the status of breeder and multiplier flocks. A new commercial poultry program is being added and will expand NPIP AI testing to all commercial flocks. Private poultry companies conduct additional tests; and in the poultry-producing States, there are active state-wide programs to monitor poultry health. All components of the live-bird market system (source flocks, haulers, dealers, and markets) are tested under the Low Pathogenicity AI Live-Bird Market Program.