RESUMO
An update on the African swine fever (ASF) situation in the 10 affected Member States (MS) in the EU and in two neighbouring countries from the 1 September 2019 until the 31 August 2020 is provided. The dynamics of the proportions of PCR- and ELISA-positive samples since the first ASF detection in the country were provided and seasonal patterns were investigated. The impact of the ASF epidemic on the annual numbers of hunted wild boar in each affected MS was investigated. To evaluate differences in the extent of spread of ASF in the wild boar populations, the number of notifications that could be classified as secondary cases to a single source was calculated for each affected MS and compared for the earliest and latest year of the epidemic in the country. To evaluate possible risk factors for the occurrence of ASFV in wild boar or domestic pigs, a literature review was performed. Risk factors for the occurrence of ASF in wild boar in Romanian hunting grounds in 2019 were identified with a generalised linear model. The probability to find at least one PCR-confirmed ASF case in wild boar in a hunting ground in Romania was driven by environmental factors, wild boar abundance and the density of backyard pigs in the hunting ground area, while hunting-related variables were not retained in the final model. Finally, measures implemented in white zones (ASF-free zones that are geographically adjacent to an area where ASF is present in wild boar) to prevent further spread of ASF were analysed with a spatially, explicit stochastic individual-based model. To be effective, the wild boar population in the white zone would need to be drastically reduced before ASF arrives at the zone and it must be wide enough. To achieve the necessary pre-emptive culling targets of wild boar in the white zone, at the start of the establishment, the white zone should be placed sufficiently far from the affected area, considering the speed of the natural spread of the disease. This spread is faster in denser wild boar populations. After a focal ASF introduction, the white zone is always close to the infection hence pre-emptive culling measures in the white zone must be completed in short term, i.e. in a few months.
RESUMO
It was the aim of this project to obtain information on the prevalence of Chlamydiaceae and Mollicutes and their potential importance for reproductive problems in cattle. Cervical or vaginal swabs were taken from 644 animals in 196 farms and blood samples were collected from 375 cattle. Out of the animals, 6.8% had aborted within the last 12 months, 2.6% showed clinical vaginitis and 11.6% clinical endometritis. Chlamydiaceae were detected and identified by PCR followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. For the detection and identification of Mollicutes cultivation procedures, biochemical differentiation and serological identification were used. Sera were tested for antibodies against Chlamydiaceae and Mycoplasma (M.) bovis by ELISA and against M. bovigenitalium by Western blot analysis. Chlamydophila (Cp.) abortus was found in three cervical swabs. Cp. pecorum was detected in 9% of cervical or vaginal swabs. The majority of Cp. species found was Cp. pecorum and thus fertility problems caused by Cp. abortus are limited. M. bovis was found in only one genital swab. M. bovigenitalium was rarely diagnosed (3% of cervical and 2% of vaginal swabs). M. bovigenitalium was found more often in cattle having aborted (4/32 animals) than in cattle without history of abortion (5/220, p<0.05). Ureaplasma (U.) diversum existed in 12% of cervical and 36% of vaginal swabs and was found in 8 out of 17 animals with vaginitis. Out of the animals tested, 44.9% were seropositive for Chlamydiaceae, 14.8% for M. bovis and 27.3% for M. bovigenitalium.
