Bovine brucellosis: an investigation of latency in progeny of culture-positive cows.

Calves (n = 150) born to cows infected with field strains of Brucella abortus were weaned within 24 hours after birth or allowed to nurse until weaned (age at weaning ranged from 10 to 43 weeks). After weaning, female calves were placed in small groups in special pens constructed to prevent further direct and environmental exposure to brucellae. At weaning, male calves were moved to an isolated pasture and were kept as a single group. Later, first-generation heifers were bred and placed in individual isolation pens until termination of pregnancy. Two of the first-generation heifers (that were culture-negative) developed persistent serologic responses (to B abortus) of unexplained origin. Brucellae were not isolated from progeny of infected cows (105) or from progeny offspring (95 fetuses and neonates), indicating that latency may be infrequent.

Brucella abortus in wildlife on selected cattle farms in Alabama.

Two studies of brucellosis in wildlife on farms where the brucellosis infection prevalence in cattle was known are reported. On a research farm, 233 feral animals of 22 mammalian species and 12 of seven avian species were trapped during three time periods. Sixty were studied before cattle were introduced, 128 were studied while 501 cattle infected with Brucella abortus were calving and aborting, and 60 specimens were collected 20 mo after the last infected cow calved. Selected tissues from 229 wild animals were cultured and sera from 138 were examined using the brucellosis card, standard tube agglutination (STA), 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) and rivanol (RIV) tests. Brucella abortus was not recovered from any animals sampled prior to cattle being introduced and all sera collected were negative. Brucella abortus was isolated from four opossums (Didelphis virginiana) and one raccoon (Procyon lotor) in the group of animals trapped during the calving period. Three serums were tested and had STA titers ranging from 1:100 to 1:200. Of 68 sera only one had antibodies. Brucella were not isolated from 59 animals trapped after the calving period and only one of 42 serums had antibodies. On regional cattle farms, 243 wild animals were trapped. Brucellae were not isolated from 223 animals which were cultured. No serums had significant titers. The data from this study suggest opossums and raccoons can be infected from cattle but are unlikely to maintain the infection.

Automobile accidents in Illinois veterinarians.

Interviews to solicit information on total automobile or truck travel, occupation related travel and automobile accidents were completed on 1082 non-military veterinarians in Illinois in 1969. Most had driven between 10,000 and 19,999 miles the previous year. Of the 1082 veterinarians interviewed, 313 had been in a total of 416 automobile accidents; of which 228 had been in only 1 accident, 69 in 2 accidents, 14 in 3 accidents and 2 veterinarians had 4 accidents each. the frequency of automobile accidents correlated directly with the number of work-related miles driven. Large animal, general practice and government employed were the three practice types with most miles traveled and greatest percent of miles traveled which were occupationally related. Veterinarians who had been in one or more automobile accidents differed from the total veterinary population in that fewer were married, veterans, smokers, had consulted a physician concerning their health the last six months or had been sick following insecticide use. Searches of death certificates indicated that 14 Illinois veterinarians had died as a result of vehicular accidents between 1950 and 1973, a figure similar to the rate in Illinois white males.

Can antibody responses in cattle vaccinated with a multivalent leptospiral bacterin interfere with serologic diagnosis of disease?

A commercially available leptospiral bacterin containing 5 serovars (canicola, grippotyphosa, hardjo, icterohemorrhagiae, pomona) was used per label directions to vaccinate 45 steers and bulls. In animals in which the prevaccination sera were negative for microscopic agglutinating antibody, the increase and decrease of titers were similar among all serovars. A serologic response was stimulated by a single dose and enhanced by the 2nd dose. Most titers peaked at 2 weeks and then fell rapidly by 15 weeks after the 2nd dose. Thirty-four animals with prevaccinal titers to serovar hardjo responded with high microscopic agglutinating titers for a sustained period. Of these cattle, 31 still had titers between 200 and 400 by 29 weeks after the 2nd dose. These results were interpreted as representing an anamnestic response initiated by the bacterin to a sensitization that had followed natural exposure.

Exposure to rabies - an occupational hazard for veterinarians.

Interviews to solicit information about animal bites and rabies vaccinations were completed on 1165 of 1175 non-military veterinarians in Illinois in 1968. Two hundred and sixty-one veterinarians reported 380 exposure incidents that precipitated the administration of rabies vaccine; 72 veterinarians had received two or more series of vaccine. Vaccine was administered after exposure from: examination of a patient (n = 230), bite (n = 79), necropsy (n = 17), other causes (n = 13) and unstated (n = 41). Eighty-six percent of the exposures were to dogs or cattle. In 231 veterinarians receiving postexposure vaccinations, where year of first vaccination and year of graduation from veterinary school were known, 97 (42%) were exposed in the six years spanning one year before graduation and four years after graduation. There were 296 veterinarians, including 12 receiving postexposure vaccination, who had received their first series of vaccine as preexposure prophylaxis. Twenty-one percent of all vaccinees (pre- and postexposure) reported reactions to the rabies vaccine. Seventy-two veterinarians reported they had been treated for an animal bite in the previous year.

Decreasing prevalence of Q fever in Illinois.

There were 858 (37.7 percent) Q fever-infected dairy herds among the 2,277 tested in Illinois in 1963. The percentage decreased to 19.2 percent (380 of 1,975) in 1967. Reaction rates (complement-fixation test titer of 1:8 or greater) in serum samples from veterinarians decreased from 13.3 percent in 1956 to 3.9 percent in 1964 and from 3.6 percent in 1966 to 0 percent in 1968, 1970, 1972. There were 14 (2.7 percent) reactive serum samples among 526 abattoir workers tested in 1966; reaction rates were higher among workers having contact with swine (8.2 percent) than among workers having contact with cattle (1.8 percent). Two (0.1 percent) of 1,432 serum samples collected from 1967 to 1971 during preemployment examinations at another abattoir were reactive. Only two clinical cases of Q fever were reported to the Illinois Department of Public Health in the period 1963-80. All evidence evidence points to a decreasing prevalence of Q fever in Illinois.

Experimental infection of opossums with Brucella abortus.

Thirteen opossums (Didelphis virginiana) trapped in east central Alabama were fed approximately 1.5 X 10(9) Brucella abortus colony forming units. Serologic responses to at least 1 of 3 tests developed in 8 of the 13 opossums. Brucella abortus was recovered from 18 of 159 blood samples from 4 of the 13 opossums and from 7 of 159 fecal samples from 6 of them. All culture-positive feces had been excreted within 4 days after exposure. Sixty-four urine, 123 saliva, and 78 vaginal samples were culture-negative. Eleven baby opossums, in their mothers' pouches at the time of capture, were culture-negative. Brucella abortus was isolated from 10 of 13 adult opossums. Ten additional opossums were trapped and tested for brucellosis. One had a tube agglutination titer of 1:25, and B abortus was isolated from the liver and spleen. Brucella abortus was isolated from lung and spleen of 8 seronegative opossums. The remaining 8 opossums were negative to all tests.

Cutaneous form of bovine papular stomatitis in man.

A cutaneous form of bovine papular stomatitis (BPS) infection was diagnosed in eight persons at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University, Auburn, Ala. The initial outbreak occurred in five persons who were involved in the care of a bull that required manual placement of an oral feeding tube. Confirmation of diagnosis was based on clinical findings, cytopathological effects in tissue culture, and isolation of typical paravaccinia virus particles in tissue culture. Transmission studies were performed successfully in three normal calves using tissue culture prepared from human biopsy material. In man, the cutaneous form of BPS infection shows gross lesions similar to the cutaneous form of contagious ecthyma ("orf") or pseudocowpox ("milkers' nodules") infection. Because BPS in cattle occurs most often without evidence of readily observable lesions, unlike contagious ecthyma in sheep or pseudocowpox in cattle, the transmission of BPS to man in the cutaneous form could occur without apparent source. The mild clinical manifestations make the condition relatively minor; however, the occasional case may have more severe lesions.

Response of gray foxes to modified live-virus canine distemper vaccines.

Ten gray foxes seronegative for canine distemper virus were vaccinated with 1 of 3 commercial modified live-virus canine distemper vaccines. Of 5 foxes receiving vaccine A (chicken tissue culture origin), 4 developed significant titers (greater than or equal to 1:100) of neutralizing antibody to canine distemper virus and remained clinically normal after vaccination. Two of 3 foxes vaccinated with vaccine B (canine cell line origin) and both foxes receiving vaccine C (canine cell line origin) died of vaccine-induced distemper. Five unvaccinated control foxes died of distemper after a known occasion for contact transmission of virus from a fox vaccinated with vaccine B. The results suggested that the chicken tissue culture origin modified live-virus canine distemper vaccine is probably safe for normal adult gray foxes, whereas the canine cell origin vaccines are hazardous. The results of this study tended to corroborate anecdotal experiences of veterinarians who have observed that gray foxes frequently die from distemper soon after vaccination with modified live-virus canine distemper vaccines.

Safety aspects in preparing suspensions of field strains of Brucella abortus for serological identification.

Forty field strains of Brucella abortus, obtained from milk and vaginal samples of naturally infected cattle, were heated in a waterbath at 65 degrees C, 75 degrees C, 80 degrees C for 60 to 120 minutes. Ninety-five per cent survived 65 degrees C for 120 minutes, 55 per cent survived 75 degrees C for 120 minutes, 25 per cent survived 80 degrees C for 120 minutes and 12.5 per cent survived 85 degrees C for 60 minutes. No isolates survived 85 degrees C for 75 minutes.

The health characteristics of veterinarians in Illinois.

A descriptive study was conducted in 1967, 1968, and 1969 on some of the basic health characteristics of the approximately 1,100 veterinarians in Illinois. A total of 87% had consulted a physician concerning their health within the past 30 months. Within the past 18 months 47% had been vaccinated against tetanus. Over one-third of the veterinarians had received their last tetanus inoculation because of an injury. Thirty-one percent had been tested serologically for zoonotic infections other than at a meeting of the state veterinary association, 69% wore glasses, 12% were allergic to an antimicrobial, and 24% had a history of an appendectomy. Nearly one-half smoked and another 22% were former smokers. Thirteen percent had hernias with 67% of these repaired surgically. The males of the subpopulation of veterinarians had a mean height of 5 feet 6 1/2 inches and a mean weight of 179 pounds. Gastrointestinal ulcers had been diagnosed in 10%, arthritis in 11%, heart disease in 8%, hypertension in 7%, diabetes in 2% and cancer in 1%. Sixty-eight percent had not lost a single workday in the past year. The total group had a mean loss of 0.85 days due to accident and 4.09 due to illness.

Swine influenza virus in swine and man in Illinois.

Serum samples from 2,091 persons from Illinois populations of swine abattoir employees, 4-H Club youths and their advisors, veterinary medical students, pork producers, and veterinarians were tested for hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibodies to A/Swine/Ill./63. A total of 231 positive reactions of 1:20 or above were found (11%). The highest prevalence of antibody was found in veterinarians, followed by pork producers and future swine abattoir employees. Age-adjusted reactor rates were highest in pork producers. Of 305 abattoir employees from whom two serum samples were examined 26(8.5%) had positive seroconversions. The abattoir population studied consisted largely of males under 40 years of age. A low prevalence of antibody was found in veterinary medical students and none was found in 4-H Club youths having swine contact. It is postulated that in Illinois there is occupational exposure of veterinarians, pork producers, and swine abattoir employees.

Correlation between laboratory services and reporting requirements for selected zoonoses.

Questionnaires on the reporting required and the diagnostic services provided for selected zoonoses were completed by all departments of public health and all departments of agriculture in the 50 States. The public health departments offered services for a larger number of zoonoses than did the agricultural agencies. The correlation between the required reporting of a disease and the availability of services for that disease was stronger in the case of public health laboratories.All of the public health laboratories offered assistance with brucellosis and tularemia. The agricultural laboratories had services available for brucellosis in 47 States and for leptospriosis in 45 States. Fifteen public health agencies and 11 agricultural agencies provided laboratory services for all the zoonoses that were reportable in their respective States. The public health laboratories in 12 States will test specimens from nonhuman patients.Laboratory resources might be conserved by elimination of some of the duplication of services within a State that results when both the public health and agricultural agencies provide assistance for the same disease.

Bovine papular stomatitis incidence in veterinary students.

Five cases of probable bovine papular stomatitis in faculty and students in a university veterinary clinic precipitated an intensive surveillance program. A senior class of veterinary medical students was questioned at the beginning of their clinical training to determine their history of exposure to cattle and presence of lesions resembling bovine papular stomatitis. Fifty-nine of the 115 students reported having had their hands in the mouths of cattle frequently. One of the 59 had experienced a hand lesion resembling bovine papular stomatitis. This class was maintained under close surveillance for bovine papular stomatitis-like lesions during the final 12 months of their clinical experience in veterinary school. One case developed in 8483 person days spent in the three high risk areas of beef cattle service, dairy cattle service and large animal anesthesiology. These two bovine papular stomatitis cases compare in frequency with five class members who had been vaccinated as a result of exposure to rabid animals and two class members with brucella antibodies in their sera. The findings suggest bovine papular stomatitis infections are not unusual in veterinary students but the mild clinical manifestations make the condition relatively unimportant.

Reporting of zoonotic diseases.

Departments of public health and agriculture in all 50 states of the United States and the District of Columbia were queried in 1977 to determine which of some selected zoonoses are reportable, the method of reporting and the diagnostic stage at which reporting is required. Fifty-three of the 62 diseases on the public health questionnaire were listed as reportable, with hepatitis A required by 49 of the 51 jurisdictions. Telephone reporting was required in nearly 19% of the disease-jurisdiction combinations and, in nearly 55%, reporting was required when the disease first was suspected. Thirty-three of the 41 diseases on the agriculture questionnaire were reportable, with anthrax most frequent. Telephone reporting was required in 30% of the reportable situations and suspected diagnoses were reportable in 54%. The disease lists varied markedly between the public health and agriculture agencies.

Comparative approach to health maintenance: definition, need, and rationale.

A comparative approach has been employed in many phases of medicine, eg, epidemiology, surgery, nutrition, cancer. It has been used widely in teaching, research, and surveillance, but little attention has been paid to its application in delivery systems. Geographic and financial circumstances often create situations in which it is extremely difficult to enter the health care system or even to know when such entry is indicated. Because the comparative approach has been successful in other phases of medicine, it deserves consideration in the health maintenance phase. The comparative approach has three major components: (1) Reliance on broad principles of health maintenance, not on specifics; (2) emphasis on health maintenance, not on curative medicine; and (3) utilization of health care systems designed for nonhuman beings to bring man into the human health care system. The ways to utilize ethically and legally the expertise of other health professionals in providing entry to the health care system and in facilitating transfer of our technical knowledge to more of the general public should be explored.