The role of the OIE in international trade.

The OIE (Office International des Epizooties), the world animal health organization, has been addressing the most serious animal diseases throughout the globe for the past 75 years. It has developed guidelines for safe international trade in animals and animal products as part of its original mandate. Since the establishment of the World Trade Organization and the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement, the role for the OIE has changed. At this point in the history of the OIE, new demands, expectations and challenges lie ahead as the OIE faces a new role in international trade.

The isolation of salmonellae, Newcastle disease virus and other infectious agents from quarantined imported birds in Canada.

Necropsy and culture results are presented for 269 consignments of imported birds (mainly psittacine and passerine species) examined between January 1977 and August 1980. Consignments were submitted for diagnosis of clinical illness or deaths occurring among these birds while they were in quarantine before entry into Canada. Enteritis and injury were the most frequent diagnoses. Pathogens or potential pathogens were isolated from 77% of consignments. Newcastle disease virus was isolated nine times, and Chlamydia psittaci was isolated once. Escherichia coli (from 113 consignments) and salmonellae (from 49) were the most common bacteria isolated, and reoviruses (from 22) and paramyxoviruses other than Newcastle disease virus (from 22) were the most common viruses. Salmonella typhimurium was the most common Salmonella serovar. Salmonella hadar was isolated from turkey poults imported from Great Britain. The possible public health significance of the role of imported birds in the introduction of exotic Salmonella serovars, or of serovars resistant to several antimicrobials is discussed.

Gamma ray inactivation of some animal viruses.

Twenty samples of animal viruses comprising 14 different viruses in 12 families were subjected to varying doses of gamma irradiation from a 60Co source in a Gamma Cell 220 (Atomic Energy of Canada Limited) to determine lethal dose levels. The dose responses appeared linear throughout inactivation. The D10 values, that is the dose necessary to reduce infectivity by one log10, ranged from less than 0.20 Megarads to approximately 0.55 Megarads. There was not a complete inverse correlation between the target size (virion core) and the D10 value.

An outbreak of duck virus enteritis (duck plague) in Alberta.

Duck plague (Duck virus enteritis) was disgnosed in a resident population of Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata) on a small game farm in Alberta. This disease has not been reported previously in Canada. Clinical signs consisted of cyanosis, depression and acute death. Necropsy of two Muscovy ducks revealed lesions typical of the disease. There were ulcerations with pseudomembranes in the small intestine, ulcerations with caseous plaques in the esophagus and eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies in the spleen. Clinical disease with mortality was reproduced in young ducklings injected with tissue homogenates from field cases. All surviving inoculated ducklings seroconverted to highly significant titres of neutralizing antibodies to duck virus enteritis (DVE) virus. All attempts to isolate the agent in embryonating duck eggs or primary tissues cultures of duck and chicken kidney were negative. Identification of the DVE virus was accomplished by serum neutralization with ducklings as the host system.

Bluetongue-like disease of deer.

A comparison has been made of the disease produced in white-tailed deer by the viruses of epizootic haemorrhagic disease and bluetongue. The similar nature of these diseases in deer and of some of the viral properties has been described. Although these two viruses are considered to be distinct, it is possible by employing an unnatural procedure to produce antibody which will demonstrate a minor antigenic component common to both viruses. Biological features that differ between the two viruses have also been noted.

Studies on bluetongue. VI. Animal transmission studies.

The Cyprus strain of bluetongue virus was successfully transmitted through six passages and the Station strain through one passage in calves. Although the animals developed no visible evidence of infection, viremia as shown by both passage and fluorescent antibody examination of infected foetal bovine kidney culture, and by serological conversion was nevertheless demonstrated. No enhancement of virulence for calves or sheep was shown following bovine passage. A ewe inoculated in late pregnancy with blood drawn from a calf 59 days after its infection, gave birth to a lamb from whose blood the virus was isolated. Significant complement-fixation titres persisted for at least 200 days.

African swine fever. 3. The use of the agar double-diffusion precipitation test for the detection of the virus in swine tissue.

The agar double-diffusion precipitation test was applied successfully in the demonstration of ASF viral antigen in spleen and liver from swine experimentally infected by the oral route. Positive reactions were obtained with tissues collected as early as 24 hours after the onset of pyrexia and before other clinical manifestation of the disease. Cross-reactions were observed between the various ASF strains used in the study, making the test practical for routine diagnosis in which different strains may be encountered.

African swine fever. IV. Demonstration of the viral antigen by means of immunofluorescence.

African swine fever immunofluorescent conjugates were prepared in swine and used successfully in the demonstration of viral antigen in frozen tissue sections and in inoculated tissue culture cells. Cross reactivity was observed with the six strains used in the inoculation of swine. The high antibody content of the serum of immune swine did not interfere with demonstration of the antigen in frozen tissue sections of certain of their organs. The localisation and extent of antigen varied with the stage of infection. The virus was demonstrated in spleen and other organs as early as after one day of pyrexia and until after death of the animal. A pool of hog cholera and African swine fever conjugates stained with dyes of different colours was used in the localisation of respective antigens in experimental mixed infection.

African swine fever. II. Detection of the virus in swine tissues by means of the modified direct complement-fixation test.

The modified direct complement-fixation test, supplemented with unheated normal calf serum, was used to demonstrate antibodies in sera of swine immunized to African swine fever virus. These antibodies did not react in the ordinary direct non-supplemented complement-fixation test.African swine fever complement-fixing antigen in infected swine tissue is not denatured by extraction with fat solvents. Consequently, good antigens devoid of non-specific reactivity were obtained by extraction with a mixture of acetone and ether. The virus was detected in infected swine tissue harvested one day after beginning of pyrexia. The modified direct complement-fixation test demonstrated cross-reactions between the six strains of virus studied.