Changes to the AHVLA services

Surveillance for new and re-emerging animal diseases in England and Wales is based on post-mortem and syndromic analysis of laboratory data collated in a central database by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), with the aim of providing early warning of disease events prior to clinical diagnosis. Understanding the drivers for participation in such systems is critical to the success of attempts to improve surveillance sensitivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the decision-making process governing the submission of biological samples on which this surveillance system is based by use of questionnaires. Data extracted were used to structure and parameterize scenario trees modelling the probability of generating an entry in the surveillance database. The mean probability for database entry per case ranged from 0.085 for neurological disorders to 0.25 for enteric disease. These findings illustrate the importance of on-farm decision making to the generation of surveillance data.

OVER the past decade we have seen cases of adult Holstein-Friesian cattle presented for postmortem examination with an acute fatal haemorrhage from a major artery. Since 2003, the Animal Health...

WE would like to report the results of an investigation that suggests the presence of a hereditary nephropathy in Zwartbles sheep. In August 2010, chronic nephritis with widespread deposition of...

Veterinary RecordVolume 171, Issue 18 p. 448-448 Research A natural-transmission model of bovine tuberculosis provides novel disease insights B. L. Khatri PhD, B. L. Khatri PhD Bovine TB Department, Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB UKSearch for more papers by this authorM. Coad MSc, M. Coad MSc Bovine TB Department, Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB UKSearch for more papers by this authorD. J. Clifford BVMS, MRCVS, D. J. Clifford BVMS, MRCVS Bovine TB Department, Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB UKSearch for more papers by this authorR. G. Hewinson DPhil, R. G. Hewinson DPhil Bovine TB Department, Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB UKSearch for more papers by this authorA. O. Whelan PhD, A. O. Whelan PhD Bovine TB Department, Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB UKSearch for more papers by this authorH. M. Vordermeier PhD, Corresponding Author H. M. Vordermeier PhD [email protected] Bovine TB Department, Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB UKE-mail for correspondence: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author B. L. Khatri PhD, B. L. Khatri PhD Bovine TB Department, Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB UKSearch for more papers by this authorM. Coad MSc, M. Coad MSc Bovine TB Department, Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB UKSearch for more papers by this authorD. J. Clifford BVMS, MRCVS, D. J. Clifford BVMS, MRCVS Bovine TB Department, Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB UKSearch for more papers by this authorR. G. Hewinson DPhil, R. G. Hewinson DPhil Bovine TB Department, Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB UKSearch for more papers by this authorA. O. Whelan PhD, A. O. Whelan PhD Bovine TB Department, Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB UKSearch for more papers by this authorH. M. Vordermeier PhD, Corresponding Author H. M. Vordermeier PhD [email protected] Bovine TB Department, Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB UKE-mail for correspondence: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author First published: 03 November 2012 https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.101072Citations: 5 Provenance: not commissioned; externally peer reviewed Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume171, Issue18November 2012Pages 448-448 RelatedInformation

ANIMAL Health and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) are due to be merged, and I see that Defra is looking for a name for the single agency (Anon, VLA Vetro, February 2011). The interim name agreed by ministers is Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, or AHVLA. I think this is

Veterinary RecordVolume 155, Issue 5 p. 149-151 Short Communications Genetic similarity between porcine circovirus type 2 isolated from the first reported case of PMWS in South Africa and North American...

Veterinary RecordVolume 164, Issue 9 p. 272-274 Short Communication Bone marrow infectivity in cattle exposed to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent H. J. Sohn DVM, MSc, Corresponding Author H. J....

Veterinary RecordVolume 160, Issue 25 p. 873-874 Short Communication First case of H-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy identified in Great Britain L. A. Terry PhD, L. A. Terry PhD Veterinary Laboratories...

BackgroundShiga toxin producing Escherichia coli O157 can cause severe bloody diarrhea and haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Phage typing of E. coli O157 facilitates public health surveillance and outbreak investigations, certain phage types are more likely to occupy specific niches and are associated with specific age groups and disease severity. The aim of this study was to analyse the genome sequences of 16 (fourteen T4 and two T7) E. coli O157 typing phages and to determine the genes responsible for the subtle differences in phage type profiles.ResultsThe typing phages were sequenced using paired-end Illumina sequencing at The Genome Analysis Centre and the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency and bioinformatics programs including Velvet, Brig and Easyfig were used to analyse them. A two-way Euclidian cluster analysis highlighted the associations between groups of phage types and typing phages. The analysis showed that the T7 typing phages (9 and 10) differed by only three genes and that the T4 typing phages formed three distinct groups of similar genomic sequences: Group 1 (1, 8, 11, 12 and 15, 16), Group 2 (3, 6, 7 and 13) and Group 3 (2, 4, 5 and 14). The E. coli O157 phage typing scheme exhibited a significantly modular network linked to the genetic similarity of each group showing that these groups are specialised to infect a subset of phage types.ConclusionSequencing the typing phage has enabled us to identify the variable genes within each group and to determine how this corresponds to changes in phage type.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1470-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

WE would like to report the results from work investigating a case of suspected benzimidazole resistance in lambs infected with Nematodirus battus . We are aware of benzimidazole resistance having...

Lesions in the heart seen in unusual cases of blackleg in cattleLead poisoning diagnosed in housed suckler cowsMycotic abortion in pigsOedema disease outbreak in weaners with meningitis-like signsSeabird die-off thought...

Unusual outbreak of rhinitis in a Jersey herdPulpy kidney reported by most regional laboratories in four- to six-month-old lambsSwine influenza in batches of weaners with salmonellosis and streptococcal diseaseCoronavirus infection...

Schmallenberg virus found on many farms and diagnosis by PCR not always acheived Intestinal torsion on an outdoor pig unit Outbreaks of Glässers disease in the early postweaning period Tuberculosis outbreak in sheep Live bat found in a timberyard in a container from USA These are among matters discussed in the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency's (AHVLA's) disease surveillance report for April

The Laboratory Management Tool (LMT) is a standardized spreadsheet-based assessment tool developed to help support national, regional, and global efforts to maintain an effective network of animal health and veterinary public health laboratories. The safety and biosecurity module of the LMT (LMT-S) includes 98 measures covering administrative, operational, engineering, and personal protective equipment practices used to provide laboratory safety and biosecurity. Performance aspects of laboratory infrastructure and technical compliance considered fundamental for ensuring that a laboratory is able to appropriately function in a safe and biosecure manner are systematically queried and scored for compliance on a four-point scale providing for a semi-quantitative assessment. Data collected is used to generate graphs and tables mapping levels of compliance with international standards and good practices, as well as for documenting progress over time. The LMT-S was employed by trained auditors in 34 laboratories located in 19 countries between 2015 and 2017. The tool is intended to help standardize animal health laboratory assessments, document compliance with recognized laboratory safety and biosecurity measures, serve as a self-help and training tool, and assist global laboratory development efforts by providing an accurate measurement of laboratory safety and biosecurity at local, national, and regional levels.

BackgroundWith increased attention to the importance of integrating the One Health approach into zoonotic disease surveillance and response, a greater understanding of the mechanisms to support effective communication and information sharing across animal and human health sectors is needed. The objectives of this qualitative case study were to describe the communication channels used between human and animal health stakeholders and to identify the elements that have enabled the integration of the One Health approach.MethodsWe combined documentary research with interviews with fifteen stakeholders to map the communication channels used in human and swine influenza surveillance in Alberta, Canada, as well as in the response to a human case of H1N2v in 2020. A thematic analysis of the interviews was also used to identify the barriers and facilitators to communication among stakeholders from the animal and human health sectors.ResultsWhen a human case of swine influenza emerged, the response led by the provincial Chief Medical Officer of Health involved players at various levels of government and in the human and animal health sectors. The collaboration of public and animal health laboratories and of the swine sector, in addition to the information available through the surveillance systems in place, was swift and effective. Elements identified as enabling smooth communication between the human and animal health systems included preexisting relationships between the various stakeholders, a relationship of trust between them (e.g., the swine sector and their perception of government structures), the presence of stakeholders acting as permanent liaisons between the ministries of health and agriculture, and stakeholders' understanding of the importance of the One Health approach.ConclusionsInformation flows through formal and informal channels and both structural and relational features that can support rapid and effective communication in infectious disease surveillance and outbreak response.