NR AXXT
AU Thorgeirsdottir,S.; Adolfsdottir,J.A.; Jensdottir,M.; Sigurdarson,S.
TI Scrapie Surveillance in Iceland - Detection of Nor98 and Natural Scrapie in Healthy Slaughter after Implementing Rapid Testing
QU International Conference - Prion 2007 (26.-28.9.2007) Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK - Book of Abstracts: Epidemiology, Risk Assessment and Transmission P04.84
IA http://www.prion2007.com/pdf/Prion Book of Abstracts.pdf
PT Konferenz-Poster
AB In Iceland scrapie in sheep has been a problem for a long time, but the first report of the disease was in 1878. One hundred years later, in 1978, an eradication program against the disease was started. After enhancements of the program in 1986 and 1993, it now includes culling of all scrapie flocks, a period without sheep for at least two years, restocking with sheep from scrapie-free areas after thorough cleaning and disinfection of all premises and equipment on the farm. Quarantine zones, marked by fences or rivers, which were established in the 1930's to fight "Karakul diseases", have also prevented spreading of the disease. Six of these zones (out of 36), located in three remote parts of the country, have always remained scrapie free. Incidence of scrapie in the last ten years has been one to eight cases per year (mean: 3.6 cases/year). Most of the cases have been in endemic areas and in some instances scrapie recurs on farms where disinfection and restocking took place years earlier. Most scrapie cases in Iceland are detected through passive surveillance (clinical suspects/fallen stock), although we have had active surveillance of scrapie since 1978. Several thousand abattoir samples from healthy adult sheep were tested every year by using histopathology, but there were, however, no cases detected in this group until 2004, when new rapid testing methods were implemented. Initially the ELISA-method (TeSeE, Bio-Rad) was used in addition to histopathological staining, but is now used for screening all samples from healthy slaughtered sheep. In 2004 a total of eight scrapie cases were detected, of which three originated from the 3000 samples from healthy slaughter tested by ELISA. One of these positive cases was of the atypical type of scrapie, Nor98 (confirmed by NVI, Norway). When that flock of 350 sheep was culled and tested by ELISA, one additional Nor98 case was detected. Among 7000 samples from healthy sheep tested since 2004, we have detected one additional scrapie case.
AD S. Thorgeirsdottir, J.A. Adolfsdottir, M. Jensdottir, Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Iceland; S. Sigurdarson, The Agricultural Authority of Iceland, Iceland
SP englisch
PO Schottland