Genotyping and surveillance for scrapie in Finnish sheep

BACKGROUND: The progression of scrapie is known to be influenced by the amino acid polymorphisms of the host prion protein (PrP) gene. There is no breeding programme for TSE resistance in sheep in Finland, but a scrapie control programme has been in place since 1995. In this study we have analysed PrP genotypes of total of 928 purebred and crossbred sheep together with the data of scrapie survey carried out in Finland during 2002–2008 in order to gain knowledge of the genotype distribution and scrapie prevalence in Finnish sheep. RESULTS: The ARQ/ARQ genotype was the most common genotype in all breeds studied. ARR allele frequency was less than 12% in purebred Finnish sheep and in most genotypes heterozygous for ARR, the second allele was ARQ. The VRQ allele was not detected in the Grey race sheep of Kainuu or in the Aland sheep, and it was present in less than 6% of the Finnish Landrace sheep. Leucine was the most prominent amino acid found in codon 141. In addition, one novel prion dimorphisms of Q220L was detected. During the scrapie survey of over 15 000 sheep in 2002–2008, no classical scrapie cases and only five atypical scrapie cases were detected. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the Finnish sheep populations have genetically little resistance to classical scrapie, but no classical scrapie was detected during an extensive survey in 2002–2008. However, five atypical scrapie cases emerged; thus, the disease is present in the Finnish sheep population at a low level

Risk assessment of importing bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) into Finland

Naudan virusripuli, BVD, on endeeminen ja prevalentti tauti Pohjois-Amerikan (Yhdysvallat ja Kanada) alueella. Suomessa BVD:n esiintyminen on saatu rajattua kansainvälisesti katsoen erittäin alhaiselle tasolle. Tämä kuvaileva riskinarviointi noudattaa Maailman eläintautijärjestön (OIE) ohjeiden mukaista jaottelua tuontiriskin arvioinnissa. 1. Vaaran tunnistus: Nautaeläinten keinosiemennys on eräs tunnettu BVD -viruksen (BVDV) tartuntareitti. Pohjois-Amerikasta maahan tuotavan sperman mahdollisesti sisältämää BVDV kontaminaatiota on pidettävä vaaratekijänä Suomen hyvän BVD -tilanteen kannalta. 2. Leviämisarvio: Pohjois-Amerikasta tuotavien sperma-annosten joukossa voi vuosittain olla joitakin BVDV:n kontaminoimia annoksia. Näihin annoksiin liittyy vähäinen, mutta ei täysin olematon riski BVDV - tartunnan leviämisestä suomalaiseen nautakarjaan. 3. Altistumisen arviointi: Kontaminoitujen tuontispermaerien oletetaan voivan aiheuttaa tartunnan ainakin puolessa altistuneista emistä. BVDV -tartunnan saaminen tätä kautta on vuositasolla harvinainen, mutta todennäköisyydeltään ei täysin olematon tapahtuma. 4. Seurausten arviointi: Pysyvästi infektoituneen (PI) vasikan syntymisen odotusarvona voidaan laskelman mukaan pitää yhtä PI vasikkaa / 4 – 8 vuotta. Gamma jakauman avulla mallinnetuista tapahtumien välisistä ajanjaksoista 90% on alle 11,2 ja vastaavasti alle 25,0 vuotta. 5. Riskin kokonaisarviointi: PI-vasikan syntyminen Pohjois-Amerikasta peräisin olevan sperman tuonnin seurauksena on varsin harvinainen tapahtuma. Tapahtuman potentiaalisten seurausten kannalta arvioitua taajuutta ei voi pitää täysin merkityksettömänä.Bovin Virus Diarre BVD, är frekvent förekommande och endemisk för Nord Amerika (Förenta Staterna samt Canada). I Finland har man lyckats begränsa förekomsten till en internationellt sett mycket låg nivå. Denna kvalitativa riskbedömning är uppställd I enlighet med Världsorganisationen för djurhälsa OIE:s direktiv för import riskbedömning: 1. Identifikation av fara: Insemination av nötkreatur är en känd smittoväg för BVD. Den potentiella kontaminationen av sperma från Nord-Amerika med BVDV kan anses som en riskfaktor för den goda BVD situationen i Finland. 2. Bedömning av risken för smittspridning: I sperma doser importerade från Nord- Amerika kan det årligen förekomma ett litet antal doser kontaminerade med BVD virus (BVDV). Risken för spridning av BVDV smitta till finska nötkreatur med denna sperma är liten men inte obefintlig. 3. Bedömning av exponeringsrisken: De kontaminerade doserna antas kunna sprida smittan till hälften av de exponerade korna. På årsnivå är risken för spridning av BVDV till finländska kor med sperma låg men inte utesluten. 4. Bedömning av konsekvenserna: Enligt beräkningarna är den förväntade tidsintervallen mellan födsel av en persistent infekterad (PI) kalv 4 – 8 år. Inom ett gammadistribuerat interval sker 90 % av fallen fore 11,2 eller 25,0 år. 5. Riskestimat: Det föds inte ofta PI kalvar som följd av import av BVDV kontaminerad sperma från Nord-Amerika. Med tanke på de potentiella konsekvenserna är frekvensen dock inte helt obetydlig.Bovine viral diarrhea, BVD, is endemic and prevalent disease in North America (United States and Canada). In Finland the occurrence of BVD has been reduced to internationally very low level. This descriptive assessment follows the guidelines for import risk analysis by the World organisation for animal health (OIE). 1. Hazard identification: Artificial insemination of bovine animals is a recognized route of transmission of BVD virus (BVDV). The possible contamination by BVDV of bovine semen imported from North America constitutes a hazard for the favourable BDV situation among Finnish cattle. 2 Release assessment: The lots of semen imported from North America may contain annually a few contaminated by BVDV. The risk of release through these lots is a remote but not wholly insignificant possibility. 3. Exposure assessment: The contaminated lots of semen are considered to be able to transmit the infection to at least half of the dams inseminated with them. Contraction of BVDV infection this way is annually a rare event with low but not zero probability. 4. Consequence assessment: The predicted frequency for birth of persistently infected (PI) calves is one every 4 – 8 years. 90% of the intervals modelled with Gamma distribution lie below 11.2 and 25.0 years, respectively. 5. Risk estimation: Birth of a PI calf due to the import of contaminated sperm from North America is a quite rare event, but taking the potential consequences into account, this frequency is not completely insignificant

Evolutionary trends of European bat lyssavirus type 2 including genetic characterization of Finnish strains of human and bat origin 24 years apart

Erratum to: Evolutionary trends of European bat lyssavirus type 2 including genetic characterization of Finnish strains of human and bat origin 24 years apart Archives of Virology July 2015, Vol. 160, Issue 7, p 1875, 2015 10.1007/s00705-015-2475-2Among other Lyssaviruses, Daubenton's and pond-bat-related European bat lyssavirus type 2 (EBLV-2) can cause human rabies. To investigate the diversity and evolutionary trends of EBLV-2, complete genome sequences of two Finnish isolates were analysed. One originated from a human case in 1985, and the other originated from a bat in 2009. The overall nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence identity of the two Finnish isolates were high, as well as the similarity to fully sequenced EBLV-2 strains originating from the UK and the Netherlands. In phylogenetic analysis, the EBLV-2 strains formed a monophyletic group that was separate from other bat-type lyssaviruses, with significant support. EBLV-2 shared the most recent common ancestry with Bokeloh bat lyssavirus (BBLV) and Khujan virus (KHUV). EBLV-2 showed limited diversity compared to RABV and appears to be well adapted to its host bat species. The slow tempo of viral evolution was evident in the estimations of divergence times for EBLV-2: the current diversity was estimated to have built up during the last 2000 years, and EBLV-2 diverged from KHUV about 8000 years ago. In a phylogenetic tree of partial N gene sequences, the Finnish EBLV-2 strains clustered with strains from Central Europe, supporting the hypothesis that EBLV-2 circulating in Finland might have a Central European origin. The Finnish EBLV-2 strains and a Swiss strain were estimated to have diverged from other EBLV-2 strains during the last 1000 years, and the two Finnish strains appear to have evolved from a common ancestor during the last 200 years.Peer reviewe

Health and welfare of rabbits farmed in different production systems

The AGRI committee of the European Parliament requested EFSA to assess the welfare of rabbits farmed in different production systems, including organic production, and to update its 2005 scientific opinion about the health and welfare of rabbits kept for meat production. Considering reproducing does, kits and growing rabbits, this scientific opinion focusses on six different housing systems, namely conventional cages, structurally enriched cages, elevated pens, floor pens, outdoor/partially outdoor systems and organic systems. To compare the level of welfare in the different housing systems and rabbit categories, welfare impact scores for 20 welfare consequences identified from the literature were calculated, taking their occurrence, duration and severity into account. Based on the overall welfare impact score (sum of scores for the single welfare consequences), obtained via a 2-step expert knowledge elicitation process, the welfare of reproducing does is likely (certainty 66-90%) to be lower in conventional cages compared to the five other housing systems. In addition, it is likely to extremely likely (certainty 66-99%) that the welfare of kits is lower in outdoor systems compared to the other systems and that the welfare is higher in elevated pens than in the other systems. Finally, it is likely to extremely likely (certainty 66-99%) that the welfare of growing rabbits is lower in conventional cages compared to the other systems and that the welfare is higher in elevated pens than in the other systems. Ranking of the welfare consequences allowed an analysis of the main welfare consequences within each system and rabbit category. It was concluded that for reproducing does, as well as growing rabbits, welfare consequences related to behavioural restrictions were more prominent in conventional cages, elevated pens and enriched cages, whereas those related to health problems were more important in floor pens, outdoor and organic systems. Housing in organic rabbit farming is diverse, which can result in different welfare consequences, but the overall welfare impact scores suggest that welfare in organic systems is generally good. (C) 2020 European Food Safety Authority. EFSA Journal published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd on behalf of European Food Safety Authority.Non peer reviewe

Stunning methods and slaughter of rabbits for human consumption

This opinion on the killing of rabbits for human consumption ('slaughtering') responds to two mandates: one from the European Parliament (EP) and the other from the European Commission. The opinion describes stunning methods for rabbits known to the experts in the EFSA working group, which can be used in commercial practice, and which are sufficiently described in scientific and technical literature for the development of an opinion. These are electrical stunning, mechanical stunning with a penetrative and non-penetrative captive bolt and gas stunning. The latter method is not allowed in the EU anymore following Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009, but may still be practiced elsewhere in the world. Related hazards and welfare consequences are also evaluated. To monitor stunning effectiveness as requested by the EP mandate, the opinion suggests the use of indicators for the state of consciousness, selected on the basis of their sensitivity, specificity and ease of use. Similarly, it suggests indicators to confirm animals are dead before dressing. For the European Commission mandate, slaughter processes were assessed from the arrival of rabbits in containers until their death, and grouped in three main phases: pre-stunning (including arrival, unloading of containers from the truck, lairage, handling/removing of rabbits from containers), stunning (including restraint) and bleeding (including bleeding following stunning and bleeding during slaughter without stunning). Ten welfare consequences resulting from the hazards that rabbits can be exposed to during slaughter are identified: consciousness, animal not dead, thermal stress (heat or cold stress), prolonged thirst, prolonged hunger, restriction of movements, pain, fear, distress and respiratory distress. Welfare consequences and relevant animal-based measures (indicators) are described. Outcome tables linking hazards, welfare consequences, indicators, origins, preventive and corrective measures are developed for each process. Mitigation measures to minimise welfare consequences are also proposed. (C) 2020 European Food Safety Authority. EFSA Journal published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd on behalf of European Food Safety Authority.Non peer reviewe

Guidance on the assessment criteria for applications for new or modified stunning methods regarding animal protection at the time of killing

Peer reviewe

Assessment of listing and categorisation of animal diseases within the framework of the Animal Health Law (Regulation (EU) No 2016/429): Border disease

Non peer reviewe