The Efficacy of Emamectin Benzoate against Infestations of Lepeophtheirus salmonis on Farmed Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L) in Scotland, 2002–2006

Infestations of the parasitic copepod Lepeophtheirus salmonis, commonly referred to as sea lice, represent a major challenge to commercial salmon aquaculture. Dependence on a limited number of theraputants to control such infestations has led to concerns of reduced sensitivity in some sea lice populations. This study investigates trends in the efficacy of the in-feed treatment emamectin benzoate in Scotland, the active ingredient most widely used across all salmon producing regions. Study data were drawn from over 50 commercial Atlantic salmon farms on the west coast of Scotland between 2002 and 2006. An epi-informatics approach was adopted whereby available farm records, descriptive epidemiological summaries and statistical linear modelling methods were used to identify factors that significantly affect sea lice abundance following treatment with emamectin benzoate (SLICEH, Schering Plough Animal Health). The results show that although sea lice infestations are reduced following the application of emamectin benzoate, not all treatments are effective. Specifically there is evidence of variation across geographical regions and a reduction in efficacy over time. Reduced sensitivity and potential resistance to currently available medicines are constant threats to maintaining control of sea lice populations on Atlantic salmon farms. There is a need for on-going monitoring of emamectin benzoate treatment efficacy together with reasons for any apparent reduction in performance. In addition, strategic rotation of medicines should be encouraged and empirical evidence for the benefit of such strategies more fully evaluated

Development of an animal health surveillance ontology

Comprehensive reviews of veterinary syndromic surveillance have pointed out the hindrances to integration and interoperability among systems using different data sources. Discussions with syndromic surveillance experts in the fields of animal and public health, as well as computer scientists from the field of information management, have led to the conclusion that the solution needed is an ontology. Here we describe the advantages of the approach, and the methodological steps planned around the launch, in 2017, of a community of developers and users of the Animal Health Surveillance Ontology (AHSO). Development is expected to be community driven and the final product will be open-access

Improving cattle disease reporting and surveillance in Ethiopia using smartphone-based application

This study explores the use of a smartphone-based application to increase the accuracy and completeness of cattle disease reporting and surveillance in three regions of Ethiopia. We compared the performance of a smartphone-based application with traditional (paper-based) cattle diagnosis and reporting, in terms of demographics and disease information, level of detail and delay in time to transmit information to higher levels. A total of 547 and 678 clinical cattle cases were diagnosed in veterinary clinics visited by two groups of final-year veterinary students using the VetAfrica-Ethiopia (VAE) smartphone app and manual approach respectively. The group using the VAE application diagnosed over 90% cases as diseases of a specific name, while in reports from the manual system almost 50% of cases were diagnosed as non-specific diseases or ‘syndromes’. Furthermore, the mean duration of time required for smartphone data to be received by zonal- and federal- level veterinary services through a Cloud-based server were estimated to be two days (95% CI: 1.6–2.3), five days (95% CI: 3.8–5.4), and 13 days (95% CI: 12–14.9) in the Central, Eastern and Southern regions. The traditional reporting system adopted a batch reporting approach and only around two thirds of all cases reach the federal veterinary service by the end of a month. Despite the fact that such smartphone technology-assisted reporting and surveillance involves considerable start-up challenges and may be affected by intermittent mobile internet network coverage, they offer significant benefits in terms of improving data integrity, timeliness and reduced costs in the long run

User-thesaurus interaction in a web-based database

A major challenge faced by users during the information search and retrieval process is the selection of search terms for query formulation and expansion. Thesauri are recognised as one source of search terms which can assist users in query construction and expansion. As the number of electronic thesauri attached to information retrieval systems has grown, a range of interface facilities and features have been developed to aid users in formulating their queries. The pilot study reported here aimed to explore and evaluate how a thesaurus-enhanced search interface assisted end-users in selecting search terms. Specifically, it focused on the evaluation of users' attitudes toward both the thesaurus and its interface as tools for facilitating search term selection for query expansion. Thesaurusbased searching and browsing behaviours adopted by users while interacting with a thesaurus-enhanced search interface were also examined

A Delphi survey on expert opinion on key signs for clinical diagnosis of bovine trypanosomosis, tick-borne diseases and helminthoses

UNE ENQUETE « DELPHI » SUR L\'AVIS DES EXPERTS CONCERNANT LES PRINCIPAUX SIGNES POUR LE DIAGNOSTIC CLINIQUE DE LA TRYPANOSOMOSE BOVINE, DES MALADIES TRAMSMISES PAR LES TIQUES ET DES HELMINTHIASES Résumé Beaucoup d\'informations ont été recueillies par le biais d\'une enquête « Delphi » sur les signes cliniques et les facteurs de risque les plus importants pour le diagnostic de l\'anaplasmose, de la babésiose, de la cowdriose, de la distomiase, de la gastro-entérite parasitaire, de la schistosomiase, de la theilériose et de la trypanosomose bovines, afin de rassembler un fichier complet pour l\'élaboration de systèmes d\'appui à la décision prise suite à une série d\'observations. Quarante-six experts en santé animale ont participé à l\'enquête ; il leur a été demandé d\'évaluer les 34 signes cliniques et les facteurs de risques figurant sur une liste. Les cinq premiers signes cliniques/facteurs de risque pour le diagnostic de l\'anaplasmose comprenaient la constipation, l\'anémie, la pâleur, la pyrexie, la dépression et l\'anorexie. Pour la babésiose, ils comprenaient l\'hémoglobinurie, la pyrexie, l\'ictère, l\'anémie et la dépression. S\'agissant de la cowdriose, ils comprenaient la perte de poids, la pâleur, la faiblesse, l\'oedème submandibulaire et les poils hérissés. Concernant la gastro-entérite, ils comprenaient le ventre ballonné, la diarrhée, l\'anémie, la faible croissance et l\'âge. Pour la schistosomiase, ils comprenaient la perte de poids, la pâleur, la faiblesse, l\'anémie et la faible croissance. En ce qui concerne la theilériose, ils comprenaient l\'hypertrophie du ganglion lymphatique, la pyrexie, l\'âge, la race et la faible production de lait. Pour la trypanosomose, ils comprenaient l\'anémie, la perte de poids, les poils hérissés, l\'hypertrophie du ganglion lymphatique et la pâleur. Après avoir conduit deux enquêtes « Delphi », un consensus s\'est dégagé sur la plupart des signes cliniques et des facteurs de risque. Mots clés: Bovin, diagnostic clinique, Delphi, maladies, avis des experts. Summary Quantitative information was collected through a Delphi survey on the most important clinical signs and risk factors for diagnosis of bovine anaplasmosis, babesiosis, cowdriosis, fasciolosis, parasitic gastroenteritis (PGE), schistosomosis, theileriosis and trypanosomosis, with the aim of compiling a comprehensive dataset for development of decision support systems. Forty-six animal health experts participated in the survey and were asked to score clinical signs and risk factors from a list of 34. The top five signs / risk factors for diagnosis of anaplasmosis included, constipation, anaemia, pallor, pyrexia, depression and anorexia. For babesiosis, they included, haemoglobinuria, pyrexia, icterus, anaemia and depression. For cowdriosis, they included, ataxia, pyrexia, anorexia, abnormal behaviour and depression. For fasciolosis, they included, weightloss, pallor, weakness, submandibular oedema and rough coat. For PGE, they included, potbelly, diarrhoea, anaemia, stunted growth and age. For schistosomosis, they included weightloss, pallor, weakness, anaemia and stunted growth. For theileriosis, they included lymph node enlargement, pyrexia, age, breed and reduced milk yield. For trypanosomosis, they included, anaemia, weightloss, staring coat, lymph node enlargement and pallor. Consensus on most signs was attained within two rounds of the Delphi exercise. Key words: Bovine; clinical diagnosis; Delphi; Diseases; Expert opinion Bull Anim. Hlth. Prod. Afr. Vol.52(3) 2004: 130-14