65 research outputs found
History of âswine feverâ in Southern Africa
The histories of the two swine fevers in southern Africa differ widely. Classical swine fever
(hog cholera) has been known in the northern hemisphere since 1830 and it is probable that
early cases of âswine feverâ in European settlersâ pigs in southern Africa were accepted to
be that disease. It was only in 1921 that the first description of African swine fever as an
entity different from classical swine fever was published after the disease had been studied
in settlersâ pigs in Kenya. Shortly after that, reports of African swine fever in settlersâ pigs
emerged from South Africa and Angola. In South Africa, the report related to pigs in the
north-eastern part of the country. Previously (in 1905 or earlier) a disease assumed to be
classical swine fever caused high mortality among pigs in the Western Cape and was only
eradicated in 1918. African swine fever was found over the following years to be endemic in
most southern African countries. Classical swine fever, however, apart from an introduction
with subsequent endemic establishment in Madagascar and a number of introductions into
Mauritius, the last one in 2000, had apparently remained absent from the region until it was
diagnosed in the Western and subsequently the Eastern Cape of South Africa in 2005. It was
eradicated by 2007. The history of these diseases in the southern African region demonstrates
their importance and their potential for spread over long distances, emphasising the need for
improved management of both diseases wherever they occur.The History
Committee of the South African Veterinary Associationhttp://www.jsava.co.zam2014ab201
Current status of African swine fever
African swine fever is a serious viral disease of domestic pigs and Eurasian wild boars that poses a major threat to pig
production. For more than thirty years after its discovery in East Africa it was limited to eastern and southern Africa,
where it is believed to have originated. The ability of the causative virus to remain viable for long periods in raw
or insufciently cooked pork products has enabled it, through travel and trade, to spread widely throughout subSaharan Africa and to other continents. In the second half of the 20th century it had caused outbreaks in the majority
of African countries where pigs are produced, as well as in a number of European countries, two of the Caribbean
islands, and Brazil. By the turn of the century it had been eradicated from all non-African countries except the Italian island of Sardinia. In 2007 African swine fever arrived in the Republic of Georgia, and has subsequently spread
insidiously into other Transcaucasian countries, Russia and some of its neighbours. In 2014 it reached the Baltic States
and Poland through infected wild boars, and has become established in several wild boar populations from which it
is difcult to eradicate. Most recently, in 2018 the frst outbreaks were reported in China, home to half of the worldâs
pig population, where it spread with unprecedented rapidity throughout China and to several other countries in the
region, including the island nations of Philippines, Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea. These events have
posed new challenges for control, including some that parallel the situation in Africa, where poor people rely on pigs
produced at subsistence level to provide for their needs and where pigs may also be socially and culturally important.
The central role that humans play in the maintenance and spread of African swine fever has again been emphasised.
This review describes the current status of African swine fever globally and the trends and challenges for management that face veterinarians and pig industries at all levels worldwide.https://cabiagbio.biomedcentral.compm2021Veterinary Tropical Disease
Selenium toxicosis with focal symmetrical poliomyelomalacia in postweaning pigs in South Africa
An outbreak of paralysis in finisher pigs in South Africa after ingestion of feed containing 54,581 mg/kg
of selenium is described. The main and entirely consistent lesion was bilaterally symmetrical focal
poliomalacia of the ventral horns of the spinal cord, which was most severe and consistent in the lumbar
intumescence. Acute and subacute lesions were characterized by malacia with large numbers of
gitter cells. The main features of chronic lesions were loss of neurons and gliosis. Focal degeneration
and necrosis of the myocardium and skeletal muscles were also consistent, but there were fewer specific
changes. Endothelial swelling, mild fibrinoid degeneration and perivascular leukocytic infiltration
were present in the acute stage. Dermatitis, coronitis and hoof sloughing, usually present in more chronic
cases of intoxication, were not a feature of the present outbreak, although alopecia and crusting were
evident on the backs of a few pigs several weeks after the episode of intoxication.
Serum- and tissue-selenium levels were elevated in the early stages after intoxication. Serum levels
were nearly normal in chronic cases two months after the episode, while liver and kidney levels were
still higher than normal. Higher levels were found in liver, kidney and serum than in muscle, with the
highest levels in the kidney. Less than 20% of affected pigs recovered sufficiently to be marketed.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi.
Adobe Acrobat X Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.mn201
Special issue âAfrican swine fever and other swine viral diseases in Africaâ
No abstract available.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/virusesVeterinary Tropical Disease
Classical swine fever (Hog cholera) : review of aspects relevant to control
Classical swine fever (CSF) has the ability to spread over large distances when
human intervention, such as illegal swill feeding facilitates its movement. This was
apparent during 2005 when CSF appeared in South Africa (SA) after an absence of
87 years. In this review various newly published developments in terms of the
diagnosis of the disease and vaccination are described and applied to situations
similar to SA. The role of wildlife such as feral pigs and European wild boar in the
dissemination and maintenance of CSF virus are discussed and the dearth of
knowledge on the potential of other wild pigs species prevalent on southern Africa
noted. The modes of spread and control measures to prevent introduction as well as
during outbreaks are discussed.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1865-1682/issue
One hundred years of African swine fever : a tribute to R. Eustace Montgomery
One hundred years ago, the first scientific publication on âa form of swine feverâ that occurred in East Africa was published by R. Eustace Montgomery in the Journal of Comparative Pathology and Therapeutics (Montgomery, 1921). Now known as African swine fever (ASF), this disease has, over the last century, been reported from all five continents and is dreaded by pig industries worldwide (Liang et al., 2020; Penrith, 2020 ). It is hoped that this tribute will contribute to ensuring that the great legacy of Montgomery's research is not forgotten.https://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/tbedhj2022Veterinary Tropical Disease
With or without a vaccine-a review of complementary and alternative approaches to managing african swine fever in resource-constrained smallholder settings
The spectacular recent spread of African swine fever (ASF) in Eastern Europe and Asia has
been strongly associated, as it is in the endemic areas in Africa, with free-ranging pig populations
and low-biosecurity backyard pig farming. Managing the disease in wild boar populations and
in circumstances where the disease in domestic pigs is largely driven by poverty is particularly
challenging and may remain so even in the presence of effective vaccines. The only option currently
available to prevent ASF is strict biosecurity. Among small-scale pig farmers biosecurity measures
are often considered unaffordable or impossible to implement. However, as outbreaks of ASF are also
unaffordable, the adoption of basic biosecurity measures is imperative to achieve control and prevent
losses. Biosecurity measures can be adapted to fit smallholder contexts, culture and costs. A longerterm approach that could prove valuable particularly for free-ranging pig populations would be
exploitation of innate resistance to the virus, which is fully effective in wild African suids and has
been observed in some domestic pig populations in areas of prolonged endemicity. We explore
available options for preventing ASF in terms of feasibility, practicality and affordability among
domestic pig populations that are at greatest risk of exposure to ASF.http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccinespm2022Veterinary Tropical DiseasesZoology and Entomolog
Multifactorial mortality in bongos and other wild ungulates in the north of the Congo Republic
Wildlife mortality involving bongos, Tragelaphus eurycerus, and other
ungulates was investigated in the north of the Congo Republic in 1997.
Four bongos, one forest buffalo, Syncerus caffer nanus, and one domestic
sheep were examined and sampled. Although an outbreak of rinderpest had
been suspected, it was found that the animals, which had been weakened
by an Elaeophora sagitta infection and possibly also by adverse
climatic conditions, had been exsanguinated and driven to exhaustion by
an unusual plague of Stomoxys omega.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi.
Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.FAO.mn201
A questionnaire survey on diseases and problems affecting sheep and goats in communal farming regions of the Eastern Cape province, South Africa
A questionnaire of 15 questions was completed by four categories of respondents with the aim
of establishing the experience and opinions of these groups on the constraints including animal
health problems for communal, small-scale sheep and goat farming in the Eastern Cape province
of South Africa. The questionnaires were completed independently and categories were
representative of the areas investigated. Analysis of responses was done by means, ranges, votes
and clusters of responses. Comparisons between the responses of the four categories were made
to identify similarities or contrasts. The results revealed that of non-veterinary concerns, stock
theft was the major problem for these farms. Nutrition was a further major constraint. A third
area of significant concern was the provision or availability of facilities like fences, water troughs,
dips and sheds. Lack of marketing and business skills were also seen as important deficiencies
to be rectified so as to promote profitable farming. Of the most important veterinary problems
identified, the provision, availability, cost and care of drugs and vaccines were seen as major
stumbling blocks to effective disease control, as well as lack of access to veterinary services. The
most important diseases that constrain small-ruminant livestock farming in the farming systems
investigated were sheep scab and other ectoparasites, heart water, enterotoxaemia, internal
parasites and bluetongue. A lack of knowledge in key areas of small-stock farming was revealed
and should be rectified by an effective training and support programme to improve the
contribution of small-ruminant farming to livelihoods in these communities.The Wellcome Foundationhttp://www.jsava.co.zaam2016Production Animal StudiesVeterinary Tropical Disease
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