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Vets Worried By Disease Outbreak; Meeting With Vaccine Company on Strategies

Posted on: Thursday, 24 November 2005, 15:00 CST

By THOMSON, Shannon

`What we are hoping isn't happening is the disease becoming more virulent'veterinary adviser Roger Marchant SOUTHLAND veterinarians will meet with Schering-Plough Coopers next month to discuss strategies for dealing with salmonella brandenburg.Schering-Plough Coopers produces a vaccine for the disease that has flared throughout the south, causing farmers to lose ewes and lambs.

In the past four months, veterinarians noted southern cases of the disease had been higher than usual.

Schering-Plough Coopers veterinary adviser Roger Marchant said it was unknown why the disease had arisen again and the meeting would be an opportunity to assess the situation. "What we are hoping isn't happening is the disease becoming more virulent," Mr Marchant said.

"Once we have had this meeting and work out what we may do and what we need to do, we will be telling farmers about it." While it was unknown what had caused the disease to resurface on such a large scale in the past four months, a decrease in vaccinations was thought to be a part of the problem, Mr Marchant said.

"Vaccinations seem to have dropped off. Now we have a reduction of the immunity level of the whole population and a lot of disease outbreaks do occur." The company and veterinarians encourage farmers to vaccinate against the disease and to follow vaccination programmes exactly.

"It's difficult enough to control this damn disease without taking shortcuts," Mr Marchant said.

Balclutha veterinarian John Smart said he had dealt with a lot of cases this year.

Mr Smart believed the disease had flared again because of a drop in natural immunity and vaccine immunity.

"We have a naive population and so it's taken its opportunity and (is) ripping through again." The financial implications of the disease could be severe, he said.

"Conservatively each abortion is worth (about) $200 of lost income.

"Some farmers may have only about 10 (ewes abort).

"We had one farmer who had 1000 ewe abort and 600 ewes die." Many Southland veterinarians are conducting surveys with farmers to get a better understanding of the disease.

Andrew Roe, of Central Southland Vets, said he was preparing to survey farmers this week and hoped this would reveal the extent of the problem.

"How severe it is on individual properties, in terms of numbers we don't know," he said.

The major outbreaks of salmonella brandenburg in Southland occurred in 1999 and 2000.

A date for the meeting between Southland veterinarians and the agribusiness company has to be set.

Source: Southland Times, The

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