2001 - 70 (3)

This case report describes the first recorded clinical outbreak of equine viral arteritis on a stud in Belgium. Abortion was the only clinical sign observed. Virus was isolated and identified by means of an immunofluorescence staining. Serological examination showed that 95.5% of the horses were positive for antibodies to equine arteritis virus.

The present article describes for the first time a clinical outbreak of a polyomavirus infection in shamas (Copsychus malabaricus). Three out of four shamas became ill and died within 14 days after introduction in a passerine aviary. Other birds in the aviary remained clinically healthy. The diagnosis of polyomavirus infection was made by electron microscopic examination of the liver of a bird that died.

This paper describes the distribution of the first milk somatic cell counts (SCC) measured between 5 and 14 days of lactation, during a one year period (1999) for 12,994 dairy heifers on 3,221 herds in Flanders (Belgium). Somatic cell counts ≤ 150 x 103 cells/ml were allocated to class 1. Somatic cell counts between 151 x 103 and 3000 x 103 cells/ml, between 301 x 103 and 1,000 x 103 cells/ml and >1,000 x 103 cells/ml were allocated to classes 2,3 and 4, respectively. The prevalence per class was 65.4, 15.6, 12.9 and 6.1% for classes 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The within-herd prevalence for class 1 varied from 27.3 to 100%, with a median of 66.7%. For classes 2, 3 and 4, the median within-herd prevalence was 15.4 (range: 0.0 – 50.0%), 10.0 (0.0-54.5%), and 0.0% (0.0-30.0%), respectively.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of canine herpesvirus 1 (CHV1) in breeding bitches on Belgian kennels and to relate this to fertility problems and/or neonatal death. By using a seroneutralisation test with complement to detect anti-CHV1 antibodies, a prevalence of 49.5% was found in a population of 97 breeding bitches in 18 kennels. In nine kennels, all examined breeding bitches were negative. In the other nine kennels 2/3 to all of the examined breeding bitches were positive. In seven kennels with positive breeding bitches serious problems were observed concerning neonatal death and/or infertility, whereas only one kennel with negative breeding bitches had problems with infertility, which indicates that there is a relation between the presence of positive breeding bitches and neonatal death and/or infertility in the kennel. This relation was also observed on animal level. 76% of the bitches that had recently lost a litter before the age of 3 weeks and57% of the bitches with fertility problems were positive. In contrast, only 33% of the “problem-free” bitches were positive. It was concluded that CHV1 is kennel-related and that kennels, where the virus is enzootically present, experience neonatal death and infertility more frequently.