Veterinary Doctor

 

Rabies viruses belong to the genus Lyssavirus of the Rhabdoviridae family. Rabies is a zoonosis (transmission from animals to humans), and human infection usually occurs following a bite or scratch by an infected animal. About 98% of human rabies occurs in regions with large numbers of stray dogs, although other carnivores such as foxes and bats may transmit rabies to humans. The incubation period following infection is variable, ranging from several weeks to several months. Following the bite, the virus is transported to the central nervous system via the peripheral nerves, where it replicates and disseminates rapidly to many different tissues. The initial symptoms of rabies are fever and often pain or paraesthesia at the wound site. As rabies virus spreads in the central nervous system, progressive acute inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) develops which is characterized by difficulty in swallowing, and therefore panic when presented with liquids to drink (hydrophobia). Signs ...

  Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a devastating disease of cattle and buffalo caused by a capripox virus. The disease has  never been recorded in Australia  but is spreading rapidly internationally. Since 2012, LSD has spread from Africa and the Middle East into south-eastern Europe, affecting European Union (EU) Member countries (Greece and Bulgaria) and several other countries in the Balkans. LSD was first reported in Asia and the Pacific region in 2019 in north west China, Bangladesh and India. During 2020, LSD continued to spread across continental Asia with many countries including Bhutan, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, reporting outbreaks. In 2021, the disease was confirmed in Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia. Indonesia reported confirmed cases in March 2022. The World Organisation for Animal Health (the OIE) is encouraging members in at-risk areas to initiate vaccination campaigns ahead of virus entry and to continue timely reporting of all ...

Actions to take if you suspect anthrax It is essential that, if livestock die suddenly and without an obvious cause: Report the incident immediately to your private vet or Agriculture Victoria Animal Health and Welfare (AHW) staff. Don't move the carcass. Get the carcass tested for anthrax by your private vet or our AHW staff. If you suspect an animal may have died from anthrax, immediately contact your private vet or local  AHW staff. You can also call the Customer Call Centre on  136 186 . If you cannot speak directly with an officer from Animal Health and Welfare do not leave a message. Instead, immediately ring the all-hours Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on  1800 675 888 . What is anthrax? Anthrax is an infectious bacterial disease of animals, caused by the spore-forming bacteria  Bacillus anthracis . It can affect humans and a wide range of animals. Nearly all cases in Victoria have been seen in livestock, particularly cattle and sheep. Signs of...

  Rabies is a preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system of mammals, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death. The vast majority of rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year occur in wild animals like bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes, although any mammal can get rabies. The Rabies Virus Rabies virus belongs to the order Mononegavirales, viruses with a nonsegmented, negative-stranded RNA genomes. Within this group, viruses with a distinct “bullet” shape are classified in the Rhabdoviridae family, which includes at least three genera of animal viruses, Lyssavirus, Ephemerovirus, and Vesiculovirus. The genus Lyssavirus includes rabies virus, Lagos bat, Mokola virus, Duvenhage virus, European bat virus 1 & 2 and Australian bat virus. Structure Rhabdoviruses are approximately 180 nm long and 75 nm wide. The rabies genome encodes fiv...

  Pregnancy testing is one method of monitoring reproductive efficiency and detecting any problems early in the breeding cycle. The key to profitability for all beef breeding enterprises is high reproductive efficiency. This means achieving: 95% calves weaned to cows joined an average calving interval of 12 months a calving spread of 10 weeks or less These are all realistic objectives in Victoria. This can be achieved by early detection of pregnant cows. Pregnancy testing for cows Manual rectal palpation is a proven effective and reliable technique. Using this method pregnancies can be reliably detected as early as 6 weeks. Ultrasound has also become commonly used. The main advantage of ultrasound pregnancy diagnosis is it reduces operator fatigue and injuries. It is important to recognise that females identified as non-pregnant by ultrasound must then be confirmed by rectal palpation. As ultrasound is not as specific for non-pregnant’ s.  Both methods can be used to ...

  Bovine ephemeral fever Bovine ephemeral fever (BEF) is a disease that affects cattle and occasionally buffaloes and is marked by a short fever, shivering, lameness and muscular stiffness. Also commonly known as 3 day sickness, BEF is an arthropod-borne virus (most likely mosquitoes) and widespread in Queensland. The disease may cause serious economic losses through deaths, decline in condition, decreased milk production, lowered fertility in bulls, occasional abortions and delays in marketing. Cause An arthropod–borne rhabdovirus known as ‘ephemeral fever virus’ or ‘bovine ephemeral fever virus'. Other names 3 day sickness BEF Distribution occurs most years in northern Australia. usually spreads from north to south. governed by season and rainfall; yearly insect distribution can occur in herds just south of the usual distribution. herd immunity depends on location relative to normal distribution older animals with previous exposure will be immune recent seasonal conditions calv...

  Heartworm Spread by infected mosquitoes, heartworm is increasingly being recognized as an underlying cause of health problems in domestic cats. Cats are an atypical host for heartworms. Despite its name, heartworm primarily causes lung disease in cats. It is an important concern for any cat owner living in areas densely populated by mosquitoes, and prevention should be discussed with a veterinarian. You may have thought heartworm disease only affects dogs, and it’s true that the infection is less common in cats. The cat is not a natural host for the heartworm parasite, Dirofilaria immitis, and so the heartworm is not likely to complete its entire life cycle. That means that fewer and smaller worms survive, and many do not reach a cat’s heart. The worms that do survive—and the resulting immune reaction that the cat’s body sets up to kill the developing worms—can cause severe health problems. Causes and Signs of Heartworm Disease When a mosquito carrying the heartworm parasite, ...