Animal disease

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Disease ordinance of Ravensburg from the 18th century

An animal disease is a disease caused by pathogens that can be transmitted and usually spreads quickly in animals . The boundaries to a "normal" animal disease are fluid, the term "animal disease" is legally defined by the animal disease laws of the respective states and is an expression of the state's interest in eradicating this disease. Highly infectious diseases in small animals such as " cat disease " do not count among the animal diseases: Since they do not pose a serious threat to humans (neither directly nor indirectly) and the cat population, they are not legally regulated.

Classification

Depending on the type of pathogen, prions ( transmissible spongiform encephalopathies such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy , BSE), viral (e.g. rabies ), bacterial (e.g. brucellosis ), fungal (e.g. cancer plague ) and parasitic diseases distinguished. The latter can be caused by protozoa (e.g. toxoplasmosis ), worms (e.g. echinococcosis ), mites (e.g. varroosis ) or insects (e.g. hypodermosis ).

Animal diseases, which mainly occur regionally, are called enzootia , analogous to the endemic disease in humans . Rapid spreading across regional borders is known as epizootic , and across many countries and continents as panzootic .

Virus of bluetongue : It is mainly by biting midges ( Culicoides transmitted. Ssp), so that a protection against biting insects essential factor in combating is.

It is also possible to classify the animal diseases according to the main transmission route, whereby in particular the very rapidly spreading epidemics often have several transmission routes. Knowledge of the transmission and spreading routes ( epizootiology ) is of paramount importance for the choice of suitable control measures. Diseases like listeriosis , the pathogen of which occurs practically everywhere (ubiquitously) in the soil, are called geonoses . In particular, diseases that can be transmitted via feed, such as BSE , are referred to in the English-speaking world as foodborne diseases , which also include human food infections . So-called airborne diseases are transmitted via the wind - aerosols ( droplet infections such as tuberculosis ) and dust - or by flying insects (e.g. bluetongue ). " Waterborne diseases " (water borne diseases) as the viral haemorrhagic septicemia spread through contaminated water. Contact infections are transmitted through direct contact with infected animals or their excretions, as well as indirect contact through contaminated objects. A special form of contact infections are the cover diseases transmitted during mating .

meaning

Some of the diseases classified as animal diseases represent a direct risk of infection for humans in the sense of a zoonosis . These include diseases that are fatal for humans, such as rabies, as well as relatively harmless ones such as foot and mouth disease .

Bacillus anthracis , the causative agent of anthrax - a potential biological weapon

Many animal diseases are, however, completely harmless to humans and only affect a few animal species. However, such animal diseases cause high economic damage and are a threat to human nutrition. This is not limited to direct losses as a result of epidemics in animals used for meat production - bees are indispensable for pollination and thus for the cultivation of many crops. Further economic losses arise from trade restrictions in the event of an outbreak. The swine fever outbreak in the Netherlands in 1997/98 alone caused direct costs of 2.3 billion euros, plus indirect costs of a similar magnitude, and led to the killing of 12 million pigs.

The economic damage caused by animal diseases, especially rinderpest , was the reason for the establishment of the first veterinary training centers in the 18th century and thus for the establishment of academic training for veterinarians and the establishment of state veterinary authorities.

The high direct and indirect damage potential also made animal diseases interesting for the development of biological weapons . During the Second World War experiments were carried out with anthrax pathogens in the United Kingdom ; the Gruinard Island test site was not decontaminated until 1986/87 and until then could only be entered with protective clothing. The list of potential biological weapons includes other animal diseases with a zoonotic character such as mammalian pox , tularemia , brucellosis , snot , psittacosis , Q fever and equine encephalomyelitis .

Combat

Clear identification is an important means of clarifying the ways in which animal diseases are spread and identifying potentially infected animals.

For the control of animal diseases, special national legal regulations apply, in the European Union also supranational ones . These legal provisions regulate an obligation to report or notify as well as the measures to be taken. For most animal diseases there is an obligation to control , that is, the animal owner has to carry out or tolerate the diagnostic, therapeutic and epidemic hygienic measures - possibly including killing.

The type of control measures depends on the characteristics of the spread of the respective animal disease (epizootiology). It is the responsibility of the state veterinary authorities to instruct and enforce them on the basis of statutory regulations. The veterinary authorities work together with the customs administration for the cross-border movement of animals and animal products .

Animal disease surveillance also includes preventive measures (disease prophylaxis ). This includes the monitoring of the cross-border traffic of animals and animal products, the monitoring of cattle markets and animal products processing companies, the labeling of animals and products, the keeping of cover registers , specifications for the technical knowledge of persons employed in livestock (this applies according to § 17g TierSG to Protection against psittacosis also for owners of parrots ) as well as stipulations on the construction, operation and approval of animal facilities, animal products processing, animal waste disposal and feed producing companies.

Avian influenza disinfection sluice

In the event of a suspected or outbreak of an animal disease, the veterinary authorities can order a number of measures, whereby even constitutional rights such as freedom of the person, freedom of movement or the inviolability of the home can be temporarily restricted. Not even the herd itself has to be affected by the epidemic, but also infiltration from affected herds or the location in an epidemic area can be sufficient. Measures include, for example, the ordering of diagnostic examinations, the isolation of sick animals and animals suspected of being infected ( quarantine ), a ban or restrictions on the movement of animals, people or vehicles, the ban on keeping animals outside ( compulsory stables ), the establishment of restricted areas and surveillance and observation areas Arrangement of cleaning and disinfection measures , vaccinations and other treatments as well as stipulations for the disposal of animal carcasses , products and waste products. Treatment and vaccination bans exist for some diseases in order to prevent them from spreading unnoticed. This sometimes leads to mass killing (" culling ") of infected, infection-prone or basically susceptible animals.

The rigidity of the legally regulated control measures has no direct relation to the zoonotic character or the danger to the animal species concerned. In the case of epidemics that are completely harmless to humans and for which vaccines also exist (for example classical swine fever ), vaccination bans and mass culls are therefore controversial both in the population and in specialist circles. On the other hand, fatal zoonoses such as rabies are always combated through vaccination programs. Even diseases that are harmless to animals and humans, such as papular stomatitis, are subject to mandatory reporting and are therefore on the same level as most salmonellosis . Other influencing factors also play a role in the choice of legal regulations. These can be international restrictions on the trade in animals and animal products, the prevention of the outbreak of an outbreak that has already been largely or completely eradicated, epizootiological aspects or the possibility of confusion with more dangerous diseases.

Although consistent animal disease control has led to the successful eradication of most of the dangerous animal diseases in Europe, this also has disadvantages. Due to a lack of contact with the pathogen and vaccination bans, the European animal populations have no antibody protection . However, since most animal diseases are still common in Africa and Asia, there is a constant risk of introduction. If a pathogen encounters a “virgin”, fully susceptible population, it usually results in very serious clinical pictures with high losses. In enzootic areas, on the other hand, a self-limiting epidemic with sometimes mild courses can be observed.

Organization of animal disease control

OIE

The World Organization for Animal Health ( Office International des Epizooties , OIE) is responsible for the international observation and control of animal diseases. The countries organized here report detected diseases to this organization, where they are collected and the information is made available to the veterinary authorities.

Foot and Mouth Disease - an animal disease classified as very dangerous worldwide

By the end of 2004, the OIE classified animal diseases in two groups:

  1. List A contained 15 notifiable animal diseases that have the potential for serious and rapid international spread as well as serious economic or public health consequences. They therefore play a major role in the trade in animals and animal products. This included foot-and-mouth disease , swine vesicular disease , peste des petits ruminants , lumpy skin disease , bluetongue , African horse sickness , classical swine fever , Newcastle disease , vesicular stomatitis , rinderpest , contagious bovine pleuropneumonia , Rift Valley fever , smallpox disease of sheep and Goats , African swine fever and avian influenza .
  2. List B contained 93 animal diseases that are of economic or health significance but have a less dramatic impact on the trade in animals and animal products.

However, this classification has been abandoned so that now all animal diseases are kept in a uniform list.

European Union

Rabies - a viral disease that is fatal in many animal species and humans

In the European Union, efforts are being made to harmonize animal health regulations. EU animal health law is adopted by the Council . When food safety issues are concerned, the European Parliament is also involved. The Council has adopted a number of legal acts for the registration and control of animal diseases, which are directly applicable in the member states. The implementation of animal disease control measures, however, is still the responsibility of the respective authorities of the member states. Regarding the fight against zoonoses, the Directive 2003/99 / EC of the European Parliament and the Council of November 17, 2003 is the most important legal basis. In addition, there are a large number of directives for individual diseases. For 2010 the EU has earmarked € 275 million in animal disease control.

EU pet passport : With a valid rabies vaccination since 2004, mandatory for dogs, cats and ferrets when traveling in the EU

The EU regulations are minimum standards. They can be tightened by national law in order to prevent initial introduction, for example in the United Kingdom with rabies , or in order to eradicate an animal disease by renovating the country. Various rehabilitation programs in the member states are financially supported by EU funds. The EU also determines whether disease-free status has been achieved for a particular animal disease.

Since the 1980s, the European Union has been focusing increasingly on killing populations to eradicate highly contagious animal diseases. Vaccinations and emergency vaccinations are considered unsuitable as they can lead to an unnoticed persistence of the pathogen . Another principle of animal disease control is the "regionalization concept". Areas are defined within the member states that will be closed in the event of an outbreak.

With TRACES (TRAde Control and Expert System) , the EU maintains a central database for the registration of livestock farms, identification of animals and control of trade in animals and animal products. The European Commission also operates an Animal Disease Notification System (ADNS), in which not only the member states, but also candidate countries, applicants, Switzerland, Andorra, Iceland and Norway participate.

Internationally, the EU works closely with global organizations. All member states of the EU are also members of the OIE.

Germany

The fight against animal diseases in Germany is regulated by the Animal Health Act (TierGesG) and a number of ordinances. Enforcement is the responsibility of the veterinary authorities ( official veterinarian ); The Bundeswehr , the Friedrich Loeffler Institute , the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment , the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety and the Paul Ehrlich Institute are responsible for the animals they keep (Section 3 TierSG) . As the higher federal authority, the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut is also responsible for the approval of vaccines and for epizootiological examinations, the examination of exported and imported animals and animal products, research in the field of animal diseases, the updating of the respective legal provisions according to the latest scientific findings, the Drafting of the annual animal health report and responsible as a national reference laboratory for the diagnosis of animal diseases.

Honeycomb with larvae of the small hive beetle - notifiable in Germany

Animal disease-related damage and the costs of control and remedial measures are at least partially covered by the animal disease insurance funds in accordance with Sections 66–72 TierSG . A prison sentence of up to 5 years can be imposed for violations (including attempts) against the Animal Disease Act (Sections 74–77 TierSG) .

Notifiable animal diseases

A number of animal diseases are notifiable in Germany , which means that all animal owners or specialists working in animal herds are obliged to notify the competent authority immediately if they suspect that they are (Section 4 TierGesG) . The diagnosis is made by the official veterinarian, and in the case of bees also by the bee expert . The veterinary office orders the diagnostic and control measures to be initiated. The notifiable animal diseases are currently determined by an ordinance on notifiable animal diseases (TierSeuchAnzV) .

Birdpox - notifiable in Germany

Notifiable animal diseases

Other animal diseases are notifiable in Germany . This is mainly used for statistics and epidemic monitoring. If there is a threat of a greater spread, an animal disease can be given the status of a "notifiable animal disease" for a short time. The notifiable animal diseases are updated by a regulation on notifiable animal diseases . The decisive difference to notifiable animal diseases is that not mere suspicion is notifiable, but only the proven disease is reported, which usually requires a pathogen detection.

Austria

In Austria , the prevention of and measures against animal diseases are regulated by the Animal Disease Act (TSG), the Zoonoses Act (Federal Law Gazette I No. 128/2005), the Animal Disease Notification Ordinance (Federal Law Gazette II No. 756/1993 as amended by Federal Law Gazette 58/1995) and the Animal Health Act (Federal Law Gazette I No. 133/1999 as amended by Federal Law Gazette I 13/2006) and a number of individual laws and ordinances. The Federal Chancellor is the ultimate authority in the fight against animal diseases , especially in the import and transit of animals and animal products. He also appoints border veterinarians who are responsible for border surveillance. Special protective measures can be instructed by the Federal Ministry for Health, Family and Youth . An “Animal Disease Control Expert Group” has been set up at this Federal Ministry for technical advice on animal disease control. This in turn has permanent sub-committees (“task force” groups) for certain highly contagious animal diseases, which are available to both the national crisis center and the local veterinary authorities for advice and support in the event of an outbreak. For animals of the military administration and the state horse breeding institutions, these institutions are themselves responsible for combating animal diseases.

Varroa mites on a beehive - notifiable in Austria in the event of an epidemic

All veterinary laws are enforced in indirect federal administration, that is, enforcement is carried out by organizational state authorities ( district administrative authority ), which are functionally active for the federal government and are subject to the instructions of the Federal Minister. The district administrative organization in the event of an outbreak the necessary measures and sends usually an official veterinarian connected to the community leader , optionally with two stewards of the community, a disease Commission forms (§ 21 TSG) . The respective governor must organize a training course on animal disease control at least once a year, in particular to convey the national crisis plans, for official and practical veterinarians. The district administrative authority (official veterinarian) organizes the appropriate measures such as sampling, epidemiological investigations and the establishment of protection zones in the event of suspicion or occurrence of a notifiable animal disease.

Every keeper or carer of animals is obliged to report a suspicion of an epidemic to the mayor or the police, who report it to the responsible district administrative authority, veterinarians report a suspected disease directly to the latter. The mayor has to impose a temporary ban on the entire animal population where the suspected case has occurred. Larger animal holdings, the animal trade, collective dairies and the transport of ruminants, solipeds and pigs are subject to direct control by the district administrative authorities.

Costs for losses and ordered killings as well as damage to inventory as a result of disinfection measures will be reimbursed in accordance with §§ 48–60 . Exceptions are killings due to mange in solipeds and fish diseases, as well as animals that have already been delivered for slaughter. Violations of the TSG can be punished with a prison sentence of up to six weeks or fines of up to 4,360 euros (§§ 63, 64 TSG) . In the case of violations that result in the risk of the disease spreading (for example, non-compliance with blocking measures), penalties under the Criminal Code may also be considered.

Notifiable diseases are regulated in § 16 TSG (21 diseases) and other individual laws and ordinances. According to the Zoonoses Act, zoonoses are subject to monitoring . In addition, a number of animal diseases based on individual ordinances and announcements are subject to an examination obligation through regular examinations or monitoring through random checks in herds, with the aim of building up herds that are recognized as free from disease.

Switzerland

Animal disease control in Switzerland is regulated by the Animal Disease Act (TSG) and the Animal Disease Ordinance (TSV). It is organized on a cantonal level, and the Federal Council regulates accompanying measures in the event of highly contagious animal diseases . The animal disease police are headed by the cantonal veterinarian, who may report to other official veterinarians. The cantons can set up cattle inspection groups and appoint responsible cattle inspectors. They also name bee inspectors and wasen masters . The responsible bodies have the legal powers of the judicial police (Art. 8 TSG) . Imports, exports and the transit of animals and animal products are supervised by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office . Research in the field of animal diseases is the responsibility of the Institute for Virology and Immunology (IVI). For the diagnosis of animal diseases, reference laboratories are named by the federal government , most of which are located at the IVI.

Identification and registration obligation: A transponder reader reads the identification chip implanted under the skin of a dog .

Everyone who handles animals is obliged to report suspected disease to a veterinarian or the bee inspector immediately (Art. 11 TSG) . Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and dogs are subject to labeling and registration. Every animal that leaves a herd requires an accompanying document. In addition, all inseminations must be documented. All animal traffic is recorded in a central database. The operator of the animal traffic database is supervised by the Federal Office for Agriculture (Art. 19 TVD Ordinance) .

The costs of control measures are reimbursed in whole or in part by the cantons, and in the case of highly contagious epidemics by the federal government (Art. 31–38 TSG) . Violations of the TSG can be punished with up to 8 months imprisonment or fines of up to 20,000 SFr, for professional animal owners with double the rate (Art. 47–52 TSG) .

In Switzerland, animal diseases are divided into four groups according to the TSG:

  1. Highly contagious animal diseases (according to the former List A of the International Office of Epizootics )
  2. Diseases to be eradicated (already largely eradicated by control programs )
  3. Diseases to be combated (diseases that cannot be eliminated, control aims to limit damage)
  4. Diseases to be monitored (mandatory notification)

Overview of the legal status of animal diseases in German-speaking countries

Legal classification of OIE-listed animal diseases in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
(AP = notifiable, MP = notifiable, O = surveillance, group = group)
Animal disease Animal species Pathogen Zoonosis Status D Status A Status CH
Monkey pox Monkeys Orthopoxvirus simiae Yes AP without 2 without 2
African horse sickness Horses African Horse Sickness Virus No AP AP 3 Size 1
African swine fever Pigs African swine fever virus No AP AP 4 Size 1
Equine infectious anemia Horses Equine infectious anemia virus No AP AP 42 Size 2
Salmon infectious anemia Fish ( salmon ) Salmon infectious anemia # pathogen No AP AP 5 Size 2
Contagious uterine inflammation Horses T. equigenitalis No MP without Size 3
Infectious pig paralysis Pigs Porcine teschovirus No MP AP Size 4th
Aujeszky's disease lots Suid herpes virus 1 No AP AP 6 Size 2
Beetle beetle infestation Bees Aethina tumida No AP AP Size 4th
Infestation with the Tropilaelaps mite Bees Tr. clareae and Tr. koenigerum No AP AP 1 Size 4th
Maling disease Horses Trypanosoma equiperdum No AP AP Size 2
Vesicular rash in horses Horses Equine herpes virus 3 No without AP without
Bluetongue disease ruminant Bluetongue virus No AP AP 42 Size 3
Borna's disease Horses, sheep Bornash disease virus questionable without AP 42 without 7
BHV-1 infection ( IBR-IPV ) Bovine Bovine herpes virus 1 No AP AP 8 Size 2
Malignant catarrhal fever Bovine Bovine herpes virus 3 No MP without Size 4th
Bovine viral diarrhea Bovine Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus No AP AP 9 Size 2
Bovine brucellosis Bovine Brucella abortus Yes AP AP 10 Size 2
Brucellosis of the sheep and goats Sheep, goats Brucella melitensis Yes AP AP 11 Size 2
Brucella ovis infection Sheep Brucella ovis No without 40 AP 11 Size 3
Brucellosis in Pigs Pigs Brucella suis Yes AP AP 42 Size 2
Campylobacteriosis lots Campylobacter ssp. Yes MP 13 AP 12 42 Size 4 14
Caprine arthritis encephalitis Goats Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus No without without Size 2
China Plague (RHD) Rabbits Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus No without without Size 4th
Chlamydial abortion Sheep, goats Chlamydophila abortus Yes MP without Size 4th
Chlamydiosis lots Chlamydophila spp. Yes MP 17 AP 16 42 Size 3
Ebola fever Monkeys Ebola virus Yes AP without 2 without 2
Echinococcosis lots Echinococcus ssp. Yes MP 18 Ü 19 Size 4th
Enzootic leukosis in cattle Cattle, buffalo Bovine Leukemia Virus No AP AP 20 Size 2
Enzootic pneumonia in pigs Pigs Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae No without without Size 3
Deer epizootic hemorrhage Deer Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus No AP without Size 4th
Epizootic hematopoietic necrosis Rainbow trout , perch Epizootic hematopoetic necrosis virus No AP ? ?
Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome fishes Aphanomyces invadans No AP ? ?
Equine arteritis Horses Equine arteritis virus No MP without Size 4th
Cattle udder pox Bovine Parapoxvirus bovis 2 Yes MP without without
Foulbrood Bees P. larvae (American)
M. pluton (European)
No AP
without
AP 1
without
Size 3
gr. 3
Spring viremia of carp Fish ( carp ) Rhabdovirus carpio No without 41 without 44 Size 4th
Fowl cholera Birds Pasteurella multocida No without AP without
Avian influenza ("bird flu") Birds Avian influenza virus Yes AP AP Size 1
Hypodermosis Bovine H. bovis , H. lineatum No without AP 22 Size 3
Infectious agalactia Sheep, goats Mycoplasma ssp. No without without Size 2
Infectious bursitis of chickens Chickens , turkeys Infectious bursal disease virus No MP MP 23 without
Infectious haematopoietic necrosis Fish (salmon) Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus No AP AP 5 Size 2
Infectious laryngotracheitis Chicken Chicken herpes virus 1 No MP MP 23 Size 3
Infectious pancreatic necrosis Fish (trout) Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus No MP without Size 3
Koi herpes virus infection Fish (carp) Koi herpes virus No AP without 44 without
Cancer plague Crayfish Aphanomyces astaci No without without 44 Size 3
Cryptosporidiosis lots Cryptosporidium ssp. Yes without Ü 19 Size 4th
Leptospirosis lots Leptospira ssp. Yes MP 25 Ü 19 Size 3
Listeriosis lots L. monocytogenes Yes MP Ü 19 Size 4th
Lumpy skin disease ruminant Capripoxvirus bovis nodularis No AP AP 42 Size 1
Pulmonary adenomatosis Sheep, goats Beta retro virus No without without Size 4th
Cattle pulmonary disease Bovine Mycoplasma mycoides No AP AP Size 1
Goat pulmonary disease Goats Mycoplasma capricolum No without without Size 4th
Maedi Sheep, goats Maedi Visna virus No MP without Size 4th
Marek's disease Chicken Chicken herpes virus 2 No MP MP 23 without
Foot and mouth disease Artifacts Foot-and-mouth disease virus Yes AP AP Size 1
anthrax lots Bacillus anthracis Yes AP AP Size 2
Myxomatosis Rabbit-like Leporipoxvirus myxomatosis No without without Size 3
Neosporosis Cattle, dogs Neospora caninum No without without Size 4th
Newcastle disease Birds Newcastle Disease Virus Yes AP AP Size 1
Orf (Ecthyma contagiosum) Sheep, goats Parapoxvirus ovis Yes MP without without
Paratuberculosis ruminant M. paratuberculosis questionable MP AP 26 Size 4th
Pest of the little ruminants Sheep, goats Pest des petits ruminants virus No AP AP 42 Size 1
Equine encephalomyelitis Horses Alphaviruses Yes AP AP 42 Size 2
Sheep and goat smallpox disease Sheep, goats Capripoxvirus ovis and caprae No AP AP 42 Size 1
Fish proliferative kidney disease fishes T. bryosalmonae No without without Size 4th
PRRS Pigs PRRS virus No without without Size 2
Pseudotuberculosis Sheep, goats C. pseudotuberculosis No without without Size 4th
Q fever ruminant Coxiella burnetii Yes MP without Size 4th
mange lots Sarcoptes scabiei Yes without AP 27 Size 3 28
Intoxicating fire ruminant Clostridium chauvoei No AP AP Size 4th
Rift Valley Fever ruminant Rift Valley fever virus Yes AP AP 42 Size 1
Rinderpest Bovine Rinderpest Virus No AP AP Size 1
snot Horses Burkholderia mallei Yes AP AP Size 2
salmonellosis lots Salmonella ssp. Yes MP 30 Ü 19 / MP 23 Size 3
Bovine salmonellosis Bovine Salmonella ssp. Yes AP Ü 19 Size 3
Mammalian pox lots Orthopoxvirus ssp. Yes MP 31 MP 16 without
Schmallenberg virus Bovine Schmallenberg virus No MP    
Swine fever Pigs SP virus No AP AP Size 1
Papular stomatitis Bovine Parapoxvirus bovis 1 No MP without without
Vesicular stomatitis Ungulates Vesicular stomatitis virus Yes AP AP 42 Size 1
rabies lots Rabies virus Yes AP AP Size 2
Toxoplasmosis lots Toxoplasma gondii Yes MP 32 Ü 19 Size 4th
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (e.g. BSE) lots Prion questionable AP AP 33 Size 2
Transmissible gastroenteritis Pigs Pig coronavirus 1 No MP without Size 4th
Trichinellosis Pigs Trichinella ssp. Yes O 34 O 34 Size 4th
Trichomonads disease Bovine Tritrichomonas fetus No AP AP 43 Size 2
tuberculosis lots Mycobacterium ssp. Yes MP 35 Ü 19 Size 2
Bovine tuberculosis Bovine Mycobacterium bovis Yes AP 36 AP Size 2
Tularemia Rabbits, hares Francisella tularensis Yes MP without Size 4th
Varroosis Bees Varroa destructor No without AP 1 37 Size 4th
Pig vesicular disease Pigs Swine vesicular disease virus Yes AP AP Size 1
Vibrion disease Bovine Campylobacter fetus No AP AP 43 Size 2
Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli lots Escherichia coli Yes MP 39 Ü 12 without
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia Fish (trout) Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus No AP AP 5 Size 2
Visna Sheep, goats Maedi Visna virus No MP without Size 4th
Birdpox Birds Avipoxvirus ssp. No MP MP 23 without
West Nile virus infection Horses, birds West Nile Virus No AP ? ?
Game and cattle disease Bovine Pasteurella multocida No without AP without
Yersiniosis lots Yersinia ssp. Yes MP Ü 19 Size 4th

1 Bee Disease Act
2 Diseases in monkeys are not regulated by animal disease law in Austria and Switzerland
3 Horse sickness ordinance, Federal Law Gazette No. 497/1993
4th ASP Regulation 2005, Federal Law Gazette II No. 193/2005
5 Fish Disease Ordinance 2005
6th for pigs in accordance with the Aujeszky's disease ordinance, Federal Law Gazette 303/1986
7th is only recorded by veterinarians via a voluntary reporting system for horse diseases
8th IBR / IPV law, § 18
9BVD regulation 2006, Federal Law Gazette II No. 282/2006 ( PDF )
10Bangseuchengesetz, Federal Law Gazette No. 147/1957, Section 11; Animal Disease Investigation Ordinance 2004
11Brucellosis Ordinance, Federal Law Gazette No. 391/1995, § 1; Brucella melitensis Monitoring Ordinance, Federal Law Gazette II No. 184/2002
12 Monitoring programs for selected pathogens , Federal Law Gazette II No. 81/2005
13 thermophilic Campylobacter in cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, cats and poultry (including pigeons)
14th Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli
15th Official Veterinary Bulletin No. 8/2004
16Zoonoses Act of November 18, 2005 ( text )
17th Chlamydophila spp. for cattle, sheep, goats and poultry (including pigeons)
18th in horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, cats, rabbits and hares
19thZoonoses Act of November 18, 2005 ( text )
20thObligation to notify according to the Rinderleukosegesetz, BGBl. No. 272/1982, $ 18; in accordance with the cattle leukosis investigation ordinance 2004 annual inspection of 20% of the herds
21st in EU AI centers
22nd The same law of December 16, 1948, Federal Law Gazette 21/1949 last amended by Federal Law Gazette I No. 98/2001
23 Notifiable for poultry in accordance with the Poultry Hygiene Ordinance 2007, Section 13
24 the occurrence of fish diseases is reported in accordance with Section 17 of the Animal Diseases Act, see also Official Veterinary News No. 8/2004
25th in pigs and sheep
26th Paratuberculosis Ordinance, Federal Law Gazette II No. 48/2006
27 horses, donkeys, mules, mules, sheep and goats
28 in sheep
30th Salmonella ssp. for all pets, for cattle
31 in horses, cattle, pigs, goats, hares and rabbits
32 in horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, rabbits and hares
33 BSE regulation BGBl 389/1991, TSE regulation BGBl II 72/1999, scrapie monitoring regulation BGBl 165/1995
34 not under animal health law, but under food law according to Directive 2003/99 / EC
35all pets, M. bovis notifiable
36 Mycobacterium bovis spp.
37 only in case of epidemic
38 According to the Bangseuchengesetz, Federal Law Gazette No. 147/1957, § 11, every miscarriage / premature birth in cattle must be reported to the municipality within 24 hours
39 all domestic mammals, trout and carp
40 not regulated by animal disease law, animal breeding law provides for an examination for bucks in insemination or breeding stations
41 currently not regulated by animal health law, but inclusion is under discussion
42Animal Disease Notification Ordinance BGBl II 756/1993 i. d. F. BGBl 58/1995
43 Stud disease law of December 16, 1948 BGBl 22/1949
44changed framework conditions regarding aquatic animal diseases, decision of the commission of August 20, 2008 2008/685 / EG ( pdf (PDF) ), planned in Austria AP

history

" 2 If you refuse [...] 3 the hand of Yahweh will attack your cattle in the field, horses and donkeys, camels and cattle, sheep and goats, and bring upon them a very serious plague."

- Ex 9.2-3  EU

Ancient to Middle Ages

Nothing is known about the occurrence of animal diseases prior to the first written records. Apart from tuberculosis - and only in exceptional cases - animal diseases do not cause any bone changes, so that fossils do not allow any conclusions to be drawn about animal diseases. However, genetic studies on animal disease pathogens indicate that they occurred several hundred million years ago. Another problem in research on the history of animal diseases is that almost all descriptions from the time before the discovery and detection of the respective pathogen always have a speculative side: There is a possibility of confusion with similar clinical pictures and most diseases are only officially identified today through clear pathogen detection.

There are documented cases of tuberculosis and brucellosis as early as the 9th millennium BC. Anthrax is reported as early as 1491 BC. Mentioned in Egypt. The oldest surviving veterinary document, the veterinary papyrus from Kahun (1850 BC), mainly deals with cattle diseases, but an exact assignment to certain animal diseases is not possible due to unsolved problems with the interpretation of these hieroglyphs and parts that have not been preserved. In the Codex Hammurapi , § 224 mentions payment and liability issues of a “doctor for cattle and donkeys”, but it does not contain any explanations on animal diseases. In ancient China there was apparently a state-organized veterinary system as early as the Zhou dynasty and the so-called Zhou-li (around 300 BC) regulates the services and duties of the veterinarian. However, it is not possible to assign the diseases described to the animal diseases known today. Something similar applies to the ancient Indian writings such as Hastyayurveda ("elephant medicine "; 500 BC, written probably not until 500 AD).

Aristotle - his Historia animalium contains the most detailed ancient representation of animal diseases

The first detailed records come from Greek writings of the 5th and 4th centuries BC. BC, Hippocrates delivered 450 BC. A precise description of the snot of horses. In Volume VIII of his Historia animalium, Aristotle described diseases in animals, which also contained detailed descriptions of some animal diseases such as snot, rabies and tetanus. In the most important ancient Roman work on agriculture, the De re rustica by Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (around 60 AD), the isolation of sick animals is already recommended. It was not until late antiquity that works by veterinarians such as the Mulomedicina Chironis (second half of the 4th century), the Byzantine Corpus Hippatriocurum Graecorum (9th / 10th centuries), a compilation of the writings of the 4th / 5th centuries, emerged. Century, as well as the Ars veterinaria by Pelagonius . These writings also determined the Arab veterinary medicine, which developed from the 9th century, and the veterinary medicine of the Middle Ages in Europe.

From the 13th century to the middle of the 18th century, the handling of animals was the responsibility of the stable master ( marshal ), which is why this phase in veterinary history is also known as the “stable master's time”. They were based primarily on the ancient representations of Greek and Arabic veterinary medicine. As far as the traditions allow, rinderpest, druse, snot, mange, anthrax and sheep pox were particularly common in the Middle Ages. Cattle lung disease was probably introduced to Europe late, and older descriptions could also be confused with anthrax or rinderpest. The first detailed description of foot and mouth disease is based on an epizootic in Italy in 1514 and comes from Girolamo Fracastoro ( De contagionibus et contagiis morbis et eorum curatione , Venice 1546). Because of this disease, certificates of origin and health certificates for animals were required in Italy as early as the 16th century and in Switzerland in the 17th century. But since there were no compensation payments, these regulations were often circumvented by the farmers. Larger rinderpest epidemics occurred especially during major armed conflicts such as the war expeditions of Charlemagne (from 772), the Mongolian conquests (13th century) and the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). Cattle tuberculosis ("pearl addiction"), a disease already known in antiquity, was still considered a form of syphilis ( gallic disease , "French disease "), which was rampant at the time, in the 16th century , which led to such grotesque assumptions will be transmitted to cattle through " unnatural sexual intercourse ". The relationship to tuberculosis in humans was not clarified until the second half of the 19th century.

18th and 19th centuries

The devastating losses caused by the rinderpest and the need for expert care for the horses of the cavalry led to the establishment of the first veterinary training centers: 1761 in Lyon , 1766 in Maisons-Alfort and Vienna , 1769 in Turin and 1771 in Göttingen . Rinderpest probably reached Central Europe with the migration of the peoples in the 4th century. It is estimated that 200 million cattle were killed in the 18th century in Europe alone. Although the causative agent of rinderpest was only discovered in 1902, the first disease law provisions were enacted as early as the 18th century, based on empirical observations on the spread and transmission. Amazingly, legal norms were enacted in Prussia in 1711, in England in 1713 and in France in 1714, which already included almost all of the measures commonly used in animal disease control today: obligation to notify, blocking of stocks, harmless removal of fallen animals, disinfection measures and compensation payments. The culling of sick cattle as a means of combating epizootic diseases was proposed by the papal body doctor Giovanni Maria Lancisi in 1718 and first anchored in law in the Principality of Calenberg in 1756 . Lancisi also imposed a trade ban on infected animals, the failure of which could result in death by beheading. With these measures, the rinderpest could largely be eradicated in Europe, although there were individual outbreaks during the Napoleonic wars. With the Rinderpestgesetz of April 7, 1869, a law was created in small-state Germany, initially for the North German Confederation , and with the establishment of the Reich in 1871 for the entire German Empire . The extraordinary success of these regulations is evident from the fact that the last outbreak of rinderpest in Germany occurred in 1881, i.e. 21 years before the rinderpest virus was discovered. In 1872 the institution of the official veterinarian was introduced.

Trichinella spiralis muscle cysts

The first proven pathogen of an animal disease was the itch mite , the causative agent of mange , in 1834 . The mange of horses was an important animal disease in the 18th century, it is even said to have had an impact on the outcome of the Seven Years' War . In the 1760s and 1770s, a trichinae epidemic - initially misinterpreted as typhoid - occurred. In 1846 Joseph Leidy recognized that this parasitosis was transmitted through insufficiently heated meat, in 1860 Friedrich Albert Zenker was finally able to explain the aetiology . This triggered the legal control of the slaughterhouses ( law on the establishment of public and exclusively for use slaughterhouses , 1868 in Prussia). The introduction of the Trichinenschau was proposed by Rudolf Virchow and was not generally prescribed by law in Germany until 1937.

With the development of bacteriology in the second half of the 19th century, the pre-etiological era of animal diseases also ended. In 1842 Christian Fuchs discovered - although he did not publish his results until 1862, which is why other authors ascribed this discovery to Aloys Pollender in 1849 - the causative agent of the anthrax Bacillus anthracis . In 1876, Robert Koch succeeded in multiplying and proving that this bacterium was really the cause of the disease, and in 1881 Louis Pasteur was able to develop a vaccine. In 1865, Jean-Antoine Villemin transmitted tuberculosis from humans to rabbits. Auguste Chaveau and Andreas Christian Gerlach were finally able to prove the zoonotic character of tuberculosis through experiments in 1870; The latter called for a ban on the consumption of meat from tuberculous cattle and pigs. In 1882 Friedrich Loeffler and Johann Wilhelm Schütz succeeded in breeding the snot pathogen, the oldest known horse disease. Nevertheless, little has been passed down in history about possible epidemics; it was even considered non-contagious until Erik Nissen Viborg proved its transferability in 1797 . At the beginning of the 18th century there was a devastating outbreak in Hungary that killed 20,000 horses.

On the basis of filtration experiments, Friedrich Loeffler and Paul Frosch were able to prove in 1897 that the pathogen causing foot-and-mouth disease is a virus. You are the founders of veterinary virology . Rabies, also a viral disease, was already known in antiquity and it was suspected that it was transmitted through bites. In 1804, Georg Gottfried Zinke was able to prove that the pathogen is transmitted via saliva . A treatment ban for rabies was already imposed at the beginning of the 18th century, rabies was also the reason for the introduction of the dog tax around 1840. In 1880 Pasteur recognized the possibility of reducing virulence through chemical and physical processes and developed vaccines against rabies, poultry cholera, and anthrax Rotlauf. The first reliable evidence of other viral diseases is also from the 19th century. The first swine fever outbreak occurred in Ohio in 1833, and in 1860 the animal disease also reached Europe. However, pig epidemics came into the focus of systematic investigations relatively late and it cannot be ruled out that outbreaks of swine fever were already concealed under terms such as red rash and anthrax. The same applies to poultry diseases: in 1878 the classic avian influenza broke out “for the first time” in northern Italy and spread throughout Europe in several epidemics up to 1930.

The new discoveries of the etiological disciplines and the new unity of the German Reich did not remain without effects on the animal disease control and its legal basis. In 1881 the first Reichsviehseuchengesetz was passed, the forerunners of which are the corresponding laws in Baden (1865), Bavaria (1867) and Prussia (1875). It contained provisions for nine animal diseases and was extended to 16 diseases with the 2nd Reichsviehseuchengesetz of June 26, 1909. It also forms the basis for the Animal Disease Act currently in force in Germany.

Dead and killed animals were first disposed of in so-called Wasen places. End of the 17th century, the developed Abdeckerei -Privileg and the resulting trade regulations, the knacker a special police permit requirements were under (Reich Trade Regulation of 21 June 1869). Some of these spots are still sources of infection for anthrax, the pathogen (Bacillus anthracis) of which can remain infectious in the soil in the form of spores for over a hundred years. Towards the end of the 19th century, with the " industrial revolution " in Germany, the first animal carcass disposal plants were built . They not only allowed the known pathogens to be killed safely, but also allowed fallen animal bodies to be used to produce animal meal and animal fat.

20th century

Red skin on the horse

During the First World War , entire regiments had to be withdrawn from the front in 1916 because of the rampant mange. In addition, there were losses in horses due to contagious anemia, breast disease and snot.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was an increase in international trade in animals and animal products, so that animal diseases could no longer be controlled at the national level alone. An outbreak of cattle plague in Antwerp in 1920, caused by zebus from Pakistan that were only temporarily in Belgium in transit, was the starting point for the establishment of the International Office of Epizootics (OIE). The French government convened a diplomatic conference on January 25, 1924, attended by 28 states and unanimously decided to found the OIE.

The emergence of large animal populations through "industrial animal production" was of importance for the need for effective animal disease control. The large populations of factory farming are particularly at risk in the event of disease outbreaks.

The developments in modern serology and molecular biology opened up new horizons in terms of pathogen detection and epizootiological investigations. By detecting specific subtypes, infection routes can now be better identified.

In 1982 Stanley Prusiner formulated his " prion hypothesis ", which gave the last group of animal diseases - the communicable brain diseases - an etiological basis. The prion diseases plunged animal carcass recycling and the production of medicines from cattle and sheep into a deep crisis.

There have been major outbreaks of disease in Europe in recent history for BSE (1982 to the mid-1990s, mainly in the United Kingdom), classical swine fever (1997/98 in the Netherlands), and foot-and-mouth disease (2001 in the United Kingdom ) and avian influenza ("bird flu") 2005 .

literature

  • Wolfgang Bisping: Compendium of the state control of animal diseases. Enke, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-7773-1423-4
  • Thomas Blaha: Applied Epizootiology and Animal Disease Control . Urban & Fischer, Munich 1988, ISBN 3-334-00204-7
  • Arnulf Burckhardt: Basics of animal disease control . Enke-Verlag Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-432-28081-5
  • Hans J. Selbitz and Wolfgang Bisping: Animal diseases and zoonoses . Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena 1995, ISBN 3-334-60955-3

Web links

Wiktionary: Tierseuche  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
 Wikinews: Animal Disease  - In The News

Individual evidence

  1. Tierseuchen retrospect ( Memento from May 6, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) of the online information portal NetherlandsNet, University of Münster
  2. List of potential biological weapons of the CDC ( Memento from July 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ^ OIE list of animal diseases
  4. Current EU animal disease regulations
  5. 275 million euros to combat animal diseases
  6. Animal Health Act
  7. Text of the Ordinance on Notifiable Animal Diseases
  8. ^ Text of the ordinance on notifiable animal diseases
  9. List of notifiable animal diseases (pdf)
  10. SR 916.40: Animal Diseases Act (TSG) (pdf; 178 kB)
  11. SR 916.401: Animal Disease Ordinance (TSV) (pdf; 512 kB)
  12. SR 916.404.1: Ordinance on the Animal Movement Database (TVD Ordinance) (pdf; 167 kB)
  13. a b c d Lothar H. Wieler : Tierseuchen. Infectious diseases that affect everyone. (Full text)
  14. a b c d e f g Hans J. Selbitz and Wolfgang Bisping: Tierseuchen und Zoonosen .
  15. a b c d e f g h i Angela von den Driesch : History of veterinary medicine . Munich: Callwey-Verlag.
  16. History and legal development of animal carcass disposal ( Memento from July 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  17. Arnulf Burckhardt: Fundamentals of animal disease control .
This article was added to the list of excellent articles on September 22, 2007 in this version .