LAUSR

This report is produced each month by the APHA Surveillance Intelligence Unit and the six Species Expert Groups (livestock and wildlife). The international horizonscanning summaries are produced by the Defra/APHA International Disease Monitoring (IDM) team, notifiable disease reports by the APHA Veterinary Exotic and Notifiable Disease Unit (VENDU), and threat analysis by the cross-agency Veterinary Risk Group (VRG). The report is drawn from scanning surveillance information, data and reports produced by the APHA veterinary investigation centres and nonAPHA partner postmortem examination providers contributing to the Veterinary Investigation Diagnosis Analysis (VIDA) database and complying with standardised diagnostic and laboratory testing criteria. Other livestock and wildlife scanning surveillance reports may also be found at www.gov.uk/government/collections/ animal-disease-surveillance-reports Highlights from the scanning surveillance network Cattle Salmonella Dublin osteomyelitis An uncommon manifestation of an infectious disease was investigated at the APHA Shrewsbury veterinary investigation centre (VIC). Two euthanased male suckler calves were submitted a few weeks apart from unrelated Powys herds for postmortem examination. They were three and four months old and from herds of 60 and 70 animals, respectively. Over a period of several weeks, each calf first became slightly lame on one foreleg, followed by increasing weakness of both forelegs. They spent more time lying down and had difficulty rising on their forelegs. The hindlegs were unaffected, with normal strength and tone. They remained bright and continued to suckle their dams although restricted by being recumbent. Various antibiotics, NSAIDs and steroids had been given with no improvement. There were similar postmortem findings in both calves. Removal of the spinal cord identified swelling of the underlying bone and cartilage at the level of the sixth cervical vertebra eight weeks, averaging 20 days. They described lesions variably in the sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae, and the first thoracic vertebra, affecting single vertebral bodies in eight cases and multiple vertebrae in six. Infection by S Dublin is regularly identified on UK farms. It can also exist subclinically on farms for several years. Introduction to naive herds is most likely to be due to the purchase of carrier animals. Clinical disease is occasionally diagnosed in sheep or other species. Improving hygiene and trying to isolate affected animals is advisable to try to control the spread of infection. A commercial vaccine is also available. Further aspects of disease control are discussed by Henderson and Mason. S Dublin is an uncommon though potentially serious cause of disease in people. Good personal hygiene is essential on all farms to reduce the chances of zoonotic infection.