EPIZOOTIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS IN SOUTH BAČKA REGION

Bovine tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis is a chronicle, infective disease associated with formation of specific inflammatory granulomas. Infection usually remains subclinical for a long period, but even when the clinical are present, they are not pathognomic. Bovine tuberculosis can spread to humans through inhalation of infectious droplets and by ingestion of raw milk, and on the rare occasion through consumption of meat products. Since the disease remains a great economic concern for cattle production operations and due to its zoonotic nature, most of the countries initiated a program for the control and eradication of tuberculosis in domestic animals. In South Baåka region (SBD) three tuberculous foci were detected on the territory of Žabalj, Novi Sad and Titel municipality. The first 11 reactors were detected in the year 2004 during the diagnostic examination that was conducted according to the Program of Measures for infectious disease survaillance. The number of animals with a positive reaction to the intradermal tuberculin test was 113, 54 and 142, in 2006, 2007 and 2008, respectively. The diagnosis was further confirmed by gama-interferon test, gross pathology and histopathological examination, and definitively confirmed by M. bovis isolation from the lymph node and lung lesions. The number of estimated tuberculin reactors was 320, located in six settlements and 37 husbandries. The percent of infected animals in some herds ranged from 11.10 to 59.18%. The objective of this investigation was to determine the routes of infection and to identify risk factors that contributed to the tuberculosis breakdown in the tuberculous hot spots. An epizootiological evaluation revealed that the high herd prevalence and high animal incidence of bovine TBC in South Baåka region was associated with the following factors: lack of TBC diagnosis in pastured animals in swampy areas for a long period, grazing areas are often flooded resulting in bad quality fodder and cattle malnutrition, presence of other domestic animals on the pastures, co-mingling of animals from different herds is frequent, common water through, presence of different wild animal species on pasture (as a potential reservoir of the disease), uncontrolled movement and illegal trade of infected animals, natural breeding as well as overpopulation in the sheds during winter housing.

SEROLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF PARVOVIRUS INFECTION ON PIG FARMS

Porcine parvovirus (PPV) is one of the causative agents in reproductive disorders in swine that causes great economic losses. The objective of our research was to determine prevalence of this infection on farms with intensive breeding in 5 municipalities in Vojvodina. The research encompassed 19 herds with a total of 344 blood samples screened for the presence of antibodies against PPV (gilts, breeding sows and boars). Serological examination was carried out by haemagglutination inhibition test (HI test). After the analyses of the results, seropositive animals were detected on the farms and there were no PPV-free farms. The determined antibody titre against PPV ranged from 1:64 to 1:16384. Out of 344 examined animals, there were 305 (88.66%) with a high antibody titre (1:1024 to 1:16384). The highest level of antibodies (1:16384) was detected in 145 animals, what is 42.15% of total number. In 24 animals (6.97%) titre antibody was 1:512 and these animals were of low seropositivity. Simultaneously, a comparison of antibodies in blood sera was carried out on 20 gilts (Table 3, farm 2) originating from a farm where the animals were vaccinated against PPV and 20 unvaccinated gilts (Table 4, farm 1) originating from a farm without vaccination against PPV. In unvaccinated animals antibody titre was unequal and ranged from 1:256 to 1:16384, in unvaccinated animals the values were considerably higher and ranged from 1:4096 do 1:16384, and in 17 out of 20 vaccinated pigs (85%) the highest antibody titre was 1:16384.

INFLUENCE OF RESPIRATORY DISEASES ON DECREASED RATE OF WEIGHT GAIN IN PIGS

Respiratory diseases of swine cause great economic losses due to death of animals, compulsory slaughtering, reduced daily weight gain, higher consumption of feed per kilo comparing to gain, prolonged fattening time, higher percentage of low weight pigs in the slaughterhouse and increased costs of medical treatment. The aim of this paper was to evaluate how the diseases of respiratory tract influence on the appearance of reduced growth rate in pigs. The material for research were 73 piglets in which decreased weight gain was noticed and 224 fattening pigs that were delivered to a slaughter house on regular basis. The body mass of the piglets that showed decreased weight gain and of the fattening pigs was measured upon the arrival to the abattoir. At the slaughterhouse pathomorphological examination of respiratory tract and heart was carried out. Examining the organs of chest cavity in 65.75% of the slaughtered low weight pigs changes on lungs were discovered. The pathological process most often comprised at the same time apical, cardial and diaphragmatic lobes (42.46%). In 52% cases we discovered pleuropneumonia and pericarditis. In 14 cases (9.18%) abscesses in lung tissues were discovered. Examining chest cavity it was detected that in 54.88% fattening pigs there were changes on lungs. In 53 (21.54%) fattening pigs the changes influenced lesser than 10% on lung parenchyma, but in 26 (10.57%) fattening pigs changes on lung parenchyma occurred in more of 50%. On the bases of these results it can be concluded that the diseases of respiratory system in the fattening pigs raised on industrial farms are the dominant cause of death, but also the reason for forced slaughtering, and they considerably influence productional results and the efficiency of swine production.

Pathways for transfer and spreading of Aujeszky’s disease to carnivora

Aujeszky?s disease (Morbus Aujeszky) is an acute viral contagious disease occurring in a large number of domestic and wild animals. This epizootiological disease has been present in our country for quite some time now, and it has been increasingly frequently diagnosed in carnivora in the recent years. The objective of the investigations was to determine and establish the pathways for the transfer and the manner of spreading of the MA virus to carnivora. Epizootiological data on the appearance of MA, collected in the field, as well as an epizootiological report by the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture and of the Federal Ministry for Agriculture were used as material. Detailed epizootiological, clinical, pathomorphological, and laboratory analyses were performed in five critical spots for MA registered in the territory of Vojvodina province. We established the following pathways for the spread of the MA viral infection to carnivora: the consumption of thermally unprocessed swine carcasses, the consumption of thermally unprocessed pork originating from butcher shops or from regular slaughter on private farms, the consumption of viscera from emergency slaughtered sheep, cohabitation and contact with infected swine, and vaccination using a live vaccine contaminated with the MA virus.