INTERDISCIPLINARY collaboration is the key to the concept of ‘One Health’ (Gibbs 2014) and commun... more INTERDISCIPLINARY collaboration is the key to the concept of ‘One Health’ (Gibbs 2014) and communication is clearly an important element of such collaboration. A news item in last week's Veterinary Record (April 5, …
THE letter from Ranald Munro ( VR , June 8, 2013, vol 172, p 617), chair of the Independent Exper... more THE letter from Ranald Munro ( VR , June 8, 2013, vol 172, p 617), chair of the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) charged with overseeing the development of humaneness assessment protocols for the pilot badger culls and ensuring the robustness of data collection and analysis, and information Defra has so far released, both …
We are writing in response to the letter published by McGill and colleagues ( VR , 15 September, ... more We are writing in response to the letter published by McGill and colleagues ( VR , 15 September, 2018, vol 183, pp 327-328), with a request for a retraction of incorrect information reported, and to emphasise the public health importance of tuberculosis (TB) to both people and animals. McGill and colleagues state that ‘one member of staff … developed a latent infection with M bovis spoligotype …
Just before the last General Election, a group of us signed a letter ( VR , June 3, 2017, vol 180... more Just before the last General Election, a group of us signed a letter ( VR , June 3, 2017, vol 180, p 546-547) summarising our opposition to fox hunting, an activity that the prime minister openly supported. One of the points we raised concerned the potential spread of bovine TB (bTB) by the Kimblewick Hunt’s pack of hounds, which had become infected in 2016. The formal report of this outbreak of bTB in hounds has recently been published by Edinburgh University in association with APHA/Defra.1 Kimblewick’s approximately 180 hounds operate over six counties of England in the edge and low-risk area for bTB in cattle. In the report, the authors eloquently explain how molecular pathological techniques, including serology and interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA), have been developed for use in diagnosing bTB infection in dogs. Of the 164 hounds that were tested, 97 had evidence of bTB infection. The authors state: ‘… it was assumed that any hound with a significant interferon-gamma response to at least one test antigen was infected and potentially infectious. Any such hound would therefore pose a risk to human and animal health, as well as to the environment and should be removed from the pack and euthanased.’ > The most likely route of bTB infection in hounds was the feeding of bTB-infected meat Consequently, these infected dogs were culled. The authors propose the most likely routes of infection for these hounds. Two broad conclusions are that: 1. The most likely route of bTB infection for hounds was feeding them bTB-infected meat. …
We thank Phipps and others for their response ( VR , 22 September 2018, vol 183, p 356) to our le... more We thank Phipps and others for their response ( VR , 22 September 2018, vol 183, p 356) to our letter. We would argue that the original paper1 does imply that the human case of latent tuberculosis (TB) may have come from hounds, stating that: ‘One kennel worker was also diagnosed with latent TB, potentially due to exposure to infected hounds and/or their contaminated feed, though this remains unproven.’ We welcome the previously unpublished data and retract our original statement, to replace it with: ‘One member of staff was diagnosed with a latent infection from an as yet uncharacterised species of Mycobacterium . Further detail is needed, but the potential risk of dog-to-human transmission of bovine TB remains “plausible and real”.’1 While we appreciate that Phipps and colleagues wish to protect personal privacy, it seems odd for Public Health England to discourage identification of the hunt at this late stage, as this information was publicly confirmed by Defra more than a year ago. The authors cite a 2006 paper by Ellis and colleagues which describes in detail a case of bovine TB in a pet dog.2 Although Phipps and colleagues claim that …
THE letter from Ranald Munro ( VR , June 8, 2013, vol 172, p 617), chair of the Independent Exper... more THE letter from Ranald Munro ( VR , June 8, 2013, vol 172, p 617), chair of the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) charged with overseeing the development of humaneness assessment protocols for the pilot badger culls and ensuring the robustness of data collection and analysis, and information Defra has so far released, both …
MAY I congratulate Trevor Jones on his two recent letters giving an historical perspective on the... more MAY I congratulate Trevor Jones on his two recent letters giving an historical perspective on the difficult issue of bovine TB and badger control ( VR , September 27, 2014, vol 175, p 308; November 8, 2014, vol 175, pp 463-464). It is only by starting at the beginning that we get a true picture of what has happened, and of the appalling situation that has been allowed to develop since 1998. I would like to point out some further historical issues which I hope will be of interest to members. I have had some peripheral involvement with the 2013 and 2014 badger culls in Gloucestershire, and so my comments apply specifically to this geographical area. Table 4.4 of the Independent Scientific Groups's (ISG's) report on the Krebs/Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) project gave a mean density of 0.67 badgers per km2 in the proactive area of the cull in area A (Gloucester/Hereford border), and of 2.61 badgers per km2 in area I (south Gloucestershire) (ISG 2007). Paragraph 4.4 of the same report states that ‘Badger density estimates derived from these numbers, presented in Table 4.4, are comparable with those recorded previously in agricultural areas of Britain’, from which I assume …
INTERDISCIPLINARY collaboration is the key to the concept of ‘One Health’ (Gibbs 2014) and commun... more INTERDISCIPLINARY collaboration is the key to the concept of ‘One Health’ (Gibbs 2014) and communication is clearly an important element of such collaboration. A news item in last week's Veterinary Record (April 5, …
JONES and others ( VR , May 25, 2013, vol 172, p 562) argue that the BVA should withdraw its supp... more JONES and others ( VR , May 25, 2013, vol 172, p 562) argue that the BVA should withdraw its support for the Government's policy of pilot badger culls because the method of culling – the shooting of free-roaming badgers at night with shotguns and rifles – is likely to have detrimental welfare impacts on a large number of badgers (ie, those which may be shot and injured, but not killed outright). Some …
Neil Smith, the RCVS President, comments: To suggest that all veterinary surgeons must see an inj... more Neil Smith, the RCVS President, comments: To suggest that all veterinary surgeons must see an injured animal within an hour is to misunderstand the Disciplinary Committee's decision in the case of Chikosi. If a veterinary surgeon in practice is asked to attend to an injured animal, he or she must make animal health and welfare his or her …
INTERDISCIPLINARY collaboration is the key to the concept of ‘One Health’ (Gibbs 2014) and commun... more INTERDISCIPLINARY collaboration is the key to the concept of ‘One Health’ (Gibbs 2014) and communication is clearly an important element of such collaboration. A news item in last week's Veterinary Record (April 5, …
THE letter from Ranald Munro ( VR , June 8, 2013, vol 172, p 617), chair of the Independent Exper... more THE letter from Ranald Munro ( VR , June 8, 2013, vol 172, p 617), chair of the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) charged with overseeing the development of humaneness assessment protocols for the pilot badger culls and ensuring the robustness of data collection and analysis, and information Defra has so far released, both …
We are writing in response to the letter published by McGill and colleagues ( VR , 15 September, ... more We are writing in response to the letter published by McGill and colleagues ( VR , 15 September, 2018, vol 183, pp 327-328), with a request for a retraction of incorrect information reported, and to emphasise the public health importance of tuberculosis (TB) to both people and animals. McGill and colleagues state that ‘one member of staff … developed a latent infection with M bovis spoligotype …
Just before the last General Election, a group of us signed a letter ( VR , June 3, 2017, vol 180... more Just before the last General Election, a group of us signed a letter ( VR , June 3, 2017, vol 180, p 546-547) summarising our opposition to fox hunting, an activity that the prime minister openly supported. One of the points we raised concerned the potential spread of bovine TB (bTB) by the Kimblewick Hunt’s pack of hounds, which had become infected in 2016. The formal report of this outbreak of bTB in hounds has recently been published by Edinburgh University in association with APHA/Defra.1 Kimblewick’s approximately 180 hounds operate over six counties of England in the edge and low-risk area for bTB in cattle. In the report, the authors eloquently explain how molecular pathological techniques, including serology and interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA), have been developed for use in diagnosing bTB infection in dogs. Of the 164 hounds that were tested, 97 had evidence of bTB infection. The authors state: ‘… it was assumed that any hound with a significant interferon-gamma response to at least one test antigen was infected and potentially infectious. Any such hound would therefore pose a risk to human and animal health, as well as to the environment and should be removed from the pack and euthanased.’ > The most likely route of bTB infection in hounds was the feeding of bTB-infected meat Consequently, these infected dogs were culled. The authors propose the most likely routes of infection for these hounds. Two broad conclusions are that: 1. The most likely route of bTB infection for hounds was feeding them bTB-infected meat. …
We thank Phipps and others for their response ( VR , 22 September 2018, vol 183, p 356) to our le... more We thank Phipps and others for their response ( VR , 22 September 2018, vol 183, p 356) to our letter. We would argue that the original paper1 does imply that the human case of latent tuberculosis (TB) may have come from hounds, stating that: ‘One kennel worker was also diagnosed with latent TB, potentially due to exposure to infected hounds and/or their contaminated feed, though this remains unproven.’ We welcome the previously unpublished data and retract our original statement, to replace it with: ‘One member of staff was diagnosed with a latent infection from an as yet uncharacterised species of Mycobacterium . Further detail is needed, but the potential risk of dog-to-human transmission of bovine TB remains “plausible and real”.’1 While we appreciate that Phipps and colleagues wish to protect personal privacy, it seems odd for Public Health England to discourage identification of the hunt at this late stage, as this information was publicly confirmed by Defra more than a year ago. The authors cite a 2006 paper by Ellis and colleagues which describes in detail a case of bovine TB in a pet dog.2 Although Phipps and colleagues claim that …
THE letter from Ranald Munro ( VR , June 8, 2013, vol 172, p 617), chair of the Independent Exper... more THE letter from Ranald Munro ( VR , June 8, 2013, vol 172, p 617), chair of the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) charged with overseeing the development of humaneness assessment protocols for the pilot badger culls and ensuring the robustness of data collection and analysis, and information Defra has so far released, both …
MAY I congratulate Trevor Jones on his two recent letters giving an historical perspective on the... more MAY I congratulate Trevor Jones on his two recent letters giving an historical perspective on the difficult issue of bovine TB and badger control ( VR , September 27, 2014, vol 175, p 308; November 8, 2014, vol 175, pp 463-464). It is only by starting at the beginning that we get a true picture of what has happened, and of the appalling situation that has been allowed to develop since 1998. I would like to point out some further historical issues which I hope will be of interest to members. I have had some peripheral involvement with the 2013 and 2014 badger culls in Gloucestershire, and so my comments apply specifically to this geographical area. Table 4.4 of the Independent Scientific Groups's (ISG's) report on the Krebs/Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) project gave a mean density of 0.67 badgers per km2 in the proactive area of the cull in area A (Gloucester/Hereford border), and of 2.61 badgers per km2 in area I (south Gloucestershire) (ISG 2007). Paragraph 4.4 of the same report states that ‘Badger density estimates derived from these numbers, presented in Table 4.4, are comparable with those recorded previously in agricultural areas of Britain’, from which I assume …
INTERDISCIPLINARY collaboration is the key to the concept of ‘One Health’ (Gibbs 2014) and commun... more INTERDISCIPLINARY collaboration is the key to the concept of ‘One Health’ (Gibbs 2014) and communication is clearly an important element of such collaboration. A news item in last week's Veterinary Record (April 5, …
JONES and others ( VR , May 25, 2013, vol 172, p 562) argue that the BVA should withdraw its supp... more JONES and others ( VR , May 25, 2013, vol 172, p 562) argue that the BVA should withdraw its support for the Government's policy of pilot badger culls because the method of culling – the shooting of free-roaming badgers at night with shotguns and rifles – is likely to have detrimental welfare impacts on a large number of badgers (ie, those which may be shot and injured, but not killed outright). Some …
Neil Smith, the RCVS President, comments: To suggest that all veterinary surgeons must see an inj... more Neil Smith, the RCVS President, comments: To suggest that all veterinary surgeons must see an injured animal within an hour is to misunderstand the Disciplinary Committee's decision in the case of Chikosi. If a veterinary surgeon in practice is asked to attend to an injured animal, he or she must make animal health and welfare his or her …
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