Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a contagious viral disease that continues to impact domestic and wild birds. In March of 2024, HPAI was detected in dairy cattle in Texas, and has since spread rapidly across the United States. To date, it has not been detected in Canada in cattle. In this new miniseries, Dr. Murray Gillies, a veterinarian and the Interim Division Director for the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System, and Dr. Henry Ceelen, a bovine veterinarian and Secretary Treasurer for the Canadian Association of Bovine Veterinarians, join Dr. Steven Roche of ACER Consulting to discuss HPAI in dairy cattle, including disease presentation, spread, and prevention, as well as the Canadian response.     Links of interest CFIA: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in cattle USDA: HPAI in livestock Dairy Farmers of Canada and Animal Health Canada: HPAI: Biosecurity Recommendations forDairy Farmers National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health: Avian influenza A(H5N1) in dairy farms: An update on public health and food safety concerns

Les moustiques sont porteurs et contribuent à la propagation d’une variété de conditions infectieuses à une variété d’espèces - il est donc important pour la santé publique et la santé animale de garder ”l’œil dans le ciel” et de surveiller leurs mouvements, leur propagation et leurs préférences en matière d’habitat. Heureusement, le Canada dispose d’un groupe de chercheurs qui surveillent et d’étudient ce phénomène. Dre Antoinette Ludwig, vétérinaire et épidémiologiste au Laboratoire national de microbiologie de l’Agence de la santé publique du Canada, et Marc Avramov, candidat au doctorat à l’Université Carlton, étudient les maladies transmises par les moustiques et le risque qu’elles représentent pour les populations humaines et animales, ainsi que l’impact du changement climatique sur ces maladies.

Dr. Antoinette Ludwig, a veterinarian and epidemiologist with the National Microbiology Laboratory at the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Carleton University PhD candidate Marc Avramov, study the diseases transmitted by mosquitoes and the risk they pose for both human and animal populations, as well as the impact of climate change on these disease patterns.

Le Dr Mohamed Rhouma, vétérinaire, microbiologiste et professeur adjoint à la Faculté de médecine vétérinaire de l’Université de Montréal, a voulu comprendre comment ces changementsconcernant la manière dont les antimicrobiens, en particulier les antibiotiques, peuvent être prescrits, délivrés et utilisés pour la gestion des maladies des animaux d’élevage, ont affecté la surveillance de l’utilisation des antimicrobiens et le développement de la résistance aux antimicrobiens chez les animaux d’élevage - et faire le point sur les connaissances actuelles en lien avec le rôle des animaux de production dans la propagation de la résistance aux antimicrobiens aux humains dans une perspective One Health. Dans ce but, Dr Rhouma et ses collègues de l’Université de Montréal et de l’Université de Gand (Belgique) ont effectué une revue de l’état actuel des connaissances sur ce sujet sous la forme d’un article qui a été publié dans la revue Veterinary sciences en septembre 2022.

Dr. Mohamed Rhouma, a veterinarian, microbiologist and assistant professor at the Faculty of veterinary medicine at the University of Montreal, wanted to get a sense of how regulatory changes have affected AMU and AMR in farm animals – and to provide an update on what we know right now regarding the role of farm animals in the spread of AMR to humans from a One Health perspective. To this end, he and his colleagues from University of Montreal and Ghent University (Belgium) performed a review of the current state of knowledge on this topic and the resulting paper was published in the journal Veterinary sciences  in September 2022.

Dans le cadre de nombreuses initiatives de prévention de la peste porcine africaine, ici au Canada, un programme de surveillance et de dépistage a été créé pour aider à réduire le risque pour le cheptel porcin canadien. CanSpotASF est un programme de dépistage collaboratif qui fonctionne au niveau de laboratoires de diagnostic animal accrédités et spécifiques et dans les abattoirs provinciaux et fédéraux pour aider à détecter la PPA tôt si et quand elle apparaît, afin de minimiser l’impact de la PPA sur les porcs canadiens et les producteurs, et tous ceux qui travaillent dans l’industrie porcine canadienne. La Dre Karine Talbot, vétérinaire porcine et directrice de la santé animale chez HyLife Inc. et membre de l’un des nombreux groupes de travail CanSpotASF, s’entretient avec moi aujourd’hui pour passer en revue les avantages de ce programme de dépistage et le rôle des vétérinaires et producteurs porcins. dans la surveillance de la PPA.

As part of many ASF prevention initiatives, here in Canada a surveillance and testing program was created to help reduce the risk for Canadian swine herd. CanSpotASF is a collaborative diagnostic screening program that works at the level of specific, approved animal diagnostic laboratories and at provincial and federal abattoirs to help detect ASF early if and when it appears, in order to minimize the impact of ASF on Canadian pigs and producers, and all those who work in the Canadian swine industry. Dr. Karine Talbot, a swine veterinarian, and the Director of Animal Health with HyLife Inc. and a member of several CanSpotASF working groups, reviews the benefits of this screening program and the role for swine vets and producers in ASF surveillance.

The first few months of a foal’s life can be challenging as their immune system develops – even in ideal situations they may face bacterial or viral infections that can make or break their future health. Dr. Ashley Whitehead, a veterinary internal medicine specialist and associate professor in equine clinical sciences at the University of Calgary, has a passion for all things related to foal health, and reviews how we can optimize foal immunity in this critical neonatal period.

Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome is a disease that has circulated in the swine world for years – however a recent highly pathogenic strain of this virus is challenging pig herds. Dr. Doug MacDougald, a swine veterinarian working out of Southwest Ontario Veterinary Services has worked with producers in North America who have experienced outbreaks of this highly pathogenic PRRS strain – 144 Lineage 1C – and shares some case studies and practical tips for disease prevention.

The Canadian Dairy Network for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Resistance was created with input from experts, producers and veterinarians across Canada, and will provide valuable information to improve herd health and public health in the years to come. Drs. Javier Sanchez and Luke Heider spearheaded this collaborative project to develop a scaffold for monitoring zoonotic bacteria of public health significance and the use of antimicrobials on Canadian dairy farms.

With the surge of dogs imported into Canada through the pandemic the possibility of people being exposed to rabies from a pet dog has become more of a risk. Dr. Martin Appelt, the Senior Director of the Animal Health Programs Division at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, reviews the recent changes to import requirements for dogs, and the reasons for their implementation to protect Canadians.

Avec l’afflux de chiens importés au Canada pendant la pandémie, la rage et la possibilité que des personnes soient exposées à ce virus sont devenues un risque réel. Le Dre Nancy Rheault, Directrice principale et Vétérinaire en chef adjointe, à la Division de l’importation et de l’exportation des animaux pour les affaires internationales à l’Agence Canadienne d’inspection des aliments, s’entretient avec nous aujourd’hui pour nous expliquer certains changements récents apportés aux exigences d’importation de chiens et les raisons de leur mise en œuvre pour protéger les Canadiens.

Wild pigs are known to wreak environmental havoc across all types of landscapes, and they can be difficult to find, let alone to manage once they’re established in an area. Information about the habitats that Canadian wild pigs utilize can help inform decisions about how best to manage wild pig populations, and perhaps may also be useful to decrease crop damage or livestock interactions at the wildlife-agricultural interface. Mr. Corey Kramer, previously a masters student from the University of Saskatchewan, and currently a Biology PhD student at San Diego State University, investigated the habitat use and movements of wild pigs in Canada, and shares the results from this research with us on Animal Health Insights.

In many species, including dogs, there is evidence that some parasites are developing resistance to certain types of deworming medications. One of these parasites is the canine hookworm – known as Ancylostoma caninum. Dr. John Gilleard from the University of Calgary has been involved in investigations into the emergence and diagnosis of these drug-resistant canine hookworms over the past few years. In addition to working as a Professor of Parasitology and the Associate Dean of Research at the faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Calgary, his research focusses on drug-resistant parasites and ways to investigate the emergence and spread of these in animal populations including cattle, other ruminants, and dogs.

Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt – a veterinarian, epidemiologist, and professor of veterinary medicine at the Université de Montreal, is an expert in poultry health and biosecurity – and focusses on developing strategies to help to control the risk of infection with diseases such as Avian Influenza. He joins us in this episode to review actions and essential biosecurity steps to help maintain healthy flocks and minimize the chance of Avian Influenza infections on farm.

Dr Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt – vétérinaire, épidémiologiste et professeur de médecine vétérinaire à l’Université de Montréal, est un expert en santé et biosécurité de la volaille. Il se concentre sur l’élaboration de stratégies pour aider à contrôler le risque d’infection par des maladies telles que la grippe aviaire. Son travail le fait voyager partout dans le monde où il aide les producteurs et les gouvernements à élaborer des plans de biosécurité régionaux qui améliorent considérablement la santé des oiseaux. Il a également étudié l’impact des traits sociaux et de la personnalité des humains sur le succès des mesures de biosécurité.

Paul van Westendorp, the provincial apiculturalist or “honeybee expert” for the province of British Columbia, helped to identify an invasive wasp species upon its discovery. Along with colleagues, Paul worked to locate and eradicate a hornet nest near Nanaimo, B.C., and continues to monitor for this insect species in B.C.

Whirling disease is a condition affecting fish and causing abnormal swimming patterns because of physical malformations. Dr. Mark Taylor, an aquatic biologist with Parks Canada in Banff National Park, works in all aspect of aquatic resource management, and worked with others in Alberta and Canada to manage this threat to the wild trout populations through the use of some novel strategies.

As part of disease surveillance work in Quebec, a unique program was created to connect veterinarians and producers, and to establish a targeted parasite management plans for the province’s sheep flocks and goat herds.

Au Québec, il existe un programme destiné aux éleveurs de moutons et de chèvres de la province pour les aider à créer des liens avec les vétérinaires et à établir un plan ciblé pour la gestion du parasitisme. Ce programme provincial a été mis sur pied dans le cadre des travaux de surveillance des maladies animales.