FLEISCHWIRTSCHAFT international 6/2017

Fleischwirtschaft international 6_2017
3
Time to work on umbrellas
Projections on AI viruses during the 2017–18season
Editorial
Bulgaria and South Africa reported outbreaks
from highly pathogenic strains of Avian
Influenza (AI, bird flu), according to anotification
from the World Organization for Animal
Health (OIE). The United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently
posted an analysis of highly pathogenic H5
activity over the past year,with projections on
what might happen with the viruses during the
2017–18 season. Experts said the fourth intercontinental
wave of highly pathogenic H5
transmission is still under way and has been
marked by novel strains last season that caused
numerous outbreaks in poultry and wild birds
across much of Europe, part of Asia, the Middle
East, and West Africa, and extending for the
first time to eastern and southern Africa.
At the same time editors from the Center for
Infectious Disease Research and Policy
(CIDRAP, Minneapolis) reported, that the
vaccine company AgriLabs, based in Missouri,
announced that the USDA has conditionally
approved the first DNA vaccine licensed for
chickens, which targets highly pathogenic H5
avian influenza, in case vaccine stockpiling is
needed to control future outbreaks. AgriLabs
said the approval marks the first DNA-based
flu vaccine for veterinary use and is one of the
first DNA vaccine approved in the United
States for food animals.
Although the development of DNA vaccines
lasted years it can be useful in fighting current
and emerging animal diseases in the future –
even when an efficacious vaccine is used, the
risks identified with AI vaccination are the
same as those identified for other vaccinations.
Especially because scientists are warning over
years against ahigh entry risk of the virus into
livestock in their risk analysis. Following Yannick
Gardin, DVM, Director Science and Innovation
at Ceva Animal Health (France), Avian
Influenza has dramatically and deeply changed
since afew years, and is now induced by more
types of viruses than before, also present in
more countries than before. These more recent
viruses are also better “adapted”towild waterfowl
populations. They are not behaving as
HPAIV in wild waterfowl so that they can be
carried on much longer distances. This is
unfortunately helping the spreading of the
disease and has changed the vision scientists
had of it and of its control.
E.g., last years situation in Germany was very
similar to that of 2006, when the avian influenza
H5N1virus was rampant. Butthere
was one big difference: unlike H5N1ten years
ago, there were no known transmissions to
humans for last years occurring H5N8. That
was certainly good news, but should not lead
anyone to negligence. Coming back to the
current situation, recent experiments have
demonstrated the efficacy of vaccine against
circulating HPAIVsofthe H5 serotype. Following
the above mentioned Ceva Director Gardin,
more funds should be dedicated to research on
AI vaccines: “Wecannot only keep on dedicating
means to understand the rain and the ways
to control it. It is now time to work more intensively
on umbrellas.”
GerdAbeln
Editor
FLEISCHWIRTSCHAFT
international