Fomite: fo-mite Noun (plural fomites) (medicine, epidemiology). def: An inanimate object capable of carrying infectious agents (such as bacteria, viruses and parasites), and thus passively enabling their transmission between hosts. < link > Media coverage, though sometimes raucous, is a necessary tool to help communicate the importance of the need for societal … [Read more...]
Search Results for: fomite control
March 2020 – Top post review (3 of 3)
March 2020 – the month when the coronavirus feces hit the fan. Animal health pros faced the challenges and worked hard to mitigate risks while learning what changes the next day would bring. Defining essential versus non-essential was necessary to facilitate prevention of coronavirus transfer. Work-from-home mandates literally ground some businesses to a halt, forcing high … [Read more...]
We ARE living the new normal – Part 3, biosecurity strategies ensure progress
COMMENTS Biosecurity is not new to animal health pros. It is central to successfully providing safe care for animals and their owners. Diseases such as rabies, distemper, parvovirus, hog cholera, bird flu, leptospirosis, PEDV, PRRS, salmonella and BVD have pushed us to focus on optimizing infection controls, using quarantine areas and hospital pens in concert with … [Read more...]
Isolation, distancing and PPE protocols ‘old hat’ to livestock production
It is easy to marvel at how under-appreciated, yet familiar and expected biosecurity is to the livestock community: Swine producers learned to shower in and shower out of facilities years ago as part of their efforts to reduce swine disease and stop massive death losses due to farm-to-farm fomite exchanges < link > Progressive dairies manage mastitis incidence … [Read more...]
Wild pigs, a ticking time bomb on U.S. pork industry
Feral hogs pose a serious threat to the health of the U.S. pork industry specifically if African swine fever were to infect and spread in wild herds. There is no vaccine nor cure and the disease has a long track record of crossing international borders and wiping out billions of pigs. Source: PORK, June 29, 2021. Link. Wild pigs have exploded in numbers across the U.S., … [Read more...]
ASF information for community and media available from OIE
The latest information about African swine fever and tools for communicating about it to the public and the media are now available from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). From a thorough overview of the disease, diagnostics, and prevention and control, the information quality is expectedly high. Additionally, a link to media resources that include posters, … [Read more...]
Disinfecting or just cleaning? Contact time MATTERS!
Commentary With news media reporting a resurgence of Covid-19 infections this fall, it is time to revisit contact time. Best practices say to remove dirt then disinfect. But if the disinfectant used does not remain wet for the duration of its contact time, we are essentially just cleaning. Considerations in your community Conversations this week with the head nurse of … [Read more...]
2 letters that make goat owners go pale: C L
During a recent veterinary episode on Nat Geo TV, a woman arrived at a clinic with a prized herd doe. The goat’s face was badly swollen and she was gaunt from not being able to eat. A physical exam ruled out injury and dental issues. A blood test confirmed what the owner feared. It was Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL). CL is the curse of the goat industry. It is a highly … [Read more...]
You can prevent Salmonella spread in horses
There is NO vaccine to protect horses against Salmonella. Thus, environmental and equipment disinfection, isolation of sick or new horses, good hand hygiene, and education are critical to an infection prevention program, writes Lucas Pantaleon, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM. He says it is easy for horses to make contact with the insidious bacteria as they move from venue to venue. Pantaleon … [Read more...]
Rabbits die by the hundreds in Canadian city
Experts in British Columbia are advising rabbit owners to be cautious as the number of dead rabbits infected with rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) increases. The disease, caused by a calicivirus is native to domestic rabbits of European origin and pet rabbits are at risk, but not other animals. “I would be very careful if I had a domestic rabbit,” said Helen Schwantje, DVM. … [Read more...]
Feline calcivirus review
Feline calcivirus is a single-stranded nonenveloped RNA virus that frequently presents clinical symptoms in young cats and kittens as acute upper respiratory or ocular signs. The virus often infects cats who become subclinical carriers of the virus. Source: Clinician’s Brief, September 2015. FCV should be treated on an outpatient basis, if possible, as it is highly … [Read more...]