ANIMALNET NOVEMBER 3, 2001

What if Cipro stopped working?
Alberta farmers familiar with anthrax anxiety
Disease that led to thousands of dead elk fades
US lifts foot-mouth import ban on France, Ireland meat
The National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) has announced the
availability of four new beef-related information sheets.
The USDA's National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) has announced
the availability of four information sheets based on its equine '98 study
USDA hiring vets at slaughterhouses
Purdue vets offer advice in wake of West Nile case
Battle for Mojave grazing rights continues
Cloned lamb gives hope to rare breeds
Racing ban on cloning
PETA doesn't speak for me
The case against milk


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WHAT IF CIPRO STOPPED WORKING?
November 3, 2001
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/03/opinion/03WALK.html
BALTIMORE -- Ellen K. Silbergeld And Polly Walker write in this op-ed that
Cipro, despite its current fame for preventing and treating anthrax, is in
danger of becoming a casualty of what might be called the post-antibiotic
age. The authors say that Bayer, the maker of Cipro, also sells a chemically
similar drug called Baytril, which is used in large-scale poultry production
worldwide. The widespread use of Baytril in chickens has already been shown
to decrease Cipro's effectiveness in humans for some types of infections.
Bayer recommends that Baytril be used only to treat infected poultry and
says it poses no threat to public health. But the use of antibiotics in
agriculture is part of a serious public health problem in the United States.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, as much as 70 percent of all
antibiotics produced in the United States are fed to healthy livestock for
"growth promotion" ‹ in other words, to increase their weight for market.
Not only does this reduce their effectiveness in animals; it poses a real
danger to humans.
The authors say that the discovery and use of antibiotics to treat human
disease and save lives is one of the greatest feats of modern medicine. Many
of us are alive today because of antibiotics. Just 60 years ago, the
discovery of antibiotics revolutionized medicine, tipping the balance in our
favor against the sea of pathogens that surrounds us. Now, with the very
real threat of biological terrorism, preserving the power of antibiotics is
a matter of the highest urgency.
Bacteria have always adapted to our new drugs faster and more efficiently
than we can adapt to their genetic changes. Through prudent use, we can
preserve the effectiveness of our drugs for use in treating human disease
while we search nature and chemistry for new defenses. Yet we are now
squandering this precious resource by using powerful antibiotics carelessly
for livestock and poultry ‹ mostly for nontherapeutic reasons.
Agribusiness argues that nontherapeutic use of antibiotics is essential to
the continued supply of cheap food. But many countries have demonstrated
that food can be safely and efficiently produced without robbing the
medicine chest. In the European Union, the nontherapeutic use of antibiotics
in agriculture has been banned.
The use of antibiotics in food animal production increases the risks of
contracting drug-resistant infections from eating animal products. Despite
a national network for testing food, every year the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention reports incidents of food poisoning by drug-resistant
bacteria. In addition, using antibiotics in agriculture can result in
environmental pollution by both drugs and drug-resistant bacteria.
Last month, the New England Journal of Medicine reported that drug-resistant
bacteria were present in meat purchased at supermarkets in the Washington,
D.C., area. An accompanying editorial recommended that the use of
nontherapeutic antibiotics in farm animals be prohibited.
The authors say that creating a national tracking system to measure how much
of each antibiotic is used and for what purposes ‹ as proposed by the Food
and Drug Administration ‹ is a necessary first step. Mandatory reporting of
antibiotic use was discussed in January at meetings sponsored by the F.D.A.,
but no actual legislation or regulations have been proposed.
For Bayer, the maker of Baytril, the need for action is clear. The use of
Baytril falls into a gray area between growth promotion and treatment; it is
common practice in the poultry industry to add Baytril to drinking water
during the last weeks of a flock's life, even if no disease has been
diagnosed. Last year, the F.D.A. asked Bayer and Abbott Laboratories, the
two producers of the chicken drug, to withdraw their Cipro-like antibiotics
from agricultural use voluntarily. Abbott agreed. Bayer did not.
Bayer has committed itself to supporting our national efforts to protect the
public health by supplying Cipro at a reduced cost to the federal
government. Voluntarily withdrawing Baytril from the market would show that
the company is serious about its commitment to the public health.



ALBERTA FARMERS FAMILIAR WITH ANTHRAX ANXIETY
November 3, 2001
The Calgary Herald
B4
Wendy-Anne Thompson
Anthrax is, according to this story, nothing new to Alberta, even though it
has not appeared in the form of contaminated mail.
The story says that the province's bison population in northern Alberta was
infected as recently as last summer, and two months ago, an outbreak
occurred on a ranch in Cluny, 90 kilometres east of Calgary.
Tom Green, a district veterinarian for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency,
was quoted as saying, "Most of the time we never really do know what
happened. We know there are spores in the ground, and from time to time the
cattle are exposed to them. It's one of the less common, but possible, risks
of livestock rearing. Most ranchers will never experience it."
Green goes on to say that when periods of drought cause livestock to forage
much closer to the ground, animals may ingest the spores they consume. After
flooding, the concentration of spores caught in standing water increases
when ponds begin to evaporate, said.
Rob McNabb, assistant manager of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, was
cited as saying the anthrax in Alberta cattle is different from the anthrax
used in biochemical warfare, adding,"It's a different type of anthrax that
would be of more concern to the population. The stuff causing the problem in
the states is highly refined. It just isn't possible to do it in the type of
quantities that would be required. It would require virtually billions of
the kind of spores that cattle are exposed to for a human to be harmed."
In the case in Cluny, 12 animals died after the farm owner decided to use
flood irrigation, but inspectors could not confirm if the outbreak happened
because the spores were brought closer to the surface.
The dead cattle were removed and buried. The remaining 70 animals were given
antibiotics.
McNabb was further cited as saying that ranchers believe anthrax came to
Canada hundreds of years ago with the millions of bison that roamed the
Prairies. The disease is something ranchers have had to be concerned about
since animals became domesticated.



DISEASE THAT LED TO THOUSANDS OF DEAD ELK FADES
November 3, 2001
National Post
A1
Les Perreaux
CABRI, SASK. - An outbreak of chronic wasting disease or CWD that has forced
the slaughter of killed 6,700 farm elk across Saskatchewan, and infected
some American ranches, may, according to this story, finally be subsiding.
Two weeks ago, the Colorado Department of Agriculture authorized the
destruction of 1,450 elk after the disease was found on three ranches. There
have also been fears the illness has spread into ranches in New Mexico.
Saskatchewan has 28,500 captive elk. The story explains that the antlers on
male elk are ground and sold for medicine, mainly in the Far East, to treat
high blood pressure and arthritis.
Elk ranching is said to generate more than $1-billion in revenue a year in
Canada.
The outbreak of CWD has sent prices plunging and left many farmers
struggling to get by. The price of antler has dropped from $120 per pound
four years ago to about $20. The federal government is expected to spend as
much as $60-million to compensate farmers.
But Canadian officials now say the slaughter in Saskatchewan may finally be
over. In the past few days, federal scientists destroyed the last known
infected herd and if subsequent tests prove negative, as representatives of
the elk industry here expect, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will end
the killing.
Of the 5,300 dead elk tested for CWD in Saskatchewan, the disease was found
in 175 animals.
Bob Kirkpatrick, the first elk farmer to have his herd exterminated two
years ago, was quoted as saying, "I think we're done. The last ones were put
down, and we don't think we'll find another trace of it."
As Mr. Kirkpatrick fed his new herd on his ranch in southwestern
Saskatchewan yesterday, he was cited as recalling how his farm became the
model for the mass killing, when he first noticed strange behaviour in one
of his animals in the late winter of 1998. A male elk began losing weight
and avoiding other elk.
A veterinarian arrived a few days later to treat the animal. "It dropped
stone dead, right there in my [holding pen] with the vet standing there," he
said, pointing to the spot in his barn. Veterinary officials concluded the
animal died of pneumonia.
Two years later, a healthy looking elk died overnight in Mr. Kirkpatrick's
herd.
A battery of tests found CWD was the culprit. Federal officials and Mr.
Kirkpatrick decided to kill all 66 elk in his herd.
The story says that unlike the cattle industry, elk farms in Canada have
always had strict protocols documenting each animal's movements. The system
allowed officials to trace the disease in all 175 confirmed cases.
A decade ago, an elk farmer in the Lloydminster area obtained a shipment of
infected elk from a South Dakota veterinarian. Mr. Kirkpatrick and several
other ranchers bought infected animals from the farmer.



US LIFTS FOOT-MOUTH IMPORT BAN ON FRANCE, IRELAND MEAT
Reuters
November 2, 2001
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Agriculture Department was cited as saying on Friday
it would lift some import restrictions on meat products from France and
Ireland, saying no new cases of the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease
have been reported.
France and Ireland in March reported a handful of foot-and-mouth cases, but
the disease was quickly eradicated. The United States has been free of the
disease since 1929.
USDA said it would add the two countries to its list of regions considered
free of the disease.



THE NATIONAL ANIMAL HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM (NAHMS) HAS ANNOUNCED THE
AVAILABILITY OF FOUR NEW BEEF-RELATED INFORMATION SHEETS.
Oct.29, 2001
www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cahm
Fort Collins, Colo. -- A summary of the information sheets follows:
Treatment of Respiratory Disease in U.S. Feedlots: Discusses the types
and numbers of products usually used by feedlots in the treatment of
respiratory disease of cattle. In addition, there is information on the
average treatment costs for various types of disease in feedlots.
Salmonella in United States Feedlots: Reports on the percentage of fecal
samples collected in pens of cattle where Salmonella could be recovered.
Information is provided on the differences in Salmonella recovery from
samples collected during different times of the year.
Escherichia coli O157 in United States Feedlots: Reports on the
percentage of fecal samples collected in pens of cattle where E. coli
O157 could be recovered. Information is provided on the differences in
E. coli O157 recovery from samples collected during different times of
the year and based on the amount of time the animals had been in the
feedlot at the time of sampling.
Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Salmonella from
Beef Cows: Reports on the percent of fecal samples collected on
cow-calf operations where Salmonella was recovered. The frequency of
resistance to various antimicrobials is also provided.
For more information or hard copies contact:
Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health
USDA:APHIS:VS, attn. NAHMS
555 South Howes
Fort Collins, CO 80521; (970) 490-8000
NAHMSweb@aphis.usda.gov



THE USDA'S NATIONAL ANIMAL HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM (NAHMS) HAS ANNOUNCED
THE AVAILABILITY OF FOUR INFORMATION SHEETS BASED ON ITS EQUINE '98 STUDY.
Oct.19, 2001
Fort Collins, Colo,
www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cahm
Equine '98 was a national study designed to provide educational and
research information on America's equine population to both study
participants and those affiliated with the equine industry.
A summary of the four new information sheets follows:
1) National Economic Cost of Equine Lameness, Colic, and Equine
Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) in the United States: Compares
the cost of three priority health issues in the equine industry --
lameness, colic, and EPM. Interestingly, death loss was the major
expense associated with colic, while "days of lost use" represented
the greatest cost associated with lameness.
2) Incidence of Colic in U.S. Horses: Summarizes the national
incidence of colic among U.S. horses and its associated fatality
rate. This is the first time the impact of colic on America's horse
industry has been estimated at a national level.
3 & 4) IURD in U.S. Horses: Disease Frequency; and IURD in U.S.
Horses: Lab Results for Influenza Serology and Nasal Swab Culture
for Streptococcus Isolation: Two information sheets summarizing
results of data collected related to Infectious Upper Respiratory
Disease (IURD). The occurrence of IURD in U.S. horses was estimated
quarterly and reported by several categories, including age of
horses. There are also summaries regarding the frequency of nasal
shedding of the Streptococcus SP. bacteria in the general horse
population, and the frequency of low and high titers to equine
influenza virus.
For more information or hard copies contact:
Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health
USDA:APHIS:VS, attn. NAHMS
555 South Howes
Fort Collins, CO 80521; (970) 490-8000
NAHMSweb@aphis.usda.gov




USDA HIRING VETS AT SLAUGHTERHOUSES
November 3, 2001
Associated Press
Philip Brasher
WASHINGTON -- Under pressure from Congress and the food industry, the U.S.
government is, according to this story, hiring 17 veterinarians to try to
ensure that slaughterhouses nationwide are treating livestock humanely.
The Agriculture Department also is, the story says, creating an electronic
database to track violations but denies there are widespread problems.
This summer, Burger King was cited as accusing the department of lax
enforcement of a 1978 law that requires livestock to be rendered unconscious
before they are bled and skinned.
Carol Blake, a spokeswoman for USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service,
was quoted as saying, "We still believe it's being enforced," and that
hiring new veterinarians to oversee the plants "will provide extra
insurance."
Arthur Hughes, president of the Northeast Council of Food Inspection Locals,
was quoted as saying, "What they did instead was to hire a bunch of
bureaucrats."
The Senate and House have passed resolutions urging tougher enforcement and
put $1 million in a supplemental spending bill earlier this year to pay for
it.
The 17 veterinarians, who will be based at the food agency's district
offices, also will help oversee monitoring for animal diseases, such as mad
cow. Some 2,000 plants nationwide slaughter cattle, hogs and other
livestock.



PURDUE VETS OFFER ADVICE IN WAKE OF WEST NILE CASE
November 2, 2001
AgAnswers
http://www.aganswers.net
Purdue University veterinarians are advising vigilance in vaccinating horses
for West Nile virus in the wake of a confirmed equine case of the illness in
north central Indiana. The equine case is the first in the state.
The horse, a 5-year-old mare, apparently became ill about two weeks ago and
was too sick to save. The animal was euthanized and a narcropsy and lab
tests were performed to confirm the diagnosis.
Laurent Couetil, Purdue associate professor of veterinary clinical sciences,
said if a horse has not yet been vaccinated for West Nile it can still be
done this year.
Administering the West Nile vaccine, Couetil said, not only provides
protection now, but vaccinated horses also will begin building antibodies,
or resistance, to the virus faster when they receive a booster shot in the
spring when mosquitoes reappear.
"Horses should definitely be vaccinated before mosquito season next spring,"
he said.
The initial innoculation must be followed 3-6 weeks later by a booster shot.
Horse owners should contact their local veterinarian to schedule the shots,
or they can make an appointment to bring the horse to Purdue's large animal
clinic in West Lafayette, Couetil said.
Severe cases of West Nile cause encephalitis, or swelling of the spinal cord
and brain, and can lead to permanent neurological damage or death.
Initially, horses exhibit an abnormal, wobbly, unsteady gait due to loss of
muscle control, lethargy. Later, they exhibit partial paralysis, although
their body temperature usually remains normal.
Mosquitoes transmit West Nile by biting infected birds, then biting horses.
This sends virus-laden saliva into the animal's bloodstream.
>From the time a horse is bitten there is approximately a one- to two-week
lag time before the animal may become sick, according to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture. Some horses will test positive for the disease but never
become ill.
No evidence exists that the disease can be passed from horse to horse, horse
to human or vice versa.
Randy Crom, veterinarian at the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service, said the risk a horse in the northern U.S. could contract the
disease "has dropped dramatically" because of recent frost. However,
mosquitoes don't completely disappear until a hard,
killing frost.
Nationwide, there are 347 confirmed West Nile cases in horses, with more
than 75 percent in Florida. Twenty-two percent of cases have proved fatal,
including infected horses that were euthanized.
Although the USDA has conditionally approved the West Nile vaccine as an
annual innoculation for horses, its effectiveness is uncertain, Couetil
said. Horse owners may need to give their animals 2-3 shots each year,
especially in the southern U.S. where mosquitoes are particularly virulent,
he said.
Most horses that become ill can be successfully treated through support
therapy similar to that used for any virus, Couetil said.
"We treat the consequences of the disease by providing good nursing care and
anti-inflammatory drugs as appropriate," he said.
Horse owners are advised to keep horses inside during periods when
mosquitoes are most likely to bite, putting screens on stall openings and
using insect repellent.
To keep mosquito populations down, horse owners should drain sources of
stagnant water, including drainage ditches, clogged gutters, unused swimming
pools, birdbaths, water troughs, pet bowls and discarded tires. Troughs and
other clean water receptacles should be regularly and thoroughly cleaned.
For more information about West Nile virus, log onto the Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov.




BATTLE FOR MOJAVE GRAZING RIGHTS CONTINUES
November 2, 2001
Agweb
Darcy Maulsby
http://agweb.com/index.cfm
Western ranchers have won a round in a dispute about livestock grazing in
the Mojave Desert, but a California Farm Bureau Federation (CFBF) specialist
says the issue is ³far from over."
Eight ranchers had been ordered to remove cattle from leased government
land, to protect the endangered desert tortoise. A judge ordered the
removals halted last week. Bruce Blodgett, CFBF¹s director of public lands
policy, said the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) failed to give
ranchers enough notice of its intentions.
³The judge decided the BLM did not follow its own proper procedures when it
issued the grazing ban. The BLM was in the process of trying to impound some
of the livestock that were out in the Mojave Desert. There¹s also the Center
for Biological Diversity that is doing anything and everything to eliminate
grazing in that desert.
They¹re using the desert tortoise as their excuse to get rid of grazing,²
Blodgett said.
The Battle Continues
The issue is far from over, Blodgett added. ³The interesting thing is that
the BLM does have some processes it has to go through in order to manage a
grazing permit. It has to coordinate and cooperate with the ranchers and go
through a consultation process whenever they make changes in grazing
permits. The BLM didn¹t do that. They offered to meet on three days¹ notice
at an informal seminar for the ranchers to let them know they were going to
end livestock grazing.²




CLONED LAMB GIVES HOPE TO RARE BREEDS
November 3, 2001
The Sault Star
D8
LONDON, Eng. -- A team in Italy has, according to this story, beaten a rival
effort in America to clone the first viable offspring from an endangered
creature - a mouflon lamb.
The story explains that the member of an endangered species of wild sheep
found in Sardinia, Corsica and Cyprus was created by the technique developed
at the Roslin Institute, near Edinburgh, to clone the sheep Dolly in 1997.
At the start of this year an attempt by the US biotechnology company
Advanced Cell Technology ended in failure, when an ordinary cow gave birth
to a gaur bull calf which subsequently died. Success in the case of the
mouflon is reported in the latest issue of by a team led by Prof Pasqualino
Loi of the University of Teramo, Italy.



RACING BAN ON CLONING
November 3, 2001
The Age
Stephen Howell
http://www.theage.com.au:80/sport/2001/11/03/FFX3LAVTITC.html
Australia's racing ministers were cited as unanimously agreeing at a meeting
in Melbourne Friday that the controversial practice of cloning will not be
allowed in Australia's three racing codes - thoroughbred, pacing and
greyhound - but that no legislation was planned to prevent its use.
Their spokesman, Victorian Racing Minister Rob Hulls, was quoted as saying,
"Ministers will not allow cloned horses to race in their jurisdictions. As a
result of today's motion, cloning will be banned in the racing industry."
The discussion followed reported attempts by a Victorian company, Clone
International, to clone former harness racing champion Gammalite, winner of
the 1983 Interdominion, harness racing's equivalent of the Melbourne Cup.
"There is a view that cloning goes against the rules and spirit of the
racing industry," Hulls said. "The beauty of the racing industry is its
uncertainty... that uncertainty could well be lost as a result of cloning.
"You start cloning racehorses (and) there will then be a call for the
cloning of jockeys and the cloning of trainers. People want Bart Cummings
cloned and you'll have B1 and B2, and that really is quite farcical.
"The last thing punters out at Flemington want is the Melbourne Cup of
clones." Leading trainer Lee Freedman said yesterday he thought the issue
was nonsense as it brought up so many other issues such as the registration
of cloned horses. "It is not going to be allowed. It will never happen in my
lifetime, anyway," he said.



PETA DOESN'T SPEAK FOR ME
November 3, 2001
Globe and Mail
A16
Gina Gonczi of Don Mills, Ont. writes that as a vegan, she is sick and tired
of being misrepresented by a few individuals who feel the need to
"enlighten" the general population about animal rights and veganism at every
chance they get. It's a lot worse when the culprit is a large organization.
Recently, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals launched a campaign
against drinking milk aimed at schoolchildren (Campaign Against Milk
Considered
Ridiculous -- Oct. 31). Gonczi says she cannot imagine how they expect a
positive reaction from accosting children and telling them they will get fat
and develop pimples from drinking milk.
Gonczi says she doesn't drink milk, as she believes humans weren't meant to
drink the milk of another species, and she also thinks the milk industry is
cruel. But there is no way she would try to educate someone on this unless
they inquired about it first. And she most definitely would not try to
brainwash small children who aren't old enough to make such decisions on
their own.

Larry Hughes of Halifax writes that before we encourage young children to
shun milk as advocated by PETA and Anne Hansen (letter -- Nov. 2), it is
worth remembering that many children substitute soft drinks for milk.
According to recent research from the Dunedin School of Medicine at the
University of Otago in New Zealand and reported in New Scientist, children
who don't drink milk are fatter, shorter and have weaker bones
compared with children who drink milk. The research suggests that children
who
avoid milk are fatter from drinking soft drinks and that calcium regulates
fatness
while helping to mineralize growing bone.



THE CASE AGAINST MILK
November 2, 2001
Globe and Mail
A16
Anne Hansen of Toronto wrties that some parents and school officials might
consider it "rude and inappropriate" that People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals is visiting schools in a campaign to get children off milk. (Are
these same people equally offended by the junk-food advertising that is
shoved down students' throats?) But PETA is in good company. The new
federal nutrition policy from the Physicians' Committee for Responsible
Medicine excludes dairy products. The committee says cow's milk should not
be required or recommended in government guidelines or in school lunch
programs. The leading diseases of the Western world (heart disease, cancer
and stroke) can often be prevented by dietary and lifestyle measures. Many
scientific studies raise concerns about the health risks of dairy
consumption. These problems relate to the proteins, sugar, fat and
contaminants in dairy products and the inadequacy of cow's milk for infant
nutrition. Milk proteins are also among the most common causes of food
allergies, the symptoms of which are often not recognized for what they are.


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