Equine Exotic Diseases

Equine Exotic Diseases A manual for horse owners A Report for the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation by Dr Jennie Hodgson July 2002 RIRDC Publication No 02/054 RIRDC Project No US-103A 2002 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved ISBN 0 642 58453 2 ISSN 1440-6845 Equine Exotic Diseasesa manual for horse owners Publication No. 02/054 Project No. US-103A The views expressed and the conclusions reached in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily those of persons consulted. RIRDC shall not be responsible in any way whatsoever to any person who relies in whole or in part on the content of this report. This publication is copyright. However, RIRDC encourages wide dissemination of its research, providing the Corporation is clearly acknowledged. For any other enquiries concerning reproduction, contact the Publications Manager on phone 02 6272 3186. Research Contact Details Dr Jennie Hodgson Faculty of Veterinary Science University of Sydney Sydney NSW 2004 Phone: (02) 9351 Fax: (02) 9351 Email: [email protected] RIRDC Contact Details Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Level 1, AMA House 42 Macquarie Street BARTON ACT 2600 PO Box 4776 KINGSTON ACT 2604 Phone: 02 6272 4539 Fax: 02 6272 5877 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.rirdc.gov.au Published in July 2002 Printed by Union Offset, Canberra ii Foreword Everyone has a role in protecting Australia from foreign diseases and pests. The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom during 2001 has been a timely reminder of the devastation that the introduction of a serious exotic disease can bring to a country. The direct economic costs have reached the billions of pounds, but the added social and welfare costs to British society cannot be estimated or understated. Although foot-and-mouth disease virus does not infect horses, the outbreak had far reaching consequences, and the Australian horse industry was also affected. Evidently the introduction of a serious disease that directly infected horses could have greater consequences for our equine industry, some of which may be long term. All horse owners need to be aware of the threat posed by equine exotic diseases and to play a role in maintaining vigilance against their introduction. In Australia, we are fortunate to be free of many of the serious infectious diseases that can affect horses. A large part of this freedom is due to our strict but fair quarantine regulations, but it is up to all of us to help maintain this privileged position. Those working with horses on a day-to-day basis should read this manual and appreciate the seriousness of an exotic disease reaching Australia. The manual will tell you what you can do to help minimise the likelihood of this occurring. The horse owner should also appreciate that any newly imported horse, or horses contacting a newly imported animal, which becomes ill should be attended to immediately, and the appropriate authorities contacted. The horse owner should be able to recognise unusual or unexpected signs in their horses, and they should know what to do if they suspect an exotic disease. It is important that we have vigilant horsemen and women to help our preparedness against exotic diseases in order to protect our growing equine industry. This report, a new addition to RIRDC’s diverse range of over 800 publications, forms part of our Horse R&D Program, which aims to assist in developing the Australian horse industry and enhancing its export potential. Most of our publications are available for viewing, downloading or purchasing online through our website: ! Downloads at www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/Index.htm ! Purchases at www.rirdc.gov.au/eshop Peter Core Managing Director Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation iii Acknowledgments I would like to particularly acknowledge the valuable input of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Australia (AFFA) and Dr Patricia Ellis in helping to review this manual. In addition, helpful advice was provided by Professor Peter Timoney and Professor Sidney Ricketts. Finally, I greatly appreciate the assistance I received from personnel in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and in particular Dr Richard Crawford and Gregg Goodman in my search for the source of many of the photographs used in this manual. Photograph Credits I gratefully acknowledge the following sources for the photographs used in this manual. All images were reproduced with permission. United States Department of Agriculture and the Plum Island Animal Disease Unit, Dr Allan Guthrie and Ms Jane Nurton; Equine Research Centre, Pretoria, RSA, Dr James Wood; Animal Health Trust, Newmarket, UK, Professor Hugh Townsend; University of Saskatoon, Canada Professor Sidney Ricketts; Rossdale and Partners, Newmarket, UK, Dr Patricia Ellis, NRE, Australia, Dr Ken Hinchcliffe; Ohio State University, USA, Figure 6 was reproduced with kind permission of Veterinary Learning Systems. The interviews with Stuart Tinney, Pat Duff and Nick Roe were reproduced with kind permission of Animal Health Australia and the Emergency Animal Disease Preparedness Program. iv Contents Foreword ...................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgments....................................................................................................iv Executive summary..................................................................................................ix 1. Introduction............................................................................................................1 1.1 What are the horse diseases that are exotic to Australia?................................ 2 1.2 What is at risk if an exotic horse disease were introduced? ............................. 2 1.2.1 The equine industry is a large industry .................................................. 2 1.2.2 Economic importance of the equine industry......................................... 4 1.2.3 Likely direct costs of an equine exotic disease...................................... 4 1.2.4 Disruption to recreational activity for many people ................................ 5 1.2.5 Restriction on international trade and competition................................. 6 1.3 What are the risk factors?................................................................................. 6 1.3.1 International movement of people ......................................................... 6 1.3.2 International movement of horses and semen....................................... 7 1.3.3 New or emerging diseases ................................................................... 9 1.3.4 New biotypes of recognised pathogens............................................... 10 1.3.5 Introduction of arthropod vectors to Australia ...................................... 10 1.3.6 Migration of reservoir hosts or vectors of specific pathogens into Australia ....................................................................................... 10 1.3.7 Climate related phenomena................................................................. 11 1.4 How do we assess the risk for introduction of an exotic disease?................. 11 1.4.1 Import risk analysis.............................................................................. 12 1.5 How are exotic diseases monitored world wide?............................................ 13 1.5.1 Office International des Epizooties (OIE)............................................. 13 1.5.2 Animal Health Trust ............................................................................. 14 1.5.3 Australia ....................................................................................... 14 1.6 How might an exotic diseases enter Australia? .............................................. 15 1.7 How could an exotic disease be spread in Australia?..................................... 16 1.8 Have any equine exotic diseases been previously introduced to Australia?.. 18 1.8.1 Outbreaks of equine exotic diseases................................................... 19 2. How do we stop exotic diseases from entering Australia? .............................21 2.1 Returning home ....................................................................................... 21 2.2 Quarantine protocols for importation of horses............................................... 22 2.2.1 Pre-export quarantine (PEQ)............................................................... 23 2.2.2 Post arrival quarantine (PAQ).............................................................. 23 v 3. What should you do if you suspect an exotic disease?..................................24 3.1 How do you identify an exotic disease?.......................................................... 24 3.1.1 Be alert ....................................................................................... 24 3.2 Contact appropriate authorities immediately .................................................. 25 3.3 Isolate horses suspected of having an exotic disease.................................... 26 3.3.1 Distance ....................................................................................... 26 3.3.2 Equipment ....................................................................................... 27 3.3.3 Insects ....................................................................................... 27 3.4 Stop all movement onto or off the property....................................................

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