July 23, 2004

Newcastle Strains In Sweden And Finland, But Unlikely Related

Though the same strain of Newcastle Disease was found on two poultry farms in southeastern Sweden and a turkey farm in southwestern Finland, they are unlikely related despite their geographic location, according to the Swedish Board of Agriculture.
 
"According to our expert, the genetic makeup of the disease only changes 1% to 2% every decade, which explains why the virus is identical here as in the case in Finland as well as the cases we had in 1996 and 1997," Pia Gustafsson, veterinary inspector with the Swedish Board of Agriculture, said Thursday.
 
Diseases like salmonella on the other hand, Gustafsson said, change very quickly making it easier to follow the trail of infection but researchers will continue to investigate a possible link.
 
"Some parts of the year there are migrating birds between Sweden and Finland, but not at this time," she said.
 
An official from the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said Wednesday the likely cause of the case there was infection from migratory birds.
 
The disease is usually transmitted through direct contact with secretions from infected birds as well as contaminated feed, water, implements, premises, and human clothing and effects birds, both wild and domestic, according to the Web site of the World Organization for Animal
Health.
 
Sweden, Finland and Estonia have only recently begun vaccinating against Newcastle Disease and Denmark passed legislation a few weeks ago to begin a vaccination program, she said.
 
"Vaccination had been a cost issue for producers in the past, but they have realized that the expense of an outbreak is higher," she said.
 
Gustafsson said that Russia and some other third party countries had banned poultry meat imports from the Ostergotland region where the outbreak occurred for six months, but that only one exporting company is located within the surveillance area so trade effects will be minor.