Download GLANDERS IN TURKEY, ERADICATION AND CONTROL

GLANDERS IN TURKEY, ERADICATION AND CONTROL
Dr. Erhan AKCAY1
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:Central Veterinary Control and Research Institute, 06020 Etlik, Ankara, Turkey
Summary
Glanders is a contagious and fatal disease of horses, donkeys, and mules. Glanders was
eradicated in Western Europe, Australia and Northern America, and is currently considered a
re-emerging disease. Glanders is a compulsory notifiable disease in Turkey. In 2000 The
National Glanders Eradication Project was carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Affairs. During the project 7,498 registered horses were tested and found negative to
the complement fixation test (CFT) for glanders. 235,286 horses and mules were applied
mallein test. 3191 horses and 318 mules were found positive. Every year pedigreed horse sera
are sent to TB, PTB & Glanders Laboratory for the control of glanders.
Introduction
Glanders is a serious zoonotic and fatal bacterial disease of horses, donkeys and mules, and is
caused by infection with the Bulkholderia (B) mallei. The major hosts for B. mallei are horses,
mules and donkeys, but other species of mammals can also be infected. Glanders has been
reported in dogs, cats, goats, sheep and camels. Occasionally, glanders also occurs in other
mammalian species, particularly members of the cat family (Anon 2008, ).
Glanders is also considered to be a serious bioterrorist threat. B. mallei has been
weaponized and was used as a biological weapon against military horses, or animals and
humans, during the first and second world wars. If this organism is aerosolized during a
biological attack or in a laboratory accident, the morbidity rate could be high. Glanders was a
worldwide problem in equids for several centuries, but this disease was eradicated from most
countries by the mid-1900s. Outbreaks are now uncommon and reported from limited
geographic areas (Al-Ani and Roberson 2007, Mınett 1959).
Glanders in Turkey
Glanders is a compulsory notifiable disease in Turkey. Eradication and surveillance project
was done countrywide between 1975 and 1985. After the project the monitoring activities
continued especially for pedigreed horses from 1986 to 1998.
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In 2000 The National Glanders Eradication Project was carried out by the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Mallein test antigens were supplied by Central Veterinary
Control and Research Institute and Also CFT was performed by TB, PTB & Glanders
Laboratory. Following planning, personnel training, national pre-publicity, nationwide
equidae surveillance and an initial trial project, the US $4 million budgeted project
commenced with a national co-ordination program in January 2000, with testing beginning in
August 2000 and completion in March 2001.
During the project blood samples were collected from all registered Thoroughbred and
racing and breeding stock, plus other competition horses. The full total of 7,498 pedigreed
horses was negative to the CF test. Mallein tests were carried out on all other horses and
mules in the country. All donkeys were subjected to clinical examinations. From a total of
235,286 horses and mules, 3,509 (1.49 %) gave positive results and were destroyed, with the
owners being compensated. Areas where positives were found were kept under surveillance,
equidae transport prohibited and re-testing carried out after the prescribed time, where it was
necessary. No clinical cases of glanders were observed in any of the horses and mules tested.
One donkey from a total of 269,115 examined was showing clinical signs of glanders. All
equidae were negative to the CFT and mallein tests.
The CFT is widely used for the serologic diagnosis of selected infectious diseases in
animals. The test is reported to be 90-95% accurate serum being positive within 1 week of
infection (Anon 2008). The CFT consists of the reaction stage and an indicator stage. In the
reaction stage, antigen, serial dilutions of serum, and complement are reacted together. After
incubation, sensitized sheep erythrocytes are added as indicators of a reaction. If the serum
contains antibody to the antigen, an antigen-antibody complex forms and complement is
bound to the complex. In this case, there will be less complement to lyse the sensitized
erythrocytes. Alternatively, if the serum contains no antibody to the antigen, complement will
be available to lyse the sensitized erythrocytes. The CFT result is based on the percent
hemolysis of the sensitized erythrocytes.
Every year most of the pedigreed horse sera are sent to TB, PTB & Glanders
Laboratory , accredited for glanders CFT against to ISO 17025, in Central Veterinary Control
and Research Institute in Etlik-Ankara for the control of glanders.
approximately 10.000 pedigreed horse sera were controlled with CFT.
negative.
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Last two years
All sera were
References
1. Al-Ani, F. K., J. Roberson ( 2007). Glanders in horses: A review of the literature.
Vet. arhiv 77, 203-218,
2. Anon (2008). Glanders. http://www.oie.int/eng/normes/mmanual/Asummry.htm
3. Mınett F.C. (1959). Glanders (and melioidosis). In: Infectious Diseases of Animals.
Vol. 1. Diseases due to Bacteria, Stableforth A.W. & Galloway I.A., eds.
Butterworths Scientific Publications, London, UK, 296–309.
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