.JPG)
M.
Artois*, T. Mörner#, P. Duff+, D. Sibartee $
* Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire
de Lyon, France.
#The national veterinary institute, Uppsala, Sweden.
+ Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Merrythought, Penrith, Cumbria, UK.
$ Office International des Epizooties, Paris, France
In recent decades the movement and translocation of wildlife, including zoo animals, captive and free-ranging wildlife, has increased world-wide. To reduce the risk of introducing new diseases into new areas and animal populations, important diseases of wildlife in different parts of the world have been reported annually to a permanent Working Group of the Office International des Epizooties or World Animal Health Organisation (OIE). The OIE is an intergovernmental international organisation based in Paris, France. Its main duty is to safeguard international trade in animals and their products by harmonisation of regulations and by informing the OIE Delegate of each Member Country (often the Chief Veterinary Officer of the country) of outbreaks of disease. In 1992, on the initiative of its former Director General, Dr Jean BLANCOU, an ad hoc group of experts on diseases of wildlife was created. This group annually sends a questionnaire to all OIE Delegates asking them to report on the main diseases that were occurring in their country.
Animal diseases are listed by the OIE according to their seriousness and contagiousness. Among list A diseases, classical swine fever (CSF) in European wild boar, foot and mouth disease (FMD) in hoofed mammals, and paramyxovirus (PMV1) serological traces were regularly reported. Among list B diseases, bovine tuberculosis (TB) and rabies were also reported frequently in a wide range of species across Europe. The Working Group has also established a ‘Wildlife list’ including diseases that cause, or can cause, serious problems for wildlife conservation. It is noteworthy that in Europe, wild boar CSF and carnivore rabies still cause significant morbidity as does sarcoptic mange in a wide range of species.
The reporting of wildlife diseases in Europe is mainly based on the collection of data carried out by members of the European section of the Wildlife Disease Association (EWDA), through a network of contacts in each country. In 2002 information was collected from 24 countries. The individual country reports are increasingly detailed with referencing of incidents and comment on significant incidents. Important events this year included the phocine distemper virus outbreak in common seals in the North and Baltic seas and the mass mortality of Schreiber’s long fingered bat (Miniopterus schreibersi), from an, as yet, unknown cause. Wildlife disease may also be important for preservation of game resources and an example of this was a previously unreported condition affecting the nervous system and skin of Pyrenean chamois, again of unknown cause.
Emerging diseases in wildlife, for example, West Nile fever and Lyme borreliosis are increasingly recognised by statutory authorities across Europe as being of growing importance. Surveillance for these wildlife diseases increases our global knowledge and allows comparisons of the monitoring and control methods across Europe. The EWDA and this Report both seek to promote that important study, and we thank all contributors and collaborators (full report and list of contributors at http://www.ewda.org).
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