TB Update August 2010

Here is the latest update on TB from Dianne Summers.

Firstly it would be a total injustice if I didn’t start this update with a huge thank you to Mike Birch who sadly resigned from the BAS Board in early August... To say Mike Birch was pro active on the TB front would be an understatement and we have so much to thank him for. I cannot tell you the number of hours Mike dedicated to the issue and he certainly was the driving force behind the TB Awareness meetings and keeping the members informed in his Chairman’s reports in the BAS magazine. He kept in constant contact with me and was always at the end of the phone if we needed help. He always wanted to be kept up to date on the data we gather from the Support group and prior to every Board meeting he asked me for an update on the current losses number of herds under restriction etc– which I always gave him. Mike and I worked closely together on the TB issue and that contact certainly helped me because believe it or not although I run the support group I too need support from time to time and he always managed to make me smile on days when things got very tough. So Mike a huge thank you from me and the TB Support Group and we wish you well. You will be missed. I hope whoever takes your place will follow your example of what a Chair should be and the Board continue to be pro-active on the Tb front for all our sakes.

Current Figures

According to DEFRA as of August 15th 2010 there are now currently approximately 35 herds under Tb movement restrictions and several others awaiting confirmation by culture. This figure as you know can change on a weekly basis as new herds come under restriction and others come out of restriction. In July 2009 only 11 herds were under restriction so in one year the figure has trebled. If this pattern continues potentially 100 herds could be under restriction this time next year.

In the TB Support Group we have a further 14 herds (myself included) that have been under restriction and are now clear. Therefore a minimum of 49 herds have been affected. Sadly as one of my group come out of restriction another comes on. Those in touch with the TB Support group have suffered 155 losses between 1st Jan 2010 and 1st August 2010 so our small group has already exceeded the number of losses for last year. Please understand not all herds under restriction are in touch with the support group - therefore I have no idea of the total losses from the other herds.

The problem isn’t going away nor is it getting better. Herds have been affected not only by direct local wildlife but by way of purchase or agisted mating and sadly lots of alpacas on long term agistment have fallen to TB. When Tb is confirmed in a herd – every animal on that farm at the time no matter who owns it or whether it is on a short term stay is put under restriction and will be included in the testing process. Think long and hard before you send your animals away for any reason-even short term.

If you are misfortunate to come down to Tb you must notify all your forward and back contacts as soon as you know you have Tb in your herd. You must be honest with Animal Health when they contact you and they ask for your movement records. Sadly some breeders are not doing this and Animal Health are finding breakdowns linked by strain type to herds where Tb was confirmed and the breeder hadn’t told Animal health nor the contacts. This is unacceptable. Defra and Animal health hands are tied – they have no legal powers to insist on movement records they are totally reliant on the honesty of the herd owners. Failure to not comply with Animal Health is a breach of the BAS Code of Conduct section 5 which clearly states. “Owners should fully co-operate with Animal Health and facilitate testing and provide accurate movement records when requested”.


The problem is:

In the case of at least one commercial herd with a serious bTB problem, by not giving their full movement records to Animal Health and also not contacting their clients who had purchased from them or had agisted matings etc., Animal Health wasn’t able to contact these people and offer testing. The herds also remained totally unaware that they had brought TB into their herds until they suffered their first loss, and were therefore unable to take the necessary measures on their own farms to minimise the spread. These people then sadly end up in the TB Support Group. There are likely to be others who have yet to find they have purchased the problem with their new herd, purchase or matings.

Owing to the scale of this, it is inevitable that this is going to come out in the public domain and sadly as always the decent honest and responsible herds that are under restriction are going to be tarred with the same brush as those that are not. The BAS board have been notified of this last weekend, and are aware it is happening and who is doing it. If you are concerned please contact the Directors of B.A.S. There email addresses and phone numbers are on the BAS website.

I am pleased to say that the breeder in question is NOT a member of the TB Support Group.

Lastly we are developing a website (http://www.alpacatb.com) dedicated to Tb in Camelids which hopefully will be up and running soon. The site will feature everything you need to know on the subject and will become a one stop shop so to speak for up to date Tb information and advice.

If you are under restriction please contact either myself Dianne Summers on summersdianne@yahoo.com 01209 822422 or Dr Gina Bromage on ginabromage@googlemail.com your name or County will never be released not even to the other members of the Support Group without your permission.

Treatment when skin testing

Dianne Summers of the Camelid TB Support group has asked us to post this article.

When I did my very first skin test on my herd my AHO and my vet told me not to use any treamtent on my herd between the skin test and reading date but it appears from the communication with my fellow members of the Tb Support group that not everyone is made aware of this.

Anyway, below are 2 statements from leading industry specialists experienced in Tb testing, one of them is a retired DEFRA DVM..

1. The tuberculin test takes 72 hours to work. During that time it is inadvisable to treat the animal with anything that could affect the test - this applies to any species being tested, because:
Substances that reduce inflammation may cause a positive reaction to be missed (the test produces an inflammatory response, which is then measured).
Substances that produce inflammation at the injection sites could cause a false positive reaction - and many anthelmintics etc are injected near these.
There is also the possibility that other drugs might interfere and enhance or reduce the reaction.

This applies to all species where the test is used, including goats.

It is important that we get the correct result. With camelids it is particularly important not to miss positives as many of the animals that are positive to the test are badly infected - as you know.


2. I have no first hand information as to whether goat owners were specifically told not to treat goats in between injection of PPD and reading the test. However, as a general rule we would be under instruction to avoid treatment during that time unless it was an emergency. Corticosteroids, as being immunosuppressant, would be top of the list to avoid, but NSAIDs should have no immunosuppressive effect. However, if an animal had had a
serious illness "During" testing welfare considerations would demand that treatment took place. It would then be up for discussion as to what the degree of risk was that treatment might have interfered with the test, and therefore whether any retesting was appropriate under the individual circumstances.


So there you have it - please make sure you ask your vet or AHO if you need to treat during the test - as it may affect your reading. I was told I wasn't allowed to do any treatment. I was also told to ask my vet if I needed to do any treatment 2 weeks prior to my test date as this could also affect the test. It is better to be safe than sorry. The last thing we need is a false reading. We may get too many false negatives as it is.

I hope you found this useful.

Dianne Summers
summersidanne@yahoo.com
01209 822422

Current TB testing intervals for cattle

DEFRA has released the latest map of the parish testing intervals for TB in cattle. You can download it here.

Side effects following the skin test

Dianne Summers of the TB Support Group has asked us to post the following video and message.

I urge everyone to watch the attached video that is involved in TB Skin testing on camelids.

If you know of anyone who isn’t in the TB Support Group who is going through herd testing or considering having the skin test done privately please forward them this document and video

If you know of any vets who are involved with TB testing in camelids please forward it to them.

I have also sent it to B.A.S. ,B.C.L., B.L.S. and B.V.C.S. and hope they put it on their respective websites.

In March this year I added a question on the monthly data forms asking if any of the group had alpacas or llamas which suffered any side effects following the skin test. I was astonished with the response and at how many had witnessed the same experience that I had. .

I have just received the attached video sent to us by a member of the group that shows the dramatic reaction of one alpaca following her skin test jabs in Dec 09.
Please note when you watch the video the owner means the skin test jab when he states injection.

1. From those in touch with the Camelid TB Support Group we have 22 alpacas which suffered this same dramatic reaction. Remember not all herds under restriction are in touch with us so I strongly believe there may be many more that have experienced this.

2. Prior to the skin test jab ALL 22 had no outward signs or symptoms

3. Within hours of the test 22 suffered this dramatic reaction – not all were necessarily immediately after but all of them were the same day as the test.

4. From this 22 – 4 died or were euthanized before the skin test was read (within 72 hours)
The remaining 18 including the alpaca in the video appeared to fully recover the next day.
These remaining 18 then went on to either fail a blood test – or later were euthanized
due to showing clinical signs or died.

5. All 22 had Tb lesions on Post mortem examination only 3 of the 22 failed the skin test.
Therefore in these cases this side effect is more accurate than the skin test result itself. It is therefore extremely important.

6. Before you jump to the wrong conclusion and think the skin test jab has given these animals Tb, this is not the case. ALL these alpacas were found on post mortem to have advanced Tb lesions and for some unknown reason had experienced this dramatic reaction. Many leading vets have already suggested anaphylactic shock.

7. Those owners that carried out the Chembio Rapid Stat Pak test or Gamma test within 10 – 30 days following the skin test - the blood tests picked up ALL the animals that had this dramatic reaction. Owners who didn’t have blood test done had to endure either the alpaca dying or developing severe clinical signs which required euthanasia on welfare grounds..

Therefore, please monitor your herd very closely following the skin test procedure. If you hadn’t checked them until the next day you could have easily missed the fact that one or more of your herd had suffered this side effect because most of them appear to have fully recovered the next day.

If you experience this in your herd I strongly recommend you remove them from the rest of the group together with a companion to an isolation paddock or into your watch group with no nose to nose contact with your remaining herd or neighbouring livestock and do not return to your herd.

I urge all Vets or AHos who are conducting TB skin testing in camelids to make the owners aware of this side effect and strongly advise the owner to monitor the herd very closely.

I had one alpaca have this side effect on my first skin test in Jan 2009 and again on the next skin test 90 days later – and both times fully recovered by the next day. He then failed the Chembio Rapid following the second round of skin tests. Both my vet and AHO were unaware of any side effects following the skin test and they both thought it must be stress. At the time having only lost one alpaca before this to TB I didn’t make any connection nor was I aware of any other alpaca owner who had experienced this.

If I had received this email back in January 2009 not only would I have understood why my alpaca had this reaction but I would have certainly adopted a totally different approach. I hope this helps you do the same. It’s a classic example of “If I knew then what I know now”

Once again – the gathering of data such as this is vital and it is helping others make important decisions and we have to thank the people in the Tb Support group who religiously send in their monthly data to us – and to the member of the group who sent us this video.

For those reading this and not in touch with the Tb Support Group who have had camelids or their clients camelids with the same experience or perhaps other side effects please contact either myself or Dr Gina Bromage and let us know. All information will be treated in the strictest confidence. We also welcome input and comments from industry professionals.

We are hoping to have this ‘Side Effect’ data written up as a paper for wider circulation in the veterinary press.

Dianne Summers summersdianne@yahoo.com 01209 822422
Gina Bromage MA, Vet MB, DVM, MRCVS ginabromage@googlemail.com
Camelid TB Support Group

Diagnostic Tests Available at VLA

Listed here are a list of common diseases that alpacas can contract, including bTB. It also shows the importance of having all deaths Post Mortemed, including aborted cria.

All tests can be arranged via your own vet.

TB in Alpacas via Mating

Today we have added an article written by Finn Twomey to the useful links at the side.

The Mating/Buying Game – Playing it Safe

Dianne Summers who runs the Camelid TB Support Group together with British Veterinary Camelid Society vet Dr Gina Bromage give some practical advice on how to mate and buy safely. .

We all know we have to change the way we do things. At the end of May 2010 DEFRA confirm there are currently 30 camelid herds under restriction to TB and DEFRA also confirm that from the 8 new breakdowns in the first 5 months of 2010 3 of the 8 was from purchase or movement. A further 14 herds in contact with the TB Support Group have come out of restriction so we know a minimum of 44 herds have been affected. Remember not all herds with TB are in touch with the TB Support group.

The skin test fails to detect the vast majority of TB infected camelids - so it goes without saying the risk of TB is very much on all of our minds but it isn’t only TB we need to consider- its any disease that can be contracted by coming into contact with other alpacas/llamas e.g. Bvd, mange, mites, gastro intestinal parasites in particular E-Mac – diseases that can kill - so we need to change the way we do things – sharpish and one of those is mating – the other is buying. . But how do we go about mating safely? And which method is the lowest risk and which poses the highest risk? The same advice can be applied to buying.

1. The lowest risk is obviously owning your own stud male but not everyone has their own stud male/s nor wants to...

2. The next level of risk is mobile or drive-by mating. Why? – simply because the contact is one on one and minimal. Besides, you do have the added benefit of knowing your female has been mated to the stud you have paid for and YOU can control the bio security measures - so in my opinion this is a much lesser risk than the third option. To reduce the risk even further select a breeder who doesn’t offer on farm agistment mating.

3. Agisted mating. This has to be the highest risk and it has been documented by the VLA that alpacas have contracted TB whilst away on agisted mating. In my opinion it isn’t worth the risk

To send your females away for months on end where they are often placed in a field with dozens of other females from all over the country must stop. We have all done this in the past – I have only ever sent one female away for mating and when I went to visit her she was in a field with dozens of other females many of them had obvious signs of mites/mange. I decided then never to send my females away again and that was before I knew about TB/BVD/EMac etc etc. You have no idea what diseases the other females carry and you have no idea if these fellow females are TB/Disease free. Let’s not forget the stress this also causes to your females and we all know the effects of stress on the immune system. The risk works both ways.

Having a vet health check or fecal sample is strongly recommended but these do not cover TB. However faecal samples are very important for many other diseases and must be carried out both before and after movements.

Unless the breeder can provide your females with their own clean bio secure paddock for the entire stay with no nose to nose contact with any other alpacas or neighbouring livestock and they abide by the BAS Code of conduct (If BAS members) and maintain high bio security standards then I strongly suggest you do not send your females away on agistment.. DEFRA has lots of excellent advice and leaflets on its website for farm bio security.

Many reputable breeders with quality stud services available who used to show have now stopped attending shows and unnecessary movements until a reliable ante mortem test is available. Check out breeder’s websites – if it says alpacas rarely get ill and they don’t get many diseases – then I suggest you don’t do business with them because they are knowingly giving incorrect advice. Alpacas get diseases similar to all other livestock. Any honest breeder would state that. Ask them what bio security measures they have in place – ask them about TB and other diseases. If they say TB isn’t a problem – I suggest you run for the hills and find a breeder who says it is. What you want to hear is a breeder say Yes TB is a problem and here are the measures I have taken to reduce the risk to my herd. If they proudly show off ribbons they have won this year then they are not taking the TB issue seriously enough. Very little point in having state of the art bio security then trundling off at every opportunity to enter shows /fetes and fun days – where they have the potential to come in direct contact with an alpaca who may have TB or come in contact with a herd at a show who has just come out of restriction having only used the skin test. Not all herds that come out of restriction are following our advice to not sell show or offer mating services for at least a year after coming out of restriction.

Breeders asking for the females to have a skin test before arriving or declaring all their stud males have had a skin test does not mean the alpaca or llama is Tb free.. Anyone who declares a camelid is TB free because it has had a skin test is giving false information. . There is NO current private test available that can declare an alpaca or llama is TB Free. This is why we need a reliable ante mortem test so we can all trade with confidence.
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Blood tests are currently only available to herds under restriction and are optional. The breeder can refuse to blood test!!!!!! I suggest you view the silent killer post on the www.bovinetb.blogspot.com
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Lastly whatever option you chose remember to get the stud provider/breeder to give you their completed self declaration form – a sample of which can be downloaded from the BAS website under Welfare/Health and Diseases (you don’t have to be a BAS member) and also on the www.tbinalpacas.blogspot.com - both parties must complete it when attending shows – agistment or mating. Ask to see their herd/health movement book - better still consider getting a legal contract drawn up, so that all documents and statements are part of your agreement to pay..

Play it safe – do your homework – ask the right questions - don’t put your animals at unnecessary risk, an outbreak of any disease, let alone TB, will give you plenty of time to wish you had...

I want you to remain in my TB Update Group (those that want to learn about TB) I don’t want you to ever be in the TB Support group (Those in a Tb Breakdown and under restriction)

Dianne Summers
Camelid TB Support Group
12th July 2010