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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Food Safety and Enteric Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #96849
Title: MANAGEMENT FACTORS AFFECTING THE RISK OF VESICULAR STOMATITIS INFECTION ON WESTERN U.S. LIVESTOCK OPERATIONS

Author
item Hurd, Howard
item MCCLUSKEY, B - USDA, APHIS
item MUMFORD, E - COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Research Workers in Animal Diseases Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/10/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The objective of this study was to identify farm-level management factors that might reduce the risk of clinical vesicular stomatitis (VS). The design was a prospective case-control study. Data were collected during the vesicular stomatitis outbreak of 1997. Reported cases of vesicular disease were investigated by a specially trained foreign animal disease diagnostician. Diagnosticians were asked to interview the livestock owner and to complete a supplemental epidemiologic questionnaire. Cases were defined as those premises found positive for VS. Controls were premises on which the animals had been examined and tested, but found to have no evidence of VS virus infection. Analysis consisted of calculating odds ratios (OR) from a 2 by 2 table, stratified analysis for interaction, and stepwise logistic regression. Results show that if the animals had access to a shelter or barn the odds of VS occurrence were reduced (OR = 0.59). This effect was more pronounced on equine premises (OR = 0.49). Conversely, the odds of disease were increased slightly for horses exposed to a pasture (OR = 2.01). On premises where owners reported insect populations higher than normal, the odds of disease were increased (OR = 2.54). Animals housed less than 0.25 miles from running water, including irrigation ditches, were more likely to have VS (OR = 2.6). Overall, these results suggest that housing practices to reduce biting insect exposure may reduce the risk of VS occurrence. They also support other work suggesting biting insects as a vector in VS virus transmission.