More Newcastle Disease Outbreaks in Israel

28 February 2012

ISRAEL - The Israeli veterinary authorities have reported further outbreaks of Newcastle disease in Hazafon, Hamerkaz, Hadarom and in Jerusalem.

 The affected population consists of broilers and egg layers.

Out of a total of 228600 susceptible birds, approximately 17020 cases were identified. 5608 deaths were recorded and 131400 birds were destroyed. 

The source of the outbreak has still not been identified and the epidemiological investigation is ongoing.

Indonesia reports 4th bird flu death of the year

 Published on tuesday 28 feb 2012in

photos

A government veterinarian worker sprays anti-bird flu disinfectant over birds and fowls at Medan city market in North Sumatra. A 12-year-old boy on the Indonesian resort island of Bali has died from bird flu, the fourth human death from the virus this year, an official said on Saturday. -- PHOTO: AFP

JAKARTA (AFP) - A 12-year-old boy on the Indonesian resort island of Bali has died from bird flu, the fourth human death from the virus this year, an official said on Saturday.

The boy developed fever on Feb 11 and was admitted to hospital five days later, the Indonesian health ministry's head of animal-borne infectious disease control, Ms Rita Kusriastuti, told AFP.

'He suffered shortness of breath and eventually died on Feb 21. Laboratory tests confirmed he died from the H5N1 virus,' she added.

Concerns about avian influenza have risen in Asia since China in late December reported its first fatality from the H5N1 virus in 18 months.

Antimicrobial Resistance 2

 Development

Antimicrobial resistance and its development is a complex subject. Originally, it was a natural defence mechanism of bacteria to fight against naturally occurring antibiotics, which are produced by a number of fungi and bacteria in the wild, to aid their survival. Now, we are artificially exposing them to antibiotics as we treat animals, to fight disease.


Antibiotics are produced commercially by fermenting these fungi and bacteria and extracting the antibiotic (e.g. penicillins, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides) or frequently adding side chains and producing semi-synthetic antibiotics (e.g. amoxycillin, methicillin, cephalosporins) with different or improved spectra of activity, pharmacokinetics or efficacy. There are also fully synthesised antimicrobial compounds, like the sulphonamides, trimethoprim and the fluoroquinolones. Each antimicrobial family and its subgroups has its own mode of action and thereby each bacterial or mycoplasmal species develops its own way of countering the antimicrobial, as a defence or resistance mechanism, so that it can survive and continue to live in the environment it inhabits, e.g. the gut, the respiratory tract etc