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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 #100382
Title: MANAGEMENT FACTORS AFFECTING THE RISK OF VESICULAR STOMATITIS ON WESTERN U.S. LIVESTOCK OPERATIONS

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

Submitted to: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/11/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: As part of the regular diagnostic visit for suspect vesicular stomatitis (VS), during the outbreak of 1997, diagnosticians were asked to interview livestock owners and to complete a supplemental questionnaire. Cases were defined as those premises found to have at least one animal positive for VS. Controls were premises on which the animals had been examined and tested, but found to have no evidence of VS. If the animals had access to a shelter or a barn, the risk of clinical VS occurrence, on some premises, were reduced two-fold. Conversely, the risk of disease was increased slightly for horses exposed to a pasture. On premises where owners reported insect populations higher than normal, the odds of disease were significantly increased. Premises that had animals housed less than 0.25 miles from running water (including irrigation ditches) were more than twice as likely to have VS. These results suggested that management practices that reduce biting insect exposure might reduce the risk of VS occurrence. They also support other work suggesting biting insects as a vector in VS virus transmission.

Technical Abstract: The objective of this study was to identify management factors affecting the risk of clinical vesicular stomatitis (VS). We used a prospective case-control study design. Data were collected from premises housing horses, cattle, and sheep on 395 premises with suspected vesicular stomatitis in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. Data were collected during the vesicular stomatitis outbreak of 1997, as part of the regular diagnostic visit. Cases were defined as those premises found to have at least one animal positive for VS. Controls were premises on which the animals had been examined and tested, but found to have no evidence of VS. Analysis consisted of calculating odds ratios (OR) from a 2 by 2 table, stratified analysis for interaction, and stepwise logistic regression. If the animals had access to a shelter or a barn, the risk of VS occurrence, on these premises, were reduced (OR=0.59). This effect was more pronounced on equine premises (OR=0.49). Conversely, the risk of disease was 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 significantly increased (OR=2.54). Premises that had animals housed less than 0.25 miles from running water (including irrigation ditches) were more than twice as likely to have VS (OR=2.6). These results suggested that management practices that reduce biting insect exposure might reduce the risk of VS occurrence. They also support other work suggesting biting insects as a vector in VS virus transmission.