Salmonella can cause serious disease on cattle farms, killing calves, causing cows to abort, contaminating raw milk, and harming humans along the way. While the cattle-adapted strain Salmonella Dublin creeps into the Northeastern US, veterinarians and farmers struggle to catch the bacteria in time to protect livestock because these bacteria often hide dormant in carrier animals, making the strain particularly hard to diagnose.<\/p>\n
For the first time in the US, a more useful test for Salmonella Dublin is now available exclusively at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine\u2019s Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC). Cheaper, quicker, safer, and more sensitive, the test detects antibodies rather than bacteria. Traditional bacteriological tests could only identify S. Dublin organisms in sick or deceased animals, missing up to 85% of infections in carrier cattle. The new test reveals carriers, helping farmers and veterinarians monitor infection spread over time and track the impact of control measures in ways that were previously impossible.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re very concerned about this disease spreading east because it could severely harm animal and human health, as well as the livelihoods of dairies in the region,\u201d said Dr. Belinda Thompson, senior extension associate at the AHDC. \u201cSalmonella Dublin is already common west of the Mississippi River, but it\u2019s only recently being recognized in the Northeastern US. We want to be pro-active now to keep it out of our farms.\u201d<\/p>\n
In recent years the AHDC has dealt with several high-morbidity and high-mortality outbreaks of Salmonella Dublin in New York and other states. To address the problem before it grows further, Dr. Bettina Wagner, director of the Serology and Immunology Section of the AHDC laboratory, secured the nation\u2019s first USDA permit to import and use the enhanced test.<\/p>\n
While Salmonella Dublin usually doesn\u2019t make adults cows very sick, it can wreak havoc on young and unborn calves, particularly in populations like those in the East Coast that haven\u2019t been exposed. Its resistance to many common antibiotics severely limits treatment options and, to make matters even worse, it often presents as respiratory disease, throwing off track veterinarians trained to recognize diarrhea as salmonella\u2019s telltale sign.<\/p>\n
\u201cInfected calves often look fine the day before a sudden rapid onset, the next day they look depressed, and the next day they die,\u201d said Dr. Paul Virkler, senior extension associate at the AHDC. \u201cVeterinarians often think it\u2019s something else-. We\u2019ve seen newly infected herds in which every single calf in a particular age group dies. We\u2019re trying to keep this from getting to baby calves, the life and future of a farm, and the animals most at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
People working with cattle are also at risk. All Salmonella strains affect most vertebrates and can jump between species. Even carriers that don\u2019t seem sick can shed bacteria, and people, companion animals, and other livestock can pick up the infection through contact with any bodily excretion.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have died drinking raw milk with Salmonella Dublin,\u201d said Virkler. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the bad players in raw milk. Pasteurizing milk will kill the bacteria.\u201d
\nPrior to the new test\u2019s release, testing had to be done animal by animal. The new antibody test can use milk samples straight from bulk milk tanks to find whether a herd has been exposed. It can also work with blood samples and diagnose individuals, helping keep unexposed herds infection-free by removing infected animals and pre-screening new animals farmers are considering buying.<\/p>\n
\u201cHerd managers can take preventative measures and help control the infection\u2019s spread by isolating sick calves, pasteurizing milk, managing cattle movement, and improving hygiene,\u201d said Thompson. \u201cBut to see if any of this is working, they need a tool to monitor success. We didn\u2019t have that until now. This test will let us learn about the prevalence of Salmonella Dublin on the East Coast and hopefully nip it in the bud.\u201d
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http:\/\/vet.cornell.edu\/news\/Dublin.cfm<\/p>\n
Media Hits:<\/strong><\/p>\n Cornell Chronicle<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.news.cornell.edu\/stories\/Oct12\/SalmonellaDublin.html<\/a><\/p>\n Meat Trade News Daily<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk\/news\/291112\/usa___a_lack_of_understanding_over_salmonella_.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n MyScience<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.myscience.us\/wire\/cornell_offers_only_u_s_salmonella_dublin_test_for_cattle-2012-cornell<\/a><\/p>\n The Post Standard: Syracuse.com<\/p>\n http:\/\/blog.syracuse.com\/farms\/2012\/11\/better_test_for_cattle_disease.html<\/a><\/p>\n Phys.org<\/p>\n http:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2012-11-cornell-salmonella-dublin-cattle.html<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Drovers CattleNetwork.com<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.cattlenetwork.com\/cattle-news\/Cornell-offers-only-US-salmonella-dublin-test-for-cattle-176821551.html?ref=551<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Bovine Veterinarian Online<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.bovinevetonline.com\/news\/industry\/Cornell-offers-only-US-salmonella-dublin-test-for-cattle-176821551.html<\/a><\/p>\n USAgNet<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.usagnet.com\/story-national.php?Id=2486&yr=2012<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Dairy Herd Network<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.dairyherd.com\/dairy-news\/latest\/Cornell-offers-only-US-salmonella-dublin-test-for-cattle-176821551.html<\/a><\/p>\n Food Safety News<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.foodsafetynews.com\/2012\/11\/cornells-new-test-spots-salmonella-in-cattle\/<\/a><\/p>\n Ithaca Journal<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.theithacajournal.com\/article\/20121111\/NEWS01\/311110027\/Cornell-test-detects-salmonella-cattle?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p<\/a><\/p>\n Before It\u2019s News<\/p>\n http:\/\/beforeitsnews.com\/food-and-farming\/2012\/11\/cornells-new-test-spots-salmonella-in-cattle-2446024.html<\/a><\/p>\n Healthy Cooking News<\/p>\n http:\/\/healthycookingnews.blogspot.com\/2012\/11\/cornells-new-test-spots-salmonella-in.html<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Beef Cattle News<\/p>\n http:\/\/savant7.com\/beefcattlenews\/<\/a><\/p>\n Stop Foodborne Illness<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.stopfoodborneillness.org\/content\/cornell%E2%80%99s-new-test-spots-salmonella-cattle<\/a><\/p>\n MeatingPlace<\/p>\n http:\/\/webcache.googleusercontent.com\/search?q=cache:lnLu6SjDDeMJ:www.meatingplace.com\/Industry\/News\/Details\/37578+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us<\/a><\/p>\n Highbeam Business<\/p>\n http:\/\/business.highbeam.com\/409224\/article-1G1-310739927\/cornell-offers-new-salmonella-test-cattle<\/a><\/p>\n CABI.org VetMed Resource<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.cabi.org\/VetMedBeta\/news\/22617<\/a><\/p>\n The Meat Site<\/p>\n