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Biomedical subjects

S C MacDiarmid

Publications and source records attributed to S C MacDiarmid.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Risk analysis: assessment, management and communication.

Import risk analysis is now a well-established discipline which aims to assist Veterinary Services to answer the following questions: 'What can go wrong?', 'How likely is it to go wrong?', 'What would be the consequences of it going wrong?' and 'What can be done to reduce either the likelihood or the consequences of it going wrong?'. Risk communication is that part of the overall process which, among other things, helps the decision-maker to determine whether a particular risk is acceptable or not. Good risk assessment and communication are dependent on clear formulation of the question to be answered. Scenario trees and influence diagrams are very useful tools in assessing and communicating risk. The authors outline the import risk analysis procedures adopted by the Veterinary Services of one Member Country of the OIE (World organisation for animal health).

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Eradication of Aujeszky's disease from New Zealand pig herds 1976-1997.

Aujeszky's disease was first diagnosed in the North Island of New Zealand in 1976. It has never been reported in the South Island. An industry-funded eradication programme was initiated in 1989 to eradicate the disease from the national pig herd. By using a combination of serological surveys, abattoir surveillance, test and slaughter, depopulation, vaccination and movement restrictions, Aujeszky's disease was eradicated by 1997.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed1997

Contamination of fish products: risks and prevention.

The risks of contamination of finfish products with active pathogens largely depend on the type of product concerned and disposal methods of the importing country. Frozen fish used as bait or to feed high-value species present the greatest risk as vehicles of contamination because they are unprocessed. Freezing preserves viral- and some bacterial-pathogens, thus the use of such fish as bait can introduce those pathogens into natural waters. Conversely, processed fish, particularly fillets, which have been heat-treated or cooked, present the lowest risk. If fish are processed after importation, care must be taken to ensure effective waste disposal, with particular attention to the prevention of scavenging by avian vectors and drainage from landfills into natural waters. Liquid waste should be disinfected and disposed of well away from natural waters.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

The potential risks to animal health from imported sheep and goat meat.

Alerted by outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and the swine fevers which have been attributed to international trade in meat, regulators have tended to adopt conservative policies with respect to the importation of meat. However, for disease introduction to occur as a result of meat importation, a number of criteria must be satisfied. A qualitative assessment of the risks posed by sheep and goat meat leads to the conclusion that, with the possible exception of foot and mouth disease there is little likelihood that Office International des Epizooties List A or List B diseases would be spread through trade in adequately matured meat obtained from animals which have passed veterinary ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Scrapie: the risk of its introduction and effects on trade.

New Zealand and Australia are fortunate in that they are among the few sheep rearing countries free from scrapie, despite cases in imported sheep in the 1950s. The importance of sheep rearing in the Australasian economies, and the difficulties involved in importing sheep without risking the introduction of scrapie, has meant that there have been very few importations of new blood lines in the last 40 years, and those that have been imported have been through stringent programs designed to ensure freedom from scrapie. While scrapie can be a cause of significant wastage in some sheep rearing situations, its major threat to Australasia is probably to the developing biopharmaceutical industries which, since the emergence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, have benefitted from an international demand for products guaranteed to be derived from livestock free from the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. This paper outlines one method which has been used to assess the risk of introducing scrapie as the result of importation of sheep and discusses the difficulty in ascertaining what constitutes an acceptable risk.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Risk analysis and the importation of animals and animal products.

Importation of animals or animal products cannot take place without some element of risk. Risk analysis is a blend of art and science and is a tool intended to provide decision-makers with an objective, repeatable and defensible assessment of the risks posed by a particular import proposal. Risk analysis comprises risk identification, risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. Examples are presented of risk analysis involving anthrax in green hides, slow virus diseases and sheep embryos, and Office International des Epizooties List A diseases and embryos. The author proposes that, by sharing methodologies, quarantine services should be able to harmonize approaches to the problem of risk analysis.

Animal Diseases↗
PubMed1988

Future options for brucellosis surveillance in New Zealand beef herds.

It is probable that bovine brucellosis will be eradicated from New Zealand by 1990. However, continued surveillance for the disease will have to be maintained for a number of years. This paper examines alternative methods of surveillance in beef herds with a view to ensuring that the most cost effective method is used. The three surveillance methods examined are the present automated complement fixation test, abattoir surveillance, and a system based on a delayed hypersensitivity skin test using a purified Brucella protein antigen. It is concluded that despite the relatively low sensitivity of the skin test the probability of its identifying herds as infected is likely to be greater in practice than abattoir surveillance. The skin test is cheaper than the present complement fixation test.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1982

A comparison of the pharmacological activity in cows of two suspensions of betamethasone alcohol.

The activity of two betamethasone (BM) suspensions, which differed only in their solids:vehicle ratio, was examined in cattle. Two groups of 10 cows received by subcutaneous injection either 20 ml of a 2 mg/ml aqueous suspension of BM alcohol or 2 ml of a 20 mg/ml aqueous suspension. A further 10 cows served as a saline-treated control group. The mean peak plasma BM concentration was significantly higher in cows treated with 2 mg/ml suspension. However, plasma BM levels tended to be maintained for longer by the 20 mg/ml suspension. A depression of early morning cortisol levels, similar to that seen with other synthetic glucocorticoids, was recorded with both BM preparations; the depression outlasted the presence of BM. Plasma glucose levels and circulating neutrophil numbers were elevated by BM treatment, and the magnitude and duration of these changes was related to the solids:vehicle ratio of the injected suspensions. The more concentrated suspension was absorbed more slowly and thus produced effects of greater duration.

Journal Article↗