D6—Lancaster Famine, Saturday, August 9,1980
Ask the
VMD JKI
v '\’^
Leon Riegel
If you have a question yon
would like answered by the
team from Valley Animal
Hospital, send it to Ask the
VMD, Box 366, Lititz, Pa.
17543. Questions will be kept
anonymous on request.
Speaking of TB?
A reader writes
Why doesn’t anyone talk
about the hidden problem of
TB? It seems no one wants to
talk about this problem
except the meat inspectors.
I had gotten two reports
back on some of our hogs
showing TB and so had the
sow herd tested. With the
showing of a few reactors,
the decision was to
depopulate completely and
hopefully get started again
after cleaning up.
Now, I totally agree with
the slap tattoo of market
hogs, but why can the real
culprits the cull sows
get to market unidentified.
Also, I find that brook stock
can be moved Interstate
without a TB test.
I foresee a problem when I
ask a breeder to test a group
of gilts for me before buying
them.
It is apparent that TB has
become a serious problem
and after visiting with some
USDA people, it seems the
whole East Coast is in
trouble.
I am trying to do my part
m dmnmfc up and sure hope
others 1 ?W me same.
Robert M. McCarty
R 4 Blooms burg
Dr. Trayer comments
The problem with
tuberculosis m swine is that
often the animals are
asymptomatic earners of
TB.
There are two different
subspecies of the
mycobacteria TB that swine
can be exposed to: bovine
and avian with avian being
the most common.
The history associated
with the avian form of TB is
that the swine have some
exposure to a contaminated
premise that at one time had
birds on it. This can be years
in the past but somehow the
soil remains contaminated
with the mycobacterium.
Most often the reason TB
in swine is not detected
before slaughter is that it is
not symptomatic. There are
rarely any clinical signs that
can be pinpointed as TB.
You may hear chrome
coughing or see some weight
loss, or diarrhea, or elevated
temperatures, or maybe
even some arthritis or
mastitis m an older sow. In
boars, you may see
enlargement of the testicles.
These are all clinical signs of
tuberculosis, however, they
are non-specific.
The question comes up
“Can we test for TB in
swine?” Yes, we can test.
Using an avian derived
product, we test by injecting
one-tenth of a milliliter
behind the animal’s ear and
come back in three days to
see if the area is swollen.
The onlv problem with this
test is that it is not as refined
as the test used for detecting
TB in cattle.
As a result, there are a lot
of false negatives showing
up. Swine that had no
reaction to the test here
found to have TB after they
were slaughtered and
examined. The USDA
veterinarian inspecting
these false negatives finds
the lymphnodes have TB
* V
Tim T rayer Edgar Sheaff er
like lesions. If these lesions
occur in enough sites m the
animal’s body, the inspector
will condemn the carcass
resulting in a lower payment
price to the producer.
For animals on slaughter
as a result of TB, the USDA
veterinarian can call for the
meat to be cooked at 1/0
degrees Farenheit for 30
minutes. It can then be
passed at the inspector’s
discretion.
Not only are there false
negatives there are also
false positives. At times, the
animal can be tested by the
avian derived product, it can
be injected, and there will be
a positive reaction a firm
swelling that is indicative of
18. On sending this animal
to market and slaughter,
there are no lesions found.
So you can see that
veterinarians do not have a
reliable tool to identify
carriers, nreviouslv exposed
or presently exposed m
acute phase.
The whole problem
becomes quite a diagnostic
challenge
I might point out that the
testing product is supplied
by the USDA’s Animal
Health Division, a proven
product.
We basically recommend
that producers do not raise
swine on soil that has ever
had poultry manure spread
on it or any other exposure to
domestic poultry. Poultry
buildings are not recom
mended to be converted into
swine barns at any time
because the TB potential is
always there.
Wild birds, which are
generally not considered a
problem in the spread of TB,
have been found to carry the
disease m certain instances.
JMHMtet''
I
1 * i
They can contaminate your
buildings or soil through
their droppmgs if there is a
large enough population.
A disinfectant that is ef
fective against TB is cresohc
acid, and can be used when
cleaning down a swine bam.
How can you inspire that
breeding stock you purchase
are clean? One method is the
mycobacterium avian
tuberculosis method.
Whenever I use the test, I
counsel the producers on
how inaccurate the test is
but it is the only one we have
to use.
It also would be wise to
buy from a producer who has
taken the tune and the in
terest to have a slaughter
check done, and who has a
history of swine herds that
are free of TB.
It is still felt that about 90
percent of all TB is
Sunday, August 10
All American Rodeo starting at 7 30
p m
Monday. August 11
Thrill Show starting at 800 p m
Tuesday, August 12
Harness Racing Post Time 7 30 p m
Ladies Day all ladies admitted free to
Fairgrounds only
Wednesday, August 13
Harness Racing Post Time 600 p m
Miss Carlisle Fair Beauty Contest
starting at 8 30 p m
Thursday, August 14
Harness Racing Post Time 730 p m
Senior Citizens Day all senior cit
izens admitted free to Fairgrounds
only
Brenner’s Amusements, Inc. from Middleburg, Pa.,
will be featured on the Midway
See The Pate Dealer
in Your Area For
Products And Sendee...
DISTRICT MANAGER
GEORGE HEATH 472 Woodcrest Dr Mechamcsburg, PA 17055 717-737-0002
ALEXANDRIA
MAX ISENBERG
814-669-4027
BALLY
LONGACRE
ELECTRIC
215-845-2261
BEDFORD
BENCE FARM
EQUIPMENT
814-623-8601
BELLEFONTE
LUCAS BARN
EQUIPMENT
814-383-2806
BELLEVILLE
MACLAYASON
717-935-2101
CAMP HILL
LLOYD SULTZBAUGH
717-737-4554
IHAMBERSBURG
CUMBERLAND FARM A
DAIRY INC
717-263-1965
associated with the avian
form. There are also
raycobacteriums. of soil
origin and could be giving
some cross-positive reac
tions with the avian test.
Another common area
where TB turns up is m an
operation where raw gar
bage is fed to swine. Any
garbage that is to be fed
should be cooked.
Franklin Co. DHIA
(Continued from Page D 5)
H C Gabler
1786
1842
Raymond Helman
Shylar
Sweethr
Glenn Brechbill & Son
19
113
Samuel P Yoder
Minnie
Brownie
AUGUST 10-16
Friday. August 15
Harness Racing Post Time 730 p m
WlOODay their grandstand show will
start at 9 00 p m
Saturday, August 16
200 p m 4 H Light Horse and Pony
Show and Red Taylor and his square
dancers
George Marshman Demolition Derby
starting at 7 30 p m
ELLIOTTSBURG
CARL BAER
717-582-2648
HAMBURG
SHARTLESVILLE
FARM SERVICE
215-488-1025
LEBANON
MARVIN J. HORST
DAIRY EQUIPMENT
717-272-0871
McALISTERVILLE
SANER FARM
SYSTEMS
717-463-2606
MILLERSBURG
LANDIS
LABOR SAVERS
717-692-4647
MILTON
LANDIS FARMSTEAD
AUTOMATION
717-437 2375
PIPERSVILLE
MOYER
FARM SERVICE
215-766 8675
Any breeding stock going
to the slaughter house must
be identified with a market
tag so it can be traced back
to the farm of origin. This is
a federal requirement for
the purpose of identifying
earners and potential farm
of-ongm disease processes.
Veterinarian Larry
Hutchinson, of Penn State,
(Turn to Page 08)
5 7 305 18,274 707
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5-9 305 22,684 819
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5 6 305 20.485 711
h ANNUAL
RLISLE
HARNESS RACING
OUARRYVILLE
UNICORN FARM SERVICE
; JAMES E LANDIS
717-786-4158
TERRE HILL
TERRE HILL
SILO CO. INC.
215-445-6736
MARYLAND DEALERS
HAGER!
TOWN. MD
TRI-STATE
FARM AUTOMATION
301-790-3698
KENNEDYVILLE. MD
FINDER SERVICE CO
301-348-5263
INEBORQ. MD
WERTZ GARAGE, INC
301 374-2672
STREET. MD
P & S EQUIPMENT, INC
301-452-8521