(JP) Crackdown urged to stop spread of canine disease

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http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200810160371.html

 

Crackdown urged to stop spread of canine disease

BY KIYOKO MIICHI, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

 

2008/10/17

 

Veterinarians are calling on the pet industry to pull out the stops to halt a

nationwide outbreak of canine brucellosis, suggesting a lack of regulations and

compulsory testing is behind the spread of the disease.

 

While not fatal, canine brucellosis, a disease of the reproductive tract that

causes female dogs to miscarry fetuses, can spread unless infected animals are

quarantined.

 

A 43-year-old operator of dog cafes and hotels in the Gotanda district of Tokyo

and Urayasu in Chiba Prefecture remains puzzled as to how animals under his care

were infected.

 

After a female dog had miscarried for the second time in August, he arranged for

all 62 animals under his care in Tokyo and Chiba to be tested. Eighteen tested

positive for brucellosis.

 

He reported the results to local public health officials and shut down both

establishments by Oct. 3.

 

The infected dogs have since been quarantined and now await treatment.

 

" I only opened the Urayasu store in May, " the man said, visibly upset.

 

According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, there have been

reports of mass infections in recent years in Shizuoka, Okinawa, Osaka and Aichi

prefectures.

 

In the Osaka case, the owner of a breeding facility had to put down 139 dogs,

triggering an outcry from animal rights groups and drawing public attention to

the issue.

 

An infectious disease caused by the organism Brucella canis, brucellosis causes

miscarriage in female dogs and testicular inflammation in males.

 

Humans may also be infected, leading to cold-like symptoms such as fever, though

this is rare: Nine human cases have been reported since 1999.

 

In August, two people touched a miscarried fetus with their bare hands at a

Nagoya pet shop. Both were infected and one person was hospitalized.

 

Dogs can be tested for brucellosis, at a cost of about 8,000 yen, but it appears

that breeders are not overly concerned about the disease, citing the costs

involved in treatment and prevention.

 

One breeder in the Kanto region said: " While I believe tests should be

conducted, we cannot ignore the expenses.

 

" With many breeders not even giving their dogs rabies shots, it would be

impossible to have the pet industry do something about brucellosis, since it is

not fatal. "

 

However, specialists insist that action is needed.

 

Koji Kawamura, a veterinarian in Osaka, hosts an Internet forum for

veterinarians.

 

" Tests should be conducted before breeding or before the dogs are sold and

certificates given to verify that the animals are not infected, " Kawamura said.

 

Although his group sent a raft of proposals to the central government and

industry organizations after discussions with other veterinarians, Kawamura said

that so far there had been no response.

 

Koichi Imaoka, of the Department of Veterinary Science at the National Institute

of Infectious Diseases, said a brucellosis outbreak can cause major damage to an

animal facility, and testing was crucial.

 

" In order to prevent infected dogs from hitting the streets, the industry should

test the dogs and ensure that the organism does not enter a facility, " he

said.(IHT/Asahi: October 17,2008)