New Trends in the Diagnosis and Molecular Epidemiology of Viral Diseases

Despite intensive worldwide control programmes against infectious diseases, including vaccination programmes with the use of DIVA vaccines; mass culling (stamping out policies) and regulation of animal movements; various virus diseases still have a very high negative impact on animal health and welfare. The intensification of animal husbandry; centralisation of large groups of animals in industrial production units; globalization of trade in live animals and/or animal products, bedding and feeds; as well as increased tourism, are all considerable factors in the threat of devastating infectious diseases word-wide. The opening of borders between many countries such as in the European continent contributes greatly to the high-risk situation, where infectious agents may easily travel thousands of miles and then suddenly appear in areas where they are unexpected and probably even unknown. The sudden and unexpected appearance of any infectious disease in a new region, be it a country or a continent, may lead to a delayed or innaccurate diagnosis resulting in the uncontrolled spread of the disease agent to other susceptible populations of animals over large geographic areas. Recent major examples are incidences of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the UK, the extension of rinderpest into the Somali plains and Rift Valley fever (RVF) spread into the Arabian Peninsula. The latest major problem is the occurrence, re-occurrence and rapid spread of influenza virus. All these exemplify the serious economic and social impact of the of highly contagious transboundary animal diseases ( TADs).