Smallpox and rinderpest are two extinct viral diseases in recent years. The last case of Smallpox was eradicated in Somalia in 1977 by WHO and rinderpest in Kenya in 2001 by FAO/OIE. There were many features in common between the two diseases, for instance, both viruses have single serotpype; post vaccination immunity is almost life-long etc. The eradication of rinderpest was a major triumph of the veterinary profession.
When JP-15 campaign (1962-1976) was terminated after all clinical rinderpest cases were eliminated. However, toward the end of 1970s rinderpest surfaced again in both West and East Africa and moved toward the central Africa. The OAU/IBAR called for another African campaign (PARC) which started in 1986 with support of FAO and EEC. FAO Expert Consultation held in 1987 approved to expand the campaign in two other regions, namely West Asia (WAREC) and South Asia (SAREC). These two campaigns started in 1989 covering all infected countries in the world. PARC terminated its activities in 1998, and WAREC ended in 1994. However, SAREC was divided into two parts, India and Pakistan. The campaign in India called Rinderpest Operation Zero (1989-1996) was implemented in close collaboration with Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The campaign in Pakistan was implemented between 1999 and 2002.
In 1989, OIE Expert Consultation was held in Paris, and the plans for strengthening surveillance programs of these campaigns were discussed. The outcome of this consultation included the time-bound plans for surveillance for clinically visible rinderpest cases and for sero-positive subclinical cases. This surveillance program, now known as “OIE Pathway”, became mandatory obligation to all the member countries involved in these campaigns. Later, OIE Pathway was also applied to the Global Rinderpest Eradication Program (GREP) of FAO under its new program called EMPRESS, which started in 1994.
Extensive studies on rinderpest in wildlife during PARC (1986-1998) in Tanzania and Kenya supported the hypothesis that wildlife were not acting as a long term reservoir of rinderpest virus and that new wildlife epidemics require incursion of virus from another source presumably from cattle. This indicated that mass vaccination of cattle is effective to terminate rinderpest in wildlife. However, wildlife surveillance continued in East Africa under the follow up program called PACE (2000-2006) with improved methodologies. Particular attention was paid to the triangle area in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia known as Somali Ecosystem. The last confirmed case occurred in 2001 in buffalo in Meru National Park in Kenya.
Some examples of the benefits brought by the world-wide eradication of rinderpest are listed.

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A number of viruses isolated from bats have been believed to be causative agents of the emerging infectious diseases in humans. This idea is supported by the facts that SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-like CoVs have been isolated from horseshoe bats and also the viruses isolated from pigs or horses infected by the Nipah virus or Hendra virus shed from fruit bats caused emerging diseases in humans From these observations, attempts have extensively been done to find the viruses from bats with newly established technology for isolation of the unidentified gene from animal tissues and specimen of infected animals. In this mini-review, we overview the importance of bats as natural hosts of viruses that cause human emerging diseases and also describe the recent isolation of a variety of viruses from bats.

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The objective of the present study was to compare reproductive performance of female pigs between three groups of service techniques in commercial swine herds. The data for female level analysis were obtained from 87 herds where both artificial insemination (AI) and natural mating (NM) were practiced. The study data included 27,034 service records and 22,063 farrowing records in 24,192 gilts, and 100,813 service records and 85,498 farrowing records in 35,630 sows. A service included multiple AI or NM during an estrus period. Serviced females were categorized into three service technique groups : ‘AI only,’ ‘NM only’ or ‘AI combined with NM (CM).’ Mixed-effects models were used to compare farrowing percentage and pigs born alive between the three service technique groups. Relative frequencies (%) of ‘AI only,’ ‘NM only’ and CM in 127,847 service records were 53.8, 8.6 and 37.6%, respectively. In both gilts and sows, no differences were found in farrowing percentages and pigs born alive between ‘NM only’and CM service technique groups. Gilts receiving ‘AI only’ had 5.9% lower farrowing percentages and 0.5 fewer pigs born alive than those receiving ‘NM only’ (P<0.05). Meanwhile, sows receiving ‘AI only’ had 2.2% lower farrowing percentages and 0.1 fewer pigs born alive than those receiving ‘NM only’ (P<0.05). In conclusion, AI techniques need to be improved in order to achieve optimal reproductive performance in both gilts and sows in commercial herds.

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A bacterial and serological survey of leptospirosis in raccoons (Procyon lotor) was performed in central Hokkaido, Japan. Leptospira was isolated from 10 (3.9%) of 259 raccoons captured in central Hokkaido. Leptospira DNA was also detected by PCR in samples from 60 (23.2%) raccoons, and leptospiral antibodies were detected in 63 (24.5%) raccoons. The positive rate was highest for serovar Autumnalis (10.8%), followed serovar Canicola, Australis, Ballum, Hebdomadis and Pyrogenes (4.6%). The present study revealed that Leptospira is widespread in raccoons in Hokkaido, and raises concerns regarding the likelihood of humans and domestic animals acquiring, leptospirosis through contact with raccoons.

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Gastrointesitnal helminths of four age groups of Aigamo ducks, a cross between wild ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) and domestic ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus), were investigated in Hokkaido, Japan. A total of five helminth species, namely Amidostomum acutum, Echinostoma revolutum, Aploparaksis sp., Hymenolepis sp., and Fimbriaria sp. were obtained and identified from 37.84% of 37 individuals of Aigamo duck. Among the above, A.acutum, Aploparaksis sp. and Hymenolepis sp. are the first host record from Aigamo ducks in Japan. And the present result suggested that the parasites, including high pathogenic and/or zoonotic species, passed from wild ducks to Aigamo ducks at outfield rearing period.

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Because of the outbreak of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O111 and O157 in April, 2011, Japanese government decided to set a new standard of meat consumed raw. This standard was established with reference of the Codex Commission guideline for microbiological risk management. Microbiological standard is that Enterobacteriaceae is negative in each 25 samples of 25 g of raw beef. One centimeter below the surface of this raw beef block covered by plastic bag shall be heated at 60°C for 2 min. After heating, sampling shall be done from the part of this beef block without heating.
This beef block is cut at the special part of kitchen in restaurants with a knife and on a cutting board only for this purpose.

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Chikungunya (CHIK) virus has re-emerged as an important vector-borne pathogen causing epidemics in some parts of the world. A large scale epidemic of CHIK fever occurred in Kenya in 2004 and spread to Indian Ocean islands, India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
The CHIK fever had registered to the Category IV infectious disease under the Infectious Control Low and the Quarantine Act revised in February 1, 2011. CHIK fever is characterized by acute febrile illness with arthralgia that accompanies high fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, low back pain and rash lasting 3-10 days. The joint pains may last for weeks to months after acute illness. The CHIK virus genome is a member of the Alphavirus genus, the family Togaviridae. The endemics have occurred in urban areas where A. aegypti and A. albopictus are vectors in tropical Asia and Indian Ocean islands. Sylvatic transmission cycles involving forest-dwelling Aedes spp. and wild primates, rodents and chiroptera maintain endemicity in Africa.

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Having the tighter budgetary and human resources for the livestock disease prevention nowadays, rational and efficient distribution of the existing properties is highly required. In this point of view, it is one of the essential and crucial points to understand the cost of the surveillances to progress their strategic improvement. This document shows the results of the descriptive analyses of the financial cost, which includes the test materials and kits, and the labors involved in the collecting activities related to the 20 active surveillances among 97 notifiable diseases conducted in 2005-2007 in Japan. It was indicated that these two types of costs were largely varied between diseases. When reviewing and replanning the each surveillance, which has own objectives and significances in the Japanese livestock industry, the present results would be useful for the administrative agency.

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