OIE Collaborating Centre for Information on Aquatic Animal Diseases
The Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (CEFAS)
Weymouth Laboratory, Barrack Road, The Nothe, Weymouth
Dorset DT4 8UB, UK
OIE Designated Expert:
Professor B J Hill
ANNUAL REPORT 1997
1.
Introduction
Information on the occurrence of aquatic animal diseases in other countries is needed by
the veterinary services (or other competent authority) of a country in order to make assessments of
the risk of introducing serious exotic diseases into its territory through importation of living
aquatic animals. Official data on the occurrence of the OIE Diseases of Aquatic Animals in
Members Countries is available in the annual World Animal Health reports, but is dispersed
throughout in summary form or in statistical tables. It is time-consuming to determine which
countries are affected by a particular aquatic animal disease and no information is given on host
species affected, or on the epidemiological situation regarding the OIE listed by “other serious
diseases”. Such information is available only in the OIE International Aquatic Animal Health
Code and the Diagnostic Manual for Aquatic Animal Diseases, or is scattered throughout the
scientific literature from which it can be a major exercise to retrieve. It was therefore decided at
the CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) Weymouth Laboratory
(formerly the MAFF Fish Diseases Laboratory) that a computer database on the prevalence of all
the OIE-listed diseases by country and host species was required to provide a simpler and more
rapid means of information retrieval. The CEFAS Weymouth Laboratory developed a prototype
computer database on the prevalence of OIE-listed diseases of aquatic animals by country and by
host species on the basis of information in OIE publications and the scientific literature.
After development of the prototype version, it was clear how useful the database would be
as a source of information to other countries with a need to be aware of the aquatic animal disease
situation in countries exporting live aquatic animals, or the disease susceptibility of particular
aquatic animal species. It was decided by MAFF to make the information available internationally
through the official channels of OIE, and this was proposed to the International Committee with a
demonstration of the database in February 1997. At the OIE General Session in Paris in May
1997, the International Committee confirmed the designation of the CEFAS Weymouth
Laboratory as the OIE Collaborating Centre for Information on Aquatic Animal Diseases with a
mandate to provide Member Countries with information from the database.
2.
Summary of general activities
Since May 1997 the Collaborating Centre has continued to expand and improve the
database. OIE published data on the geographical and host ranges (natural and experimental) of
the 10 notifiable diseases and 16 “other significant” diseases in the World Animal Health reports
for all OIE Member Countries for 1994, 1995 and 1996 have been entered together with additional
information taken from the 1997 editions of the OIE International Aquatic Animal Health Code
and Diagnostic Manual for Aquatic Animal Diseases. Further information on the geographical and
host ranges of the diseases published in the scientific literature has been added as “non-OIE” data
to ensure that the epidemiological picture is as complete as possible
It is intended to enter subsequent data from future OIE World Animal Health reports as
soon as they become available each year and, if possible, the existing archive data for earlier years
will also be entered. An automatic computer-based search of the current scientific literature is
being carried out continuously and all relevant new information is entered into the “non-OIE data”
section, together with details of the reference on a monthly basis.
The main switchboard for the database contains a number of interactive buttons for either
accessing sub-switchboards or for rapid data retrieval. Essentially, the information is grouped into
OIE data, Non-OIE data and All data. Each specific data area is accessed by a simple button press
by clicking on the mouse. The database is divided into tables designed to cover each disease, host
species, disease location and information source (reference). Within these general areas, more
specific items include information on the natural or experimental occurrence of the disease, the
tissue from which the causal agent has been isolated (e.g. internal organs, kidney, skin lesion, etc)
and the taxonomic position of the host species. For each disease, lists of individual and host
species affected are provided and for each country or species the source of the data (and in some
cases an abstract of the publication) for the occurrence of a particular disease in a particular
country, and further details of the host species can be called up instantly by a click on the mouse
button. Alternatively, a report of all the OIE listed diseases known to occur in a particular country,
or a particular host species, can be displayed. The database will be invaluable to those wishing to
know the official OIE published data on the occurrence of listed aquatic animal diseases in all
Member Countries of OIE and/or the additional data in the published scientific literature.
3.
Collaboration to the benefit of OIE Member Countries
At the present time, information from the database can only be made available to other
Member Countries via printouts in response to requests submitted. Extensive information on
bacterial kidney disease was provided in this form to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans,
Government of Canada, and on white spot disease virus of shrimp to the General Organisation for
Veterinary Services, Government of Egypt. In the latter case, additional information to that held
on the database was obtained by the Collaborating Centre through personal communication with
leading experts in the specific area, Dr Bonami (France) and Prof Lightner (USA), whose
assistance is gratefully acknowledge. A request from an international medicines company for
extensive information on the disease situation in all major aquaculture countries was not met, not
least due to the considerable amount of printed material it would have required.
If made accessible live (“on-line”) via the Delegates’ pages of the OIE website on the
Internet, the database will be a powerful tool for the Veterinary Services of all countries with a
need to quickly assess the aquatic animal disease situation in other countries and the risk of disease
introduction via imports in aquatic animals. A proposal for this to go ahead will be put to the
National Delegates during a demonstration of the database at the OIE General Session in May
1998.