Líffræðifélag Íslands
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2015

Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster V101

Scrapie control in Iceland – past and present

Stefanía Þorgeirsdóttir (1) og Auður L. Arnþórsdóttir (2)

1. Tilraunastöð Háskóla Íslands í meinafræði að Keldum, 2. Matvælastofnun

Kynnir / Presenter: Stefanía Þorgeirsdóttir

Tengiliður / Corresponding author: Stefanía Þorgeirsdóttir (stef@hi.is)

Scrapie in sheep has been endemic in Iceland for over 130 years and has in the past caused considerable losses to sheep farming. In 1978 a rigorous scrapie control program was established and since 1986 the strategy has been to cull all scrapie flocks in order to eradicate the disease. In 1993 further enhancements of the program were made, mainly in the practical aspects of handling scrapie cases. After disinfection of premises and a three-year waiting period, farmers can restock with healthy sheep from scrapie-free zones. That plan is still in effect for classical scrapie, but in 2012 different measures for atypical/Nor98 cases were adapted. In the past the fight against other diseases in sheep has affected the control of scrapie in Iceland. In the 1930´s the country was divided into 36 movement restriction zones, in an effort to stop the spread of the so called Karakul diseases (maedi/visna and paratuberculosis). A few of these zones, marked by man-made fences or natural boundaries such as rivers and glaciers, are still scrapie-free. Marketing with live sheep is very limited, mostly from zones considered free of scrapie and import of live sheep from abroad has been banned since the middle of last century. Active surveillance for scrapie has been in practice since 1978, but no cases were detected among healthy slaughter until 2004, when rapid testing was implemented. Most classical scrapie cases in Iceland are still detected through passive surveillance, but majority of atypical cases have been detected through active surveillance. The goal of complete eradication has not yet been reached, but yearly incidence has lowered considerably and is down to a few cases per year. This is a drastic decrease from over one hundred infected farms at the height of the epidemic a few decades ago. On many farms scrapie has been detected in a repeated manner, i.e. the disease is reoccurring despite extensive cleanup and restocking.