MALI
One of the Poorest Countries in the World
Struggling to Save Its People and Culture
Speaker: Dr. Kathy Detweiler who has lived several years
in the country of Mali will speak on her experiences there.
She will also be bringing and discussing several art objects
native to the land.
Tuesday April 5, 1988
7:00 p.m.
206 MSC
Free Admission
TAKE THE EXPRESS ROUTE
INTO SUMMER !!!
ORIENTATION EXPRESS
5588 1
9 1992
Joe Aggie
Member
Since
77
Re An Aggie
Orientation Leader
Formerly Peer Advisors
Information Session
April 6 7-8 pm
401 Rudder
APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE
108 YMCA
MSC TABLES
Deadline April 8, 5:00 pm
D epartment of Student Affairs
845—5826
Page 4AThe Battalion/Monday, April 4, 1988
Waldo
by Scott McCullaf
H0...UH, Hoa/EST, WE’RE
OFFICIAL PMYBOV
photographers. we.B
WE. CAN PROVE IT.
Scientists try to create
vaccine for brucellosis
By Kathleen Reilly
Reporter
Since 1980, nine scientists at
Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary
Medicine have been working on a
vaccine to help control brucellosis, a
cattle ailment commonly known as
Bang’s disease.
The disease is named after Bern-
hard L.F. Bang.
Dr. L. Garry Adams, a veterinary
pathologist, and his colleagues have
made a team effort to develop a new
vaccine without the drawbacks of the
currently used Strain 19 vaccine.
The new vaccine is “not a silver bul
let by any means,” Adams said, but
just another control method.
With Strain 19, animals tested for
brucellosis may appear to be in
fected when they actually are not —a
false positive reaction.
tification of vaccinated cattle diffi
cult, if not impossible, he said.
herds are concentrated in (lies
ern part of the state.
Adams also said one diseased ani
mal may require the herd to be quar
antined. Quarantine can last any
where from three months to more
than three years. A perpetual quar
antine of three years or more occurs
for many reasons.
Texas has year-round breed
Seasonal breeding can be used
control the disease, Adams 8
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ights
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ance
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paralli
tween
so-far
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Calves born in the herd may be in
fected. They must be vaccinated,
then tested for the disease again.
During this time, the owner has lost
cha
Control of birthing periodsorol:
times when the disease ismosttn
mittable will help control per]
quarantines.
any chance of realizing any gain
from the herd, he said.
Brucellosis also has been found to
meningitis, undulant fever
cause
and arthritis in humans.
Unlike Strain 19, the vaccine does
not produce false positive test results
and cannot infect humans, he said.
Adams said that with the new vac
cine, there is less than a 5 percent
chance for a false positive result if
the test is administered correctly.
The correct dosage, given to an ani
mal of the correct age, should not
give a false positive reaction. How
ever, sometimes animals are too old
when vaccinated and a positive test
result is returned, he said.
Adams said the vaccine that he
and his colleagues are working on is
a “killed vaccine.” Dead bacteria are
used to initiate antibody production.
Strain 19 uses a “live vaccine,” a
weakened, but not dead, bacteria.
Because the bacteria is still alive, Ad
ams said, this vaccine can infect hu
mans.
The scientists are working
the Texas Agricultural Expem
Station and the A&M Collegeot
erinary Medicine. Scientistswoiii
with Adams are Richard P
ford, epidemiologist; Donald S I
vis, wildlife biologist; Thomas
Ficht, molecular biologist; R®
Smith III, cellular immunol®
Blair A. Sowa, protein biodi®
Joe W. Templeton, immunogen'
ist; John I). Williams, statislii
and Albert M. Wu, carboyM E
biochemist.
Distinguishing the vaccinated ani
mals from other animals is also a
problem. Once vaccinated, animals
are usually given ear tags and tat
tooed, Adams said. Tags can fall off
and tattooes can become illegible.
These two problems can make iden-
Under the current system, veteri
narians and slaughterhouse workers
are most susceptible to the disease,
Adams said. Farmers who come in
contact with infected material — es
pecially the placenta, other birth tis
sues and manure — are also vulnera
ble.
Adams said a patent is pendiif
the vaccine. If approved andf ;
keted, the vaccine should beJ 11
able in a few years. Hesaidhe»‘’ J
prefer that farmers workwithi-
local veterinarians in admin® 11
the vaccine af ter the United Ss
Department of Agriculture!
proves it.
Adams said Texas has the highest
incidence of quarantined herds. One
reason is that Texas, with 150,000
herds, has more cattle than any
other stateand the most of these
Vaccination is just one me®
controlling brucellosis, Adams*
Proper management is impoi
Cattle should be tested beforel
purchased and again before t*
added to the herd, he said.Goflf
agnostic tests that are cond®
with regularity, breeding and
giene are also necessary.
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