Annual summary 2023
During 2023, SESC has managed a total of 136 inquiries. Of these, 22 were online inquiries and the remaining 114 corresponded to requests for laboratory analysis of samples.
Below we present a summary of this year's data. We take the opportunity, once again, to thank the collaboration and effort of the pathologists and experts in animal health from both the IRTA-CReSA, the SDPV and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the UAB as well as the staff of the Public Health Agency of Catalunya (ASPCAT), especially to the official meat inspectors who, with their contributions, make the success of this page and this service possible.
Evolution of the number of inquiries submitted to SESC.
Distribution by species of inquiries received at the SESC. The cattle sector, once again, is the one that provides the most samples, especially for the confirmation of diagnosis of zoonoses such as tuberculosis and bovine cysticercosis. Compared to previous years, there has been a significant increase in poultry and rabbit inquiries, and the absence of goat and equine inquiries stands out.
As every year we highlight SESC as a tool for passive surveillance of zoonotic and notifiable diseases. This year, 8 suspected cases of ASF/CSF in pig carcasses have been reported through the SESC, all of them ruled out; 9 suspected cases of bovine cysticercosis of which 3 have been confirmed. Cases of myxomatosis and hemorrhagic viral disease in rabbits have also been declared for the first time in the history of the SESC. With regard to tuberculosis, 24 cattle suspected cases have been received (far from the 100 that would be necessary to reach a 0.1 per thousand remission of non-tuberculous granulomas established by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture). Of these, 4 have been confirmed as compatible with tuberculosis. Additionally, tuberculosis has been confirmed in 8 boars and a mycobacteriosis due to M. avium hominissuis in a pig carcass. In contrast, no granuloma of the caprine species and only 3 of the ovine species have been referred, it is necessary to remember the importance of monitoring these domestic reservoirs of animal tuberculosis.
Table 1: Summary of suspected notifiable diseases and zoonoses of the veterinarians submitting the samples and their alternative diagnoses.
| SUSPICIONS AND DIAGNOSES | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SUSPICION | Nº of inquiries | % Confirmation of suspicion | DIAGNOSTICS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lesions compatible with Tuberculosis* | 43 | 30% (13/43) |
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| Lesions compatible with Cysticercosis | 9 | 33.33% (3/9) |
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| Lesions compatible with CSF/ASF*** | 8 | 0%
(0/8) |
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| Summary of the suspicions of notifiable diseases and zoonoses of the veterinarians who sent the samples and other processes that have been alternatively diagnosed (number of animals, there are inquiries that may have more than one animal).
*This classification includes samples received in which, although the inspector did not suspect TB, the lesion was macroscopically compatible. **TB diagnoses correspond to cattle 4 LCT (4 confirmed CMT PCR/culture) and wild boar 9 LCT (7 confirmed CMT PCR/culture, 2 pending). ***In all cases infection was ruled out by molecular diagnosis (PCR) and histopathological study. |
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Table 2: Summary of inquiries and diagnoses
| Category | N | DIAGNOSES | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Infecctious | 48 |
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| Fungal | 9 |
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| Neoplasia | 13 |
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| Parasites | 5 |
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| Inflammatory | 23 |
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| Other | 38 |
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