Carola Sauter-Louis

• Dr. vet. med; PhD (epidemiology)
• Deputy at Friedrich Loeffler Institute

African swine fever (ASF) emerged in Germany in 2020. A few weeks after the initial occurrence, infected wild boar were detected in Saxony. In this study, data from wild boar surveillance in Saxony were analyzed. The analysis focused on the eastern districts of the state, where the disease likely spread through infected wild boar. Additionally, dat...

Background: Usutu virus (USUV) and West Nile virus (WNV) are zoonotic arthropod-borne orthoflaviviruses. The enzootic transmission cycles of both include Culex mosquitoes as vectors and birds as amplifying hosts. For more than ten years, these viruses have been monitored in birds in Germany by a multidisciplinary network. While USUV is present nati...

Simple Summary This cross-sectional study evaluated management factors contributing to tick infestation in 96 livestock farms in Punjab, Pakistan. Data collected via in-person interviews and statistical analysis revealed soft bedding as a significant risk factor. Other factors included lack of quarantine, improper drainage, infrequent veterinary vi...

The rapid spread of African swine fever virus (ASFV), causing severe and often lethal disease in domestic pigs and Eurasian wild boar, continues to be a threat to pig populations and dependent industries. Despite scientific achievements that have deepened our understanding of ASFV pathogenesis, alternative transmission routes for ASFV remain to be...

Poor limb conformation in cattle is believed to be closely associated with claw and limb disorders. In this descriptive study, the limb conformation in calves was evaluated objectively using joint angle measurements. A total of 100, 30- to 90-day-old, heifer calves of the Brown Swiss (n=50) and Holstein (n=50) breeds were photographed from both sid...

The rapid spread of African swine fever virus (ASFV), causing severe and often lethal disease in domestic pigs and Eurasian wild boar, continues to be a threat for pig populations and dependent industries. Despite scientific achievements that deepen our understanding of ASFV pathogenesis, alternative transmission routes for ASFV remain to be elucid...

Simple Summary Biosecurity measures are crucial for protecting farms against the introduction of animal diseases, given the dynamic nature of outbreaks. Livestock farmers play a key role in the success of these strategies. To understand German farmers’ perspectives on biosecurity, an anonymous online survey was conducted. Alongside general farm inf...

Targeted search for wild boar carcasses is essential for successful control of African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar populations. To examine whether landscape conditions influence the probability of finding ASF-positive carcasses, this study analyzed Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates of Latvian wild boar carcasses and hunted wild boar, e...

Objectives While feline asthma (FA) is considered to be of allergic origin, the etiology of feline chronic bronchitis (CB) to date is unknown. Aim of the study was to compare the results of intradermal testing (IDT) and serum testing for allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (SAT) in cats diagnosed with FA and CB. Material and methods Twenty-seven cli...

Transboundary disease control, as for African swine fever (ASF), requires rapid understanding of the locally relevant potential risk factors. Here, we show how satellite remote sensing can be applied to the field of animal disease control by providing an epidemiological context for the implementation of measures against the occurrence of ASF in Ger...

To control African swine fever (ASF) efficiently, easily interpretable metrics of the outbreak dynamics are needed to plan and adapt the required measures. We found that the spread pattern of African Swine Fever cases in wild boar follows the mechanics of a diffusion process, at least in the early phase, for the cases that occurred in Germany. Foll...

Simple Summary Effective control of African swine fever in wild boar relies on cooperation with hunters, who are involved in the local implementation of surveillance and control measures. This study focused on understanding German hunters’ perceptions of different control measures and factors that influence compliance. Measures that hindered huntin...

The seasonality of African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in domestic pigs differs between temperate and subtropical/tropical regions. We hypothesise that variations in the importance of wild boar-to-farm and farm-to-farm transmission routes shape these contrasting patterns, and we emphasise the implications for effective ASF control.

In the Surveillance Tool for Outcome-based Comparison of FREEdom from infection (STOC free) project (https://www.stocfree.eu), a data collection tool was constructed to facilitate standardised collection of input data, and a model was developed to allow a standardised and harmonised comparison of the outputs of different control programmes (CPs) fo...

A science‐based participatory process guided by EFSA identified 10 priority zoonotic pathogens for future One Health surveillance in Europe: highly pathogenic avian influenza, swine influenza, West Nile disease, tick‐borne‐encephalitis, echinococcosis, Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, hepatitis E, Lyme disease, Q‐fever, Rift Valley fever. The main...

A small proportion of disease surveillance programs target environment compartment, and in the EU these are restricted to few countries. The present report is composed of two literature reviews (i) on the main existing structures and systematic/academic initiatives for surveillance in the EU for zoonoses in the environment, and (ii) on the methods...

African swine fever virus (ASFV), a large and complex DNA-virus circulating between soft ticks and indigenous suids in sub-Saharan Africa, has made its way into swine populations from Europe to Asia. This virus, causing a severe haemorrhagic disease (African swine fever) with very high lethality rates in wild boar and domestic pigs, has demonstrate...

African swine fever (ASF) is an internationally-spreading viral pig disease that severely damages agricultural pork production and trade economy as well as social welfare in disease-affected regions. A comprehensive understanding of ASF risk factors is imperative for efficient disease control. As the absence of effective ASF vaccines limits disease...

African swine fever virus (ASFV), a large and complex DNA-virus circulating between soft ticks and indigenous suids in sub-Saharan Africa, has made its way into swine populations from Europe to Asia. This virus, causing a severe haemorrhagic disease (African swine fever) with very high lethality rates in wild boar and domestic pigs, has demonstrate...

African swine fever (ASF) was first detected in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in 2014 and has since been circulating in the Baltic States with a similar epidemiological course characterized by persistence of the disease in the wild boar population and occasional spill-over infections in domestic pigs. The aim of the present study was to evaluate s...

The STOC free project constructed a generic framework that allows a standardised and harmonised description of different control programmes (CP) for cattle diseases. The STOC free model can be used to determine the confidence of freedom from infection that has been achieved in disease CPs, in support of an ongoing assessment of progress towards out...

Countries have implemented control programmes (CPs) for cattle diseases such as bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) that are tailored to each country-specific situation. Practical methods are needed to assess the output of these CPs in terms of the confidence of freedom from infection that is achieved. As part of the STOC free project, a Bayesian H...

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing global problem and complicates successful treatments of bacterial infections in animals and humans. We conducted a longitudinal study in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to compare the occurrence of ESBL-producing Escherichia (E.) coli in three conventional and four organic pig farms. ESBL-positive E. coli, es...

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease of domesticated and wild ruminants and pigs that causes enormous economic losses through morbidity, mortality, and trade restrictions. Although the disease is endemic in Pakistan, seasonal outbreaks occur every year throughout the country. This study aimed to investigate FMD outbreak...

To control African Swine Fever efficiently, easily interpretable metrics of the outbreak dynamics are needed to plan and adapt the required measures. We found that the spread pattern of African swine fever cases in wild boar follows the mechanics of a diffusion process, at least in the early phase, for the cases that occurred in Germany. Following...

African swine fever (ASF) emerged in Estonia in 2014. From February 2019 to August 2020, no pigs or wild boar tested positive for ASF virus (ASFV), only ASFV-specific antibodies could be detected in shot wild boar. However, ASF recently re-emerged in wild boar. We tested three hypotheses that might explain the current situation: (i) ASFV may have b...

The geographical distribution of lumpy skin disease (LSD), an economically important cattle disease caused by a capripoxvirus, has reached an unprecedented extent. Vaccination is the only way to prevent the spread of the infection in endemic and newly affected regions. Yet, in the event of an outbreak, selection of the best vaccine is a major chall...

Simple Summary African swine fever (ASF) is a viral haemorrhagic pig disease that continues to spread in Europe and severely damages pig production and economy, disrupts trade with pigs and porcine products and even has an impact on social welfare in affected areas. Wild boar and domestic pigs are both susceptible to infection with the ASF virus, w...

The introduction of genotype II African swine fever (ASF) virus, presumably from Africa into Georgia in 2007, and its continuous spread through Europe and Asia as a panzootic disease of suids, continues to have a huge socio-economic impact. ASF is characterized by hemorrhagic fever leading to a high case/fatality ratio in pigs. In Europe, wild boar...

After the first occurrence of African swine fever (ASF) in Germany in September 2020, control measures were implemented that resembled those taken in the Czech Republic and Belgium, the only two countries that succeeded in eliminating ASF from their territory so far in the current epidemic. In the present study, the epidemiological course of ASF in...

African swine fever (ASF) has been present in Lithuania since 2014. It is mainly the wildboar population that is affected. Currently, little is known about the epidemiological course ofASF in Lithuania. In the present study, ASF surveillance data from 2016–2021 were analyzed. Thenumbers of samples taken from hunted wild boar and wild boar found dea...

Simple Summary Effectiveness and successful implementation of control measures greatly depend on hunters’ willingness and motivation to carry out these measures. Therefore, assessing their opinions regarding the current system is paramount in order to achieve the best possible results. The present study provides insights of hunters’ attitudes and p...

Background Small mammals are important maintenance hosts of ectoparasites as well as reservoir hosts for many arthropod-borne pathogens. In Germany, only a few studies have investigated ectoparasite communities on small mammals in their natural habitats. The aim of this study was to assess the species diversity and parameters influencing the mean i...

African swine fever (ASF) has massively spread in recent years and threatens the global pig industry. ASF has been present in Latvia since 2014. Hunters play a major role in the implementation of measures to control ASF and in passive disease surveillance. The probability to detect an ASF-positive wild boar is much higher in animals found dead than...

Background Although seizures are common in dogs, limited published information is available on the classifications of seizures, diagnostic approaches, or clinical management of seizure‐affected patients in the veterinary primary care setting. Objectives Explore seizure etiology, diagnostic testing, and clinical management of seizure‐affected dogs...

African swine fever (ASF) has spread across many countries in Europe since the introduction into Georgia in 2007. We report here on the first cases of ASF in wild boar detected in Germany close to the border with Poland. In addition to the constant risk of ASF virus (ASFV) spread through human activities, movements of infected wild boar also repres...

The first cases of African swine fever (ASF) were detected in the Lithuanian wild boar population in 2014. Since then, the disease spread slowly through the whole country, affecting both, wild boar and domestic pigs. In the other Baltic states, which both are also affected by ASF since 2014, the recent course of ASF prevalence suggests that the cou...

African swine fever (ASF) was first identified in Estonia in 2014, initially detected in wild boar and spreading to affect almost the whole country from late 2016 onwards. Passive surveillance and the control measures applied in Estonia are the main actions in the attempt to control the wild boar population and therefore limit the spread of ASF. Im...

Estonia has been combatting African swine fever (ASF) for six years now. Since October 2017, the disease has only been detected in the wild boar population, but trade restrictions had to remain in place due to international regulations. Yet, the epidemiological course of the disease has changed within the last few years. The prevalence of ASF virus...

In 2014, African swine fever (ASF) emerged in Latvia for the first time. The majority of cases appeared in wild boar, but the presence of ASF in these animals constitutes a permanent threat to domestic pig holdings. Recent studies have shown an increase of serologically positive and a decrease of PCR‐positive ASF cases in wild boar, possibly indica...

African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar remains a threat for the global pig industry. Therefore, surveillance is of utmost importance; not only to control the disease, but also to detect new introductions as early as possible. Passive surveillance is regarded as the method of choice for an effective detection of ASF in wild boar populations. However...

For endemic infections in cattle that are not regulated at the European Union level, such as bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), European Member States have implemented control or eradication programs (CEP) tailored to their specific situations. Different methods are used to assign infection-free status in CEP; therefore, the confidence of freedom...

Background: Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne zoonotic pathogen. It causes a fatal haemorrhagic disease in humans. Hard ticks, in particular Hyalomma spp., are considered to function as reservoir as well as vector for CCHFV. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the province of Balochistan, Pakistan, from...

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne zoonotic disease caused by the arbovirus Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV). Livestock serve as a transient reservoir for CCHFV, but do not show clinical signs. In this cross-sectional study, sheep and goats in Balochistan, Pakistan, were examined to determine the CCHFV seroprevale...

Since the introduction of African swine fever (ASF) into Georgia in 2007, the disease has been spreading in an unprecedented way. Many countries that are still free from the disease fear the emergence of ASF in their territory either in domestic pigs or in wild boar. In the past, ASF was often described as being a highly contagious disease with mor...

African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar populations is difficult to control. In affected areas, samples from all wild boar shot and found dead are investigated. The use of laboratory tests allows estimating the duration of the infection in affected animals. The study aimed to test the hypothesis that the stage of the epidemic in different areas of E...

The existence, stage of eradication and design of control programmes (CPs) for diseases that are not regulated by the EU differ between Member States. When freedom from infection is reached or being pursued, safe trade is essential to protect or reach that status. The aim of STOC free, a collaborative project between six countries, is to develop an...

Glanders is a zoonotic contagious disease of equids caused by Burkholderia (B.) mallei. Serodiagnosis of the disease is challenging because of false-positive and false-negative test results. The accuracy of the complement fixation test (CFT) which is prescribed for international trade by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), five ELISAs a...

Separate analysis of 2,959 samples for DSp of the three different sample batches “Asia”, “South-America, and “Europe”. (DOCX)

Significance (p values) of differences in DSp for test pairs based on McNemar’s test for correlated proportions. (DOCX)

DSp values with and without 41 anti-complementary sera. (DOCX)

A wild boar population infected with African Swine Fever (ASF) constitutes a constant threat to commercial pig farms and therefore to the economy of the affected country. Currently, ASF is still spreading in several countries and the implementation of intensive measures such as reducing wild boar population densities seems not to be able to stop th...

Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) have a large impact on animal health and the livelihood of livestock owners, particularly in developing countries. Although climatic and ecological conditions in Pakistan may favour the transmission of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs), only a few systematic studies have been carried out on TBPs and the diseases that they cause...

Background: Primary-care veterinary clinical records can offer data to determine generalizable epidemiological data on seizures occurrence in the dog population. Objectives: To identify and examine epidemiologic characteristics of seizure occurrence in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK participating in the VetCompass™ Programme. Anim...

Bovine neonatal pancytopenia (BNP) was a vaccine-induced alloimmune disease observed in young calves and characterized by hemorrhages, pancytopenia, and severe destruction of the hematopoietic tissues. BNP was induced by alloreactive maternal antibodies present in the colostrum of certain cows vaccinated with a highly adjuvanted vaccine against bov...

Objective: To evaluate the perceptions of Bavarian bovine practitioners in regard to ailments that could potentially be associated with chronic Clostridium botulinum infections. Material and methods: A questionnaire-based survey consisting of two parts was conducted via telephone. The questionnaire contained five main inclusion criteria and seve...

Objective: In cows with uterine torsion, clinical parameters and different treatments were evaluated with regards to their success. The aim of the study was to investigate important factors for diagnosis and prognosis of uterine torsion and their consequences for treatment decisions. Material and methods: The study presents 114 cases of uterine...

African swine fever (ASF) was introduced into the Eastern European Union in 2014 and led to considerable mortality among wild boar. In contrast, unexpected high antibody prevalence was reported in hunted wild boar in north-eastern Estonia. One of the causative virus strains was recently characterized. While it still showed rather high virulence in...

Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Clinical presentation in humans varies from asymptomatic to flu-like illness and severe sequelae may be seen. Ruminants are often sub-clinically infected or show reproductive disorders such as abortions. In Egypt, only limited data on the epidemiology of Q fever in animals are...

Multivariable logistic regression analyses of factors associated with seropositivity per animal species. areference (group with lowest risk), aOR = adjusted Odds Ratio, CI = confidence interval. (DOCX)

Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii specific antibodies positive tested animals in Egyptian governorates. p < 0.001, n = number, n.a. = not available. (DOCX)

Positive farm animals kept in different animal keeping systems in Egypt. n = number. (DOCX)

Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Clinical presentation in humans varies from asymptomatic to flu-like illness and severe sequelae may be seen. Ruminants are often sub-clinically infected or show reproductive disorders such as abortions. In Egypt, only limited data on the epidemiology of Q fever in animals are...

Background: Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an obligate intracellular, tick-transmitted bacterium that causes granulocytic anaplasmosis in humans and several mammalian species including domestic ruminants where it is called tick-borne fever (TBF). Different genetic variants exist but their impact with regard to putative differences in host associatio...

African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar emerged in Estonia for the first time in September 2014. The first affected region was located in the South of Estonia close to the border with Latvia. It was considered to be epidemiologically connected to the outbreaks in the North of Latvia. About two weeks later, cases were detected in the North of Estonia...

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is an acute and highly contagious enteric disease of swine caused by the eponymous virus (PEDV) which belongs to the genus Alphacoronavirus within the Coronaviridae virus family. Following the disastrous outbreaks in Asia and the United States, PEDV has been detected also in Europe. In order to better understand the...

Since 2007, mortality associated with a previously unreported haemorrhagic disease has been observed in young calves in several European countries. The syndrome, which has been named ‘bovine neonatal pancytopenia’ (BNP), is characterised by thrombocytopenia, leukocytopenia and a panmyelophthisis. A herd-level case-control study was conducted in fou...

Germany has been officially free of bovine tuberculosis since 1996. However, in the last years there has been an increase of bovine tuberculosis cases, particularly in the southern part of Germany, in the Allgäu region. As a consequence a one-time tuberculosis surveillance program was revisited with different premortal and postmortal tests. The aim...

DIC, prevalence and diagnostic test accuracies of different models, without and with covariances of the sensitivities between the different tests, considered from the dataset (n = 175) tested with SICT test [standard interpretation, uninformative priors], Bovigam® assay [cut-off = 0.1], culture [sp = 100%] and necropsy. Model 1: no covariances; Mod...

DIC, prevalence and diagnostic test accuracies of different models, without and with covariances of the sensitivities and specificities between the different tests, considered from the dataset (n = 389) tested with SICCT test [standard interpretation; prior information], PCR and necropsy. Model 1: no covariances; Model 2: covariance sensitivity SIC...

Dichotomized test results of the Bovigam® assay for two different cut-offs. (DOCX)

Test results of the Bovigam® assay from five officially approved laboratories. The assayed blood was taken at two time points respectively from two differing localizations. V.j., V. jugularis; V.s.a., V. subcutanea abdominis; V.c.m., V. caudalis mediana; pos, positive; neg, negative;?, inconclusive; n.a., not analyzable. (DOCX)

Histograms from the covariances of the sensitivities and specificities between the different tests, considered from the three-test dataset (n = 389) tested with SICCT test [standard interpretation; prior information], PCR and necropsy. (PDF)

Number of test result combinations in the four-test dataset (n = 175), the inconclusive test results of the SICT test once considered as negative (standard interpretation) and once as positive (severe interpretation). b cut-off: 0.1. (DOCX)

Number of test result combinations in the three-test dataset (n = 389), the inconclusive test results of the SICCT test once considered as negative (standard interpretation) and once as positive (severe interpretation). (DOCX)

Positive and negative predictive values of the SICCT test, PCR and necropsy calculated from the prevalence and diagnostic test accuracies obtained from the models of Table 2. PPV, positive predictive value; NPV, negative predictive value. (DOCX)

Histograms from the covariances of the sensitivities between the different tests, considered from the four-test dataset (n = 175) tested with SICT test [standard interpretation; no prior information], Bovigam® assay [cut−off = 0.1], culture [sp = 100%] and necropsy. (PDF)

Bayesian latent-class model code for four diagnostic tests. (DOCX)