(a) Testing of blood.
(1) All tests shall be made by approved personnel only as the
basis for compliance with these regulations.
(2) All tests must be confirmed by an approved laboratory as
the basis for compliance with these regulations.
(3) Samples for all retest purposes will be collected by commission
or APHIS personnel and submitted to an approved laboratory for confirmation
testing.
(b) Classification or goats. (Note: this paragraph also pertains
to sheep). Test results shall be interpreted by State or Federal regulatory
veterinarians. The following are approved tests:
(1) Card test. The card (buffered Brucella antigen, or BBA
test) may be used to test goats. The 3% (antigen concentration) BBA test is
used as a presumptive or screening test. The 8% (antigen concentration) BBA
test may be used as a definitive test. Results of the card test may be used
with other test results conducted in the approved laboratory to aid in the
classification of animals.
(2) Manual complement fixation (CF) test.
(A) Interpretation of the manual CF test results.
Attached Graphic
(B) Interpretation of test result codes. The following codes
are utilized by the laboratory to represent the corresponding test results:
Attached Graphic
(3) Standard tube agglutination test (STT) or standard plate
agglutination test (SPT). Interpretation of STT and SPT tests.
Attached Graphic
(4) Particle concentration fluorescence immunoassay (PCFIA)
test. May be used to determine the brucellosis disease status of livestock
when conducted by methods approved by USDA, APHIS, VS. Interpretation of PCFIA
test results.
Attached Graphic
(5) New tests under research. Laboratory tests approved by
the executive director are authorized to be used in conjunction with tests
listed in this subsection for evaluation of their future usefulness in the
program.
(c) Reclassification of reactors. Animals initially classified
as reactors may be reclassified provided a complete epidemiological investigation
of the herd is conducted and there is no evidence of field strain
Brucella melitensis infection exposure thereto.
(d) Requirements of a herd test.
(1) Test eligibility--All goats that are one year of age or
older as evidenced by the eruption of their first permanent incisor teeth
shall be included in the herd test. Testing requirements for species other
than goats will be specified by the epidemiologist.
(2) Identification requirements. All animals tested shall be
identified with an official identification.
(e) Procedures in affected herds.
(1) Herds which contain animals classified as suspects shall
be placed under hold order. The suspect or herd shall be retested as necessary
to establish a final diagnosis.
(2) Herds which infection has been diagnosed by a State/Federal
regulatory veterinarian based on culture, serology, or epidemiological evidence,
with concurrence by the epidemiologist, will be placed under quarantine. An
individual herd plan outlining procedures to eliminate the disease will be
developed by the regulatory veterinarian in consultation with the epidemiologist
and the herd owner or caretaker and his veterinarian (if requested by the
owner). If a plan cannot be agreed upon, then the plan developed by the commission
shall be final and the owner caretaker will be provided a copy. The plan shall
include provisions for depopulation of exposed livestock as specified in (f)
of this section. The quarantine may be released 30 days after completion of
depopulation and any required cleaning/disinfecting. The premise shall not
be restocked prior to quarantine release.
(3) An epidemiological investigation will be performed following
the diagnosis of infection. All exposed livestock, adjacent and high risk
herds shall be placed under hold order and tested one or more times as deemed
necessary by the epidemiologist. Testing requirements for species other than
goats will be specified by the epidemiologist.
(f) Depopulation with indemnity.
(1) All exposed livestock shall be humanely destroyed and disposed
of on the premise where disclosed or at a facility approved by the Executive
Director.
(2) When it has been determined that an animal has brucellosis
or was exposed the Commission may pay indemnity. This is subject to the availability
of funds and this is determined by the unreimbursed amount determined by deducting
the federal compensation from the appraised value not to exceed $100.00 for
each animal classified under this subsection for no more than one hundred
(100) animals.
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