Disease surveillance and investigation

AI monitoring in wildlife is conducted by BC WASP (the BC Wildlife AI Surveillance Program), which is a collaboration among the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the BC Ministry of Forests, the BC Centre for Disease Control, and the Canadian Wildlife Service. Test results from wildlife and sediment are available on the BC wildlife HPAI dashboard.   

BC WASP Members

Salmonella Dublin in dairy cattle

Salmonella Dublin (S. Dublin) is a bacteria that has significant negative impacts on the health, welfare, and productivity of dairy cattle. It can cause calf loss, abortion, and reduced milk yield. It is very hard to eliminate S. Dublin once it enters the herd. Some cattle can shed the bacteria for life. S. Dublin cases are on the rise throughout North America; however, little is known about S. Dublin in BC.

The BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food, with industry collaboration and consultation, launched the Salmonella Dublin Investigation and Management Program (SDIMP) in 2021. The program aims to:

• Understand how many farms are infected with S. Dublin in BC and to identify risk factors for infection
• Develop resources that strengthen producer and veterinarian capacity to prevent and mitigate S. Dublin
• Build and develop strong partnerships for an industry-driven S. Dublin monitoring and mitigation strategy

Starting in March 2024, this program transitioned from its pilot phase and began an ongoing program of voluntary, quarterly screening of bulk tank milk for the presence of S. Dublin antibody (a marker of herd infection status). See below for quarterly summary reports of results from this program. 

• Quarterly Report 1 – March 2024 (PDF 692, KB)
• Quarterly Report 2 - August 2024 (PDF, 734 KB)
• Quarterly Report 3 - October 2024 (PDF, 536 KB)

For veterinarians and producers seeking to act on bulk milk testing results, you may be interested in:

• Salmonella Dublin herd testing options (PDF 138, KB) 

Surveillance in smallholder pigs, sheep, goats and poultry

The BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food manages a program for disease detection in smallholder poultry, pigs, sheep and goats in BC. A smallholder is defined as a premises with less than 100 livestock or poultry. The purpose of the program is to support these producers and their veterinarians, and to monitor smallholder herds and flocks for reportable and notifiable diseases.

The program consists of three components:

1. Subsidized diagnostic examination of smallholder cases submitted to the Animal Health Center in Abbotsford BC. The reduced fee ($25 per case for poultry and $75 per case for pigs, sheep and goats) will be applied when the case is received by the laboratory with a complete submission form                  

   1. Pigs, Sheep and Goats Submission Form (gov.bc.ca)
   2. Poultry Submission Form (gov.bc.ca)                                                  

2. Veterinary practices outside of the Fraser Valley can register for subsidized shipping for smallholder cases. 

​Veterinary Practice Smallholder Form.

Eligible cases include whole carcasses up to 40kg and portions cases. For carcasses over 40kg, veterinary practices can contact the Animal Health Centre to discuss partially subsidized whole carcass shipping or opt to portions. To be eligible for discounted fees, any portions case must include the following samples:      

For pigs:   

• 5x5cm portion of fresh spleen       
• 5x5cm portion of fresh tongue                                                        

For sheep and goats:

• nasopharyngeal swab in viral or universal transport media (preferred), or in a sterile plastic pouch
• 5x5 cm portion of fresh tongue
• Abomasal section
• Fecal sample 

3. Training and educational materials for veterinarian and smallholder producers.

For more information, see the Animal Health Center page Animal Health Centre - Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca) or contact the Center by phone (1-800-661-9903) or email (PAHB@gov.bc.ca).