EQUATOR is een uitgave van
het Bureau Inlernationale
C\\)nlactcn van de Faculteit
Diergeneeskunde.

J.H.A. de Gooijer
(eindredacteur)
Drs. M.F.M. Langelaar
Dr. R.W. Paling
(hoofdredacteur)

Bureau Internationale Contacten
Faculteit Diergeneeskunde
Postbu.s 80.163
3508 TD UTRECHT

Opzeggingen jil n.iam- en/ol
adreswijzigingen aangeven op de
adresband en de/e retourneren
aan het redactie-adres.

Met gepaste trots presenteren wij u,
gewaardeerde lezer, het eerste nummer
van de vijfde jaargang van EQUATOR.
Het eerste lustrum! Zoals u ongetwij-
feld opgevallen zal zijn, zijn er aan het
begin van de vijfde jaargang een twee-
tal ingrijpende veranderingen doorge-
voerd. Allereerst het uiterlijk. Na vier
jaar vond de redactie het tijd worden
het vertrouwde beeldmerk aan te pas-
sen. In het nieuwe beeldmerk heeft de
evenaar een meer opvallende plaats
gekregen als symbool voor de lijn waar
Noord en Zuid elkaar ontmoeten.
Ten tweede is met ingang van deze
jaargang de samenstelling van de re-
dactie gewijzigd. De stichting DIO
heeft zich teruggetrokken, maar zal
EQUATOR wel blijven gebruiken als
medium om de lezers te informeren
over haar activiteiten. Derhalve is het
Bureau Internationale Contacten van
de Faculteit Diergeneeskunde met in-
gang van dit nummer de enige uitgever
van EQUATOR. De redactie verwacht
u op de gebruikelijke manier van rele-
vante informatie te kunnen blijven
voorzien. Wij houden ons echter aan-
bevolen voor eventuele op- of aanmer-
kingen, dan wel interessante kopy.

Wat heeft het eerste nummer van de
nieuwe jaargang te bieden? Allereerst
een vraaggesprek met Ing. Jan de

Wolff, projectcoördinator van het quot;Ka-
gera Livestock Development Program-
mequot;, een door het DGIS en de Tan-
zaniaanse overheid gefinancierd melk-
veehouderijproject dat al meer dan 16
jaar met goede resultaten wordt uitge-
voerd in de Kagera-regio in Tanzania.
De Wolff benadrukt in dit interview dat
alleen door een flexibele opstelling van
zowel de donor als de projectverant-
woordelijken een ontwikkelingsproject
een succes kan worden. De arme plat-
telandsbevolking die deelneemt aan het
project ziet haar inkomen met soms
tweehonderd procent stijgen.
Ten tweede vraagt de redactie uw aan-
dacht voor een verslag van de stage van
twee studenten diergeneeskunde die zes
maanden in Colombia doorbrachten.
Op basis van de resultaten van het
door hen verrichte veld- en laboratori-
umwerk, zullen zij binnenkort hun
scriptie presenteren.
Tot slot: de gebruikelijke rubrieken
blijven bestaan!

Ondanks vele verhalen over mislukte ontwikkelingssamenwerkingsprojecten zijn er
gelukkig ook projecten waar het wel lukt om de levensstandaard van de lokale
bevolking op te waarderen. Een van die projecten is het Kagera Livestock
Development Programme (KALIDEP) in de Kagera-regio in noordwest Tanzania.
Toen het project in 1976 begon, bestond het slechts uit een component: de quot;heifer
breeding unitquot;. Doel was het fokken van kruislingen: 50% Fries bloed, 50% Boran
bloed. In eerste instantie leverde het project aan vrij grote melkveebedrijven, maar
tegelijk begon men met de verkoop van vee aan de kleine boeren. In deze eerste
fase was het sterftepercentage van deze Fl\'s in de eerste drie maanden ongeveer
80%. Deze bedroevende resultaten waren de aanleiding met twee subprojecten te
beginnen. Het ene subproject bestond uit het opleiden van toekomstige melkvee-
houders en het andere uit het opzetten van een goede voorlichtingsdienst met
voorlichters die over voldoende technische capaciteiten beschikken. Deze twee
projecten zijn in januari 1982 begonnen. In 1983 was het sterftepercentage gezakt
van 80% naar 10%. Momenteel schommelt het rond de 5%.

De quot;heifer breeding unitquot; is als bedrijf uitgegroeid van 12.000 ha naar de huidige
grootte van 60.000 ha. Bij deze grootte ligt een jaarlijkse produktie van 500
drachtige F1 pinken binnen de verwachting. Vandaag de dag blijft 95% van de
geleverde vaarzen binnen de Kagera-regio en de belangstelling voor het vee groeit
nog steeds. Het project en de voorlichtingsdienst begeleiden momenteel ongeveer
1.600 boeren, die ongeveer 5.000 stuks vee hebben en jaarlijks rond de 3.000.000
liter melk produceren. De bedoeling is om in de toekomst naar een 700-800 nieu-
we boeren per jaar te gaan.

De redactie van EQUATOR had een gesprek met Ing. Jan de Wolff, projectco-
ordinator van dit door het DGIS en de Tanzaniaanse overheid gefinancierde
veehouderijproject. De Wolff, die voor verlof in Nederland terug was, vertelt over
de verschillende fases die het project inmiddels heeft doorlopen, de problemen die
hij en zijn medewerkers daarbij ondervonden en geeft zijn visie op de (nabije)
toekomst.

Op het fokbedrijf worden de koeien op
een zo goedkoop mogelijke manier, dus
heel extensief, gehouden. Op een cen-
traal punt wordt een aantal koeien ge-
insemineerd. Bij andere kuddes loopt
een lokale stier om te zorgen dat wij in
de toekomst quot;replacement stockquot; blijven
houden. Het bedrijf is volledig quot;selfsup-
portingquot; wat het eigen fokmateriaal
betreft. De koeien worden verkocht aan
het ministerie van landbouw, waar ook
de voorlichtingsdienst onder valt. Het
ministerie, en dus het project, betaalt
voor de koeien aan het bedrijf.
We hebben een kredietvoorziening
voor de startende boeren ontwikkeld,
omdat de prijs van koeien momenteel
te hoog voor hen is.

Als een boer rijk is, moet hij zijn koe
cash betalen, heeft hij geen geld dan
betaalt hij alleen administratiekosten.
Hij of zij is dan wel verplicht al onze
instructies te volgen. Doet hij dit niet,
dan halen wij, eventueel met geweld,
die koe bij hem vandaan. Het eerste
vaarskalf van die koe moet de boer
fatsoenlijk opfokken. Heeft het een
goede groeicurve, dan wordt dat vaars-
kalf als het drachtig is naar een andere
boer gestuurd. Je kunt zeggen: het is
een quot;passing of the giftquot;. Via deze me-
thode krijgen wij in de toekomst een
steeds groter aantal koeien. Het is een
aanvulling op de quot;heifer breeding unitquot;.
We kunnen er voor zorgen dat over
10 - 20 jaar een aanzienlijk deel van de
bevolking in de Kagera-regio 1 a 2
melkkoeien kan houden.

We hebben momenteel vijftig voorlich-
ters, die boeren die melkveehouder
willen worden, begeleiden. Ze hebben
allemaal een motorfiets. Om melkvee-
houder te worden moet je voldoen aan
een aantal eisen. Je moet een stalletje
bouwen, dat kan heel goedkoop met
lokale materialen, je moet voedergras
hebben en je moet een week naar een
trainingscentrum toe.
Vervolgens wacht de kandidaat twee
tot vier maanden op zijn koe. De
wachttijd kan soms oplopen tot wel
negen maanden, afhankelijk van de
quot;voorraadquot;. Als de boer z\'n koe krijgt,
is de voorüchter verantwoordelijk voor
het verzamelen van gegevens bij die
boer en voor quot;simple veterinary workquot;.

Langzaamaan verleggen we het accent
naar velddagen en opfriscursussen om
bij de boeren bepaalde kennis weer
naar boven te halen.

Momenteel werken er een stuk of tien
veeartsen op het project. Sommigen
werken volledig administratief en zien
niet zo vaak een koe meer, anderen
werken voor 100% in het veld en doen
zo behoorlijk wat ervaring op.
De oudere generatie is in Kabete, Ke-
nya, getraind, de jongere generatie in
Morogoro, Tanzania. Van de eerste
lichtingen van deze laatste opleiding
viel de kwaUteit in eerste instantie
tegen. De latere lichtingen leverden
hele goede veeartsen.

In gebieden waar de concentratie van
melkvee gering is, stationeren we geen
veearts. Met melkvee bedoel ik kruis-
lingen die half Boran (inlands ras, red.)
en half Fries zijn. In gebieden met veel
melkvee plaatsen we wel een veearts.
De voorlichter heeft daar meer tijd
voor zijn eigenlijke activiteiten.
Beiden werken onder de verantwoor-
ding van de quot;district livestock officerquot;.

Binnenkort vertrekt er een dierenarts
van de vakgroep Bedrijfsdiergeneeskun-
de en Voortplanting van de Faculteit
Diergeneeskunde te Utrecht naar Ka-
gera, voornamelijk om een quot;refresh-
ment coursequot; te geven aan de huidige
dierenartsen. Verder zal hij eventuele
door hem geconstateerde benodigdhe-
den en behoeften met ons bespreken.
Dan moeten we verder van jaar tot jaar
zien in hoeverre er behoefte is aan
verdere vaktechnische begeleiding. De
behoefte aan goede leraren en trainin-
gen is een component die bij ons hoog
in het vaandel staat.

Ik ben zelf geen veearts. Het is voor
mij daarom moeilijk in te schatten
waar bij ons nog bepaalde foutjes zit-
ten. Een normale boer die een koe
heeft van 100.000 shilUng (ƒ 500,-), be-
schouwt dat als het duurste quot;apparaatquot;
dat op zijn bedrijf is. De kapitaalwaar-
de van zijn bedrijf gaat met sprongen
omhoog. Hij heeft maar een koe, zodat
de veterinaire zorg bij deze mensen
nummer een is.

Met het fokprogramma zelf hebben we
niet veel veterinaire problemen. Vibri-
ose bijvoorbeeld komt niet veel voor.
De veterinaire problemen die we heb-
ben liggen vooral op het gebied van de
tick-borne diseases. Vooral East Coast
fever is nog steeds een grote boosdoe-
ner. Alhoewel, de boeren worden ver-
plicht al ons vee op zero-grazing te
houden, waardoor de kans op het uit-
breken van ECF sterk beperkt wordt.
Daarnaast behandelen we met Claxon\'^
en met Butalexquot;^, maar dat is voor een
lokale boer een hele grote uitgave.

Het project zorgt er voor dat alle medi-
cijnen beschikbaar zijn op relatief korte
afstand tot de boeren. Maar we verle-
nen absoluut geen krediet, alles gaat
cash. Ons advies is om lokale spaar-
groepjes te vormen, die hun geld even-
tueel in de kluis kuimen leggen in een
gesloten envelop. Dat geld kan dan
gebruikt worden als een van hun leden
pech heeft. Dit advies is vrij recent,
maar ik weet zeker dat het bij bepaalde
boerengroepen wel zal draaien. Dat
hangt met name af van het leiderschap
in de groep.

De boeren hebben bepaalde rechten,
maar ook bepaalde plichten. De vee-
houderij is zeer winstgevend, dus we
hoeven niet lief te zijn. Wij zijn tegen-
standers van subsidie, de boer betaalt
de echte kosten. Het is wel zo dat de
boeren arm zijn, ze hebben een heel
laag inkomen. Ik schat dat de gemid-
delde boer in Tanzania gemiddeld 300 -
400 gulden verdient per jaar. Onze
melkveehouders, hebben we berekend,
verdienen daar bovenop ongeveer zo\'n
duizend gulden per jaar. Deze duizend
gulden heeft men brood- en broodno-
dig en je ziet dat het meeste geld dat
men voor zuivelprodukten ontvangt
naar zaken gaat die als eerste behoefte
beschouwd worden, zoals schoolgeld en
kleding.

Zero grazing is een absolute voor-
waarde voor een gezonde melkvee-
stapel in de Kagera-regio (foto:
Schukking)

Melkveehouderij is ontzettend arbeids-
intensief en je moet rekenen dat we
momenteel 1850 liter melk per jaar per
koe gemiddeld over het hele project
produceren.

Vim boeren met een ontzettend goed
management worden in ons programma
alle data verzameld en verwerkt in de
computer: tochtigheid, inseminatie-
data, door welke stier is gedekt, af-
stamming van alle beesten, inmiddels
meer dan 15.000, etcetera. De boer is
verplicht maandelijks deze informatie
aan ons te leveren. Als hij deze ver-
plichting niet nakomt, komt hij niet in
aanmerking voor onze service, zoals
veterinaire begeleiding en het kopen
van medicijnen.

Uit deze gegevens blijkt dat de tussen-
kalftijd tot op heden nog veel en veel
te lang is. Daar zijn diverse redenen
voor: Ten eerste de afstand tot de
stier. De meeste boeren hebben maar
een koe. Je kunt niet voor elke boer
een stier hebben. Soms is er ruzie in
het spel, soms zijn er geen goede con-
tacten, soms een te grote afstand van
de ene boer naar de andere. Dit zal in
de toekomst ook blijven. Ten tweede is
bij bepaalde bedrijven de tochtigheids-
waarneming gering. Er komt ten derde
nog bij dat opfokken behoorlijk wat
geld kost. De prijs van koeien is hoog.
Melkgeld heb je gelijk, en een iets
langere tussenkalftijd hoeft heus niet
financieel nadelig te zijn. Het kan zelfs
profijtelijk zijn.

Lokaal vee vergt een totaal ander ma-
nagementsysteem, waarbij je ook diver-
se subsystemen kan onderscheiden.
Nomaden bijvoorbeeld hebben per koe
tijdens een lactatieperiode van 150
dagen gemiddeld 1 liter melk per dag.
In het Bahima (lokaal herdersvolk,
red.) systeem heeft men een nog lagere
produktie en veel langere tussenkalftij-
den.

Nomaden hebben totaal geen interesse
voor zero grazing. Men wil wel koeien
die meer melk geven, maar ze realise-
ren zich dat ze kruisingen met Friese
stieren niet kunnen houden. Dat is
denk ik een van de grootste verant-
woordelijkheden van het project, dat
men niet willekeurig met kruislingen
begint. De meeste boeren zijn zich

terdege bewust dat zo\'n kruislingkalf
een totaal ander dier is en in wezen
zelfs een andere diersoort.

Ook aan het marketing-aspect wordt de
laatste jaren behoorlijk wat aandacht
besteed. De Kagera-regio ligt tussen
vier grote steden in: Kampala, 300 km
bij ons vandaan, KigaU, 450 km bij ons
vandaan en Mwanza Ugt 12 uur varen
bij ons vandaan. De vierde stad is Bu-
jumbura, ongeveer 650 km bij ons van-
daan. Dus, eventuele afzet van melk-
produkten, zoals de kaas die we mo-
menteel maken en gekoelde melk is
mogelijk. Het probleem is dat we moe-
ten zorgen dat onze kostprijs realistisch
is en het produkt goedkoop blijft om
deze markt te kunnen veroveren.

Het centrale bedrijf heeft niets met de
melkdistributie te maken. De huidige
1.500 boeren moeten ieder hun eigen
melk verkopen. Dat kan betekenen dat
een boer klanten bij de deur heeft, het
kan ook betekenen dat hij of zij de
melk zelf moet venten. Dat geeft mo-
menteel problemen, omdat er vooral in
de eerste concentratiegebieden een
overschot aan melk is. Daarom zijn we
met de produktie van kaas begonnen in
heel ambachtelijke units die 200 liter
melk per dag kunnen verwerken. We
hebben nu 2 units draaien en we zitten
op een produktie van 30 - 40 kg kaas
per dag. Op dit moment is daar markt
voor.

Het is een Goudse kaas, alhoewel het
instrumentarium voor 99% uit lokaal
materiaal bestaat. Alleen stremsel en
een paar kleinigheden halen we nog uit
Nederland. De rest, zoals vaten en per-
sen, maken we zelf. Dus wat dat betreft
kunnen we in de toekomst een derde
en vierde unit opzetten.

Al onze activiteiten zijn volledig geba-
seerd op een quot;cost/benefitquot;-analyse en
met bepaalde activiteiten maken we
behoorlijk winst. We schatten dat we
dit jaar ongeveer 40.000.000 shilling
winst maken. Dat moet je door 200
delen, dan kom je op het equivalent in
guldens.

Bepaalde activiteiten gaan eventueel
over naar boerengroepen, als wij den-
ken dat ze betrouwbaar zijn en vol-
doende efficiënt.

Kijk, je kunt dergelijke activiteiten bij
een overheid onderbrengen, of bij een
non-gouvernementele organisatie; voor
ons is de managementkwaliteit v£m een
organisatie doorslaggevend, omdat dit
meestal de grootste bottleneck is.

Ik denk dat wij, alhoewel we een sec-
torprogramma voor DGIS zijn, wel een
programmatische benadering hebben.
Dat houdt in dat je een vrij flexibele
approach hebt, waarbij je langzaam in
een bepaalde richting schuift. Je zegt:
quot;Momenteel liggen de grootste proble-
men hier dus dat pak je opquot;. De quot;heifer
breeding unitquot; is nu financieel volledig
zelfstandig en maakt winst. Wat dat be-
treft heeft Nederland er heel erg weinig
bemoeienis meer mee. Dat bedrijf
draait uitstekend. Er is een goed mana-
gement en financieel zijn ze onafhanke-
lijk. Hun enige probleem is de invoer
van benodigde medicijnen, waarvoor ze
gebruik moeten maken van een import-
supportprogramma, ofwel op regionaal
ofwel op nationaal niveau. Verder ver-
wacht ik dat het quot;farmer\'s training cen-
trequot; volgend jaar break-even staat. De
voorlichtingsdienst zal nog wel tien jaar
Nederlandse fondsen nodig hebben,
maar na die periode is ook deze sector
volledig overdraagbaar. De technische
kwaliteit en motivatie van de Tanzani-
aanse staf zijn goed, ik mag zelfs zeg-
gen zeer goed.

Ook mijn rol kan de komende jaren uit
zijn gespeeld. Ik heb de functie van
coördinator. In theorie stelt Nederland
de projectmanager verantwoordelijk, in
de praktijk is het nog steeds zo dat de
boekhouders, accountants, de Ambassa-
de, etcetera, de Nederlandse man ver-
antwoordelijk houden. Hoe we dat in
de toekomst gaan doen is nog niet
bekend, maar we hebben een steering
committee als overkoepelend orgaan;
er zijn diverse overlegstructuren en ik
denk dat er een voldoende flexible
approach is om dat te kunnen over-
dragen.

Ik denk dat wat betreft de Nederlandse
bemoeienis met de veehouderij in Ka-
gera er nog voldoende werk ligt voor
tien tot twintig jaar. Maar dat zal in
een totaal andere vorm moeten plaats-
vinden, bijvoorbeeld in de bouw van
melkfabrieken, slagerijen, stock routes,
uitbreiding van ons kredietsysteem.
Het Nederlandse ontwikkelingsbeleid
heeft als doelstelling dat men de ar-

Backstopping vanuit Lelystad: het
Proefstation voor de Rundveehoude-
rij, Schapenhouderij en Paardenhou-
derij (foto: De Gooijer)

moede onder lokale boeren wil vermin-
deren. De inkomsten uit de koffieteelt
zijn een hele treurige zaak momenteel.
Diversificatie is een hele goede oplos-

Het Proefstation voor de Rundveehouderij,
Schapenhouderij en Paardenhouderij (PR) in
Lelystad is betrokken bij diverse projecten in
het buitenland. Vooral de projecten in Kenia
(Naivasha), Tanzania (Tanga en Kagera) en
Polen krijgen veel ondersteuning. In Kagera
zijn diverse activiteiten ondergebracht in een
project: KALIDEP. Het betreft de produktie
van kruislingvaarzen op een ranch (met
gebruikmaking van sperma uit Nederland),
training en begeleiding van de kleine boeren
die deze vaarzen krijgen en het opzetten van
veehouderijvoorlichtingscentra van waaruit
zowel de veterinaire zorg als de voorlichting
aan de bedrijven plaatsvindt. Vooral de
materiaalvoorziening vroeg op het PR de
nodige tijd en aandacht. Zo is ten behoeve
van KALIDEP in 1991 voor ruim 1 miljoen

sing en in principe kan een kwart tot
een derde van een huishouding vrij
gemakkelijk op de veehouderijbedrijfs-
tak overgaan. Daar ligt behoorlijk wat

gulden aan materiaal aangeschaft. 80% van
dit bedrag werd gespendeerd aan medicijnen
en vaccins. Ook begeleidt het PR medewer-
kers van de projecten die voor een cursus
naar Nederland komen. In 1992 is het ver-
melden waard de aanschaf van een aantal
gebruikte koeltanks die bestemd zijn voor
het vervoer van de in Kagera te veel gepro-
duceerde melk naar Mwanza, 8 tot 9 uur
varen naar de andere kant van het Victoria-

(Bron: Jaarverslagen Praktijkonderzoek 1991
en 1992 van het Proefstation voor de Rund-
veehouderij, Schapenhouderij en Paarden-
houderij, de Waiboerhoeve en de Regionale
Onderzoek Centra)

financieel voordeel. Maar de proble-
men en investeringsbehoeften zijn over
vijf jaar totaal verschillend van nu. Dus,
de mogelijkheid tot investeren blijft en
ik vind dat we ook een zekere verplich-
ting hebben. Technisch en organisato-
risch is het mogelijk om van dat gebied
een tweede Friesland en een tweede
Texas te maken. Het potentieel ligt
daar.

Het DGIS heeft ons vanaf het begin
altijd positief beoordeeld en heeft ons
de kans gegeven door te werken. Het is
wel zo dat je op tijd je strategie moet
aanpassen, en je moet flexibel zijn. Je
krijgt namelijk niet altijd de wind van
achter. Het is vaak zo in de samen-
werking met ambtenaren, zowel in
Tanzania als in Den Haag, dat je de
wind van voren hebt. Maar we hebben
altijd op tijd de juiste beslissingen er
door kunnen krijgen en er wordt naar
je geluisterd. Wat dat betreft verdient
het DGIS een pluim.

Na vier jaar met onze neus in de dicta-
ten en boeken en het volgen van bio-
chemiepractica leek een stage in de
tropen ons een gepaste afwisseling in
ons studentenbestaan. Na een intensie-
ve speurtocht naar een geschikte sta-
geplaats kwamen we uiteindelijk terecht
bij drs. J.J. van Amerongen, medewer-
ker bij de vakgroep Bedrijfsdiergenees-
kunde en Voortplanting van de Facul-
teit Diergeneeskunde. Hij bracht ons in
contact met Marisa Ortiz, een Colom-
biaanse dierenarts. Zij had voor ons
een stageplaats in Colombia.
Na de nodige voorbereidingen en een
financiële ondersteuning door het Bu-
reau Internationale Contacten van de
Faculteit, vertrokken wij op 15 februari
1992 vol verwachting naar Santafé de
Bogota D.C., de stad die voor een half
jaar onze woonplaats zou worden.

Een enkele keer gaan studenten op stage in de tropen zonder de tropencursus in
de tweede fase van het veterinair curriculum gevolgd te hebben. Door studieduur-
verkorting en inperkingen op het gebied van de studiefinanciering (zoals de 27-jaar
maatregel die momenteel in voorbereiding is) verwachten studenten aan het eind
van hun studie geen inschrijftijd meer over te houden, die ze zouden kunnen
gebruiken voor een stage als voorbereiding op een werkkring in de tropen.
Sommigen proberen daarom aan het eind van de eerste fase van hun studie, vlak
voor het doctoraal examen op stage te gaan. Veel stageplaatsen zijn echter
ongeschikt voor studenten zonder praktische ervaring die geen tropencursus
gevolgd hebben. Ook Robert ter Horst en Enne Kwant, twee vierdejaarsstudenten,
vatten het plan op een scriptie te schrijven op basis van een stage-onderzoek in de
tropen. Het bleek niet mee te vallen, maar uiteindelijk vonden zij een stage-
begeleider en een stageplaats in Bogota, de hoofdstad van Colombia. Hieronder
volgt het verslag van hun ervaringen.

Colombia is in grootte het vierde land
van Latijns-Amerika. Het is gesitueerd
in het noord-westen van Zuid-Amerika
en heeft als buurlanden: Ecuador, Pe-
ru, Brazilië, Venezuela en Panama. Er
wonen ongeveer 35 miljoen mensen
(alleen al in Bogota meer dan 7 mil-
joen). Het land wordt in vieren gedeeld
door drie uitlopers van het Andes-ge-
bergte. Koffie is het belangrijkste (lega-
le) exportprodukt. Colombia heeft een
gewelddadige historie en ook nu nog
zorgen guerilla, criminaliteit en narco-
terrorisme voor de nodige problemen.

Aeropuerto El Dorado ligt op een
hoogte van 2700 m, zodat wij happend
naar lucht van de hypoxie uit het vlieg-
tuig stapten. Wij waren gewapend met
wollen truien en handschoenen en onze
koffers zaten vol met laboratorium-

materialen. Onder begeleiding van
jeugdige Colombiaautjes in korte broek
en T-shirt gingen wij naar onze verblijf-
plaats, een appartement in de metro-
pool Bogota.

Wij hebben een half jaar gewoond in
deze drukke, fascinerende maar ook
gevaarlijke stad. Het centrum verdeelt
de stad in twee zeer verschillende de-
len; het rijke noorden met dure appar-
tementen en luxe winkelcentra waar
alles verkrijgbaar is en het zuidelijke
deel van Bogota waar absolute armoe-
de heerst met alle daarmee gepaard
gaande excessen.

Volgens onze bronnen hadden wij
midden in het regenseizoen aan moe-
ten komen, maar helaas heeft het gedu-
rende ons verblijf van een half jaar
nauwelijks geregend. De droogte was
desastreus voor het gehele land. Omdat
de gehele energievoorziening afhanke-
lijk is van waterkrachtcentrales bete-
kende het watertekort een enorme
beperking van de capaciteit van deze
centrales. De regering greep in door
het instellen van de quot;racionamientoquot;.
Dit hield in dat wij het elke dag tussen
16.00 en 21.00 uur in ons appartement
zonder elektriciteit moesten stellen,
behalve als het Colombiaanse voetbal-
elftal op TV kwam.

Typisch voor Bogota is dat er direct
een handel ontstond in alles dat licht
gaf of elektriciteit opwekte. In de taxi
voor het stophcht werd je aan alle
kanten bestormd door quot;vendadoresquot; die
je kaarsen, generatoren en kooktoestel-
letjes probeerden te verkopen.

Met Colombiaanse dierenartsen be-
zochten we rundveebedrijven in de
Sabana de Bogota, de hoogvlakte rond-
om de hoofdstad van Colombia. De
bedrijven waren onderling zeer ver-
schillend, bijvoorbeeld voor wat betreft
het melken. Op het ene bedrijf kwam
een dozijn vrouwen melken en op een
ander bedrijf werd er gemolken in een
zeer moderne doorloopmelkstal.
De bedrijfsvoering verschilde ook sterk
van de Nederlandse situatie. Veelal is
de eigenaar een groot-industrieel uit
Bogota die de leiding van het bedrijf in
handen van een quot;mayor domoquot; geeft.
Meestal is deze persoon veearts, zoot-
echnicus of een hoofdarbeider.
De veehouderij in Colombia is sterk
gebonden aan de hoogte. In de hogere,
koudere streken wordt voornamelijk de
intensieve melkveehouderij bedreven
(Holstein-Friesian), in de warme laag-
landen is de rundveehouderij volledig
op vleesproduktie (Zebu) gericht en
zeer extensief.

Colombia is een agrarisch land, ook
akkerbouw treft men veelvuldig aan.
Op de hoogvlakte zie je aardappelteelt
en enorme bloemenkassen. Vooral
deze laatsten geven een enorme versto-
ring van de waterhuishouding (in de
Sabana wordt het water van ruim 800
meter diepte opgepompt). In de mid-
delhoge gebieden tref je koffie- en
bananenplantages aan, terwijl in de
lagere regionen suikerriet een belang-
rijk landbouwprodukt is.

We hadden een trage start, zo konden
we pas na anderhalve maand begirmen
met het nemen van bloedmonsters. Het
quot;tapwerkquot; was fantastisch om te doen.
Niet alleen vanwege het contact met de
vele quot;trabajadoresquot; -de hele quot;fmcaquot; liep
uit om quot;los Holandesesquot; te zien- maar
ook omdat tijdens de ritten het land-
schap telkens weer verbazingwekkend
gevarieerd was. Wij verzamelden voor-
namelijk bloedmonsters op de grotere
melkveebedrijven.

Na het veldwerk volgde het laboratori-
umwerk, dat achteraf gezien zeer inte-
ressant was. Via VECOL, een Colom-
biaanse vaccinproducent, en de quot;Uni-
versidad Nacionalquot; kwamen wij terecht
bij het I.CA. (Instituto Colombiano
Agropecuario), waar we fantastisch zijn
geholpen. Per test wilden wij 500 sera
in anderhalve week tijd onderzoeken.
De Colombianen vonden dat astrono-
mische hoeveelheden. Eerst vlogen
kreten als: quot;imposible, estupido, carajo,
holandeses!quot; om onze oren maar na
verloop van tijd verstomde dit commen-
taar. Na ongeveer twee maanden waren
alle sera getest op antilichamen tegen
het parainfluenza-3 virus (PI-3), en de
virussen die bovine virale diarree
(BVD), infectieuze bovine rhinotrache-

Voor het aantonen van de antilichamen
tegen het PI-3 virus werd de haem ag-
glutinatieinhibitie-test gebruikt en voor
het aantonen van antilichamen tegen
zowel het IBR-virus als het BVD-virus
ELISA-tests.

Als we onze resultaten vergelijken met
het meest recente Colombiaanse onder-
zoek (1983) valt vooral de enorme stij-
ging van dieren met positieve antistofti-
ters tegen PI-3 op. Jonge dieren heb-
ben vaak geen antistoffen vanwege een
gescheiden opfok, maar rond de leeftijd
dat contact optrad met oudere dieren
werd vaak een titerstijging geconsta-
teerd .

Onze resultaten betreffende IBR en
BVD komen redelijk overeen met het
bovenvermelde onderzoek. Opvallend
was dat veel dieren met positieve IBR-
titers te vinden waren op twee bedrij-
ven met een onderling nauwe band.
Voor de Colombianen waren de door
ons meegenomen ELISA-kits een uit-
komst. Zij hadden namelijk grote pro-
blemen om hun celcultures vrij van

500 sera testen in anderhalve week
was volgens de Colombianen gekken-
werk (foto: Kwant/Ter Horst)

besmetting te krijgen. Deze celcultures
werden gebruikt in seroneutralisatie-
tests om de antilichamen tegen IBR en
BVD aan te tonen.

Ter controle van de hal^aarlijkse vacci-
natie tegen MKZ voerden wij een se-
roneutralisatietest tegen de typen A en
O uit. Alle 38 bedrijven waar wij mon-
sters hebben genomen, hadden gevacci-
neerd. Uit onze resultaten bleek dat
praktisch alle onderzochte runderen
antistoffen hadden. Alleen sommige
kalveren waren onvoldoende be-
schermd, waarschijnlijk omdat zij nog
geen vaccinatie of booster hadden
gehad. Volgens ons is er geen reden tot
zorg voor wat betreft MKZ-uitbraken
in de Sabana de Bogota. Dit in tegen-
stelling tot andere minder goed te
controleren regio\'s in Colombia (bij-
voorbeeld Los Llanos) waar nog regel-
matig uitbraken plaatsvinden.

bia geweest. Het vervoer ging groten-
deels per bus en taxi en was, afhanke-
lijk van de chauffeur, soms een heel
avontuur. We zijn onder andere naar
het Caribische gebied geweest waar de
quot;bountyquot;-stranden, indianendorpen en
het oerwoud een grote indruk maakten.
Al met al was onze stage een fantasti-
sche ervaring en zeer zeker de moeite
waard.

ILRAD was established in 1973 in Nairobi, Ke-
nya as one of the research Centres of the Con-
sultative Group on International Agricultural
Research (CGIAR), a consortium of donor
agencies which now supports 18 centres world-
wide. ILRAD has a global mandate to work on
the improved control of livestock diseases which
seriously limit world food production and are
impediments to sustainable agriculture. It applies
the best of modem science in pursuit of this
goal. ILRAD is a leader in the field of molecular
parasitology and its application in vaccine deve-
lopment and has a substantial interest in the
genetic basis of resistance to diseases. Presently,
its research programme is focused on trypano-
somiasis and serious tick borne hemoprotozoan
diseases such as theileriosis. ILRAD envisages
an expanding range of interests to improve the
productivity of livestock in developing nations.
ILRAD occupies a modem complex of research
laboratories and supporting units at Kabete, on
the outskirts of Nairobi. The Laboratory current-
ly employs approximately 60 scientists and 350
support staff. It is governed by an international
Board of Trustees consisting of 12 members.

In deze rubriek worden vacatures opgenomen die door de redactie als mogelijk interessant voor
Nederlandse dierenartsen worden aangemerkt. Naast vacatures die zullen worden overgenomen uit:
Vacatureblad Internationale Samenwerking, Tijdschrift voor Diergeneeskunde, Veterinary Record,
Intro vacatures (RPD Advies / Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken) etc., zal er plaats zijn voor per-
soneelsadvertenties. Voor nadere inlichtingen omtrent de geboden functies dient men zich direct tot
de instelling of onderneming te wenden.

Applicants are expected to have demonstrated
capacity for dynamic leadership, innovative re-
search, strategic planning, effective administra-
tion, and a comprehensive understanding of ani-
mal diseases and their control especially those
pertinent to ILRAD\'s interests. International
experience in a developing country is highly
desirable. The position requires the ability to
interact with international donor agencies, nati-
onal governments, commercial organizations, and
other laboratories in the CGIAR system. Candi-
dates must be familiar with infectious diseases,
biotechnology, immunology, molecular biology,
genetics, epidemiology, the role of livestock in
sustainable farming systems, and methods of
technology transfer.

The position becomes available in April of 1994
upon the retirement of the incumbent Director

General and will be for an initial five-year term
that is renewable. Salary and other emoluments
will be negotiated and will be consistent with
similar positions in the CGIAR system.

Deadline for receipt of applications is February
28, 1993. Applicants should make arrangements
for three letters of reference to be sent to the
Chair of the Board. For further information con-
tact: Dr. N. Ole Nielsen, Chair, Board of Trus-
tees, ILRAD, c/o Ontario Veterinary College,
University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
NIG 2W1. (Tel. 1.519.823.8800, ext. 4417. tele-
fax: 1.519.837.3230).

Swiss Organization for Development and Co-
operation specialized in the implementation of
development projects in rural areas, is looking
for a

for the promotion of animal husbandry and dairy
development in one of the bilateral projects in
India.

He will act as Chief Project Adviser to the Indi-
an Project Officer and as teamleader to the
expatriate staff. Together with his counterparts
he will be actively involved in planning, imple-
menting and monitoring of the project policy
and its activities.

The Indo-Swiss Project Andhra Pradesh (ISPA)
has been operational since 1976 and is imple-
mented by the Department of Animal Hus-
bandry, Andhra Pradesh, in combination with
the Andhra Pradesh Dairy Development Co-
operative Federation and other governmental
and non-governmental bodies. ISPA\'s main goal
is the promotion of cattle breeding, fodder pro-
duction and dairy development emphasizing at
state level to the breeding programme and fod-
der development and in selected clusters to the
promotion of animal husbandry practices
through intensive training and extension.

-nbsp;An academic degree in agriculture or in a
related discipline with good knowledge in
animal husbandry and dairy production;

Beginning July 1, 1993 or by appointment 2 years
contract with possibility to extend.

Please send applications to Interco-operation,
attn. Felix Bachmann and Eveline Messer, Maul-
beerstr. 10; P.O. Box 6724, CH-3001 Bern, Swit-
zerland.

Zodiac Symposium 1993: quot;The biological
basis of sustainable animal productionquot;.
Georganiseerd ter gelegenheid van het 75-
jarig bestaan van de Landbouwuniversiteit
Wageningen. De conferentie heeft tot doel:
quot;presenting new and contrasting, if not con-
troversial view-points on various aspects of
sustainable anima! production in (eco)sys-
tems in western and tropical countriesquot;.
Plaats: Internationaal Agrarisch Centrum.
Registratie kosten: Dfl. 400. Informatie: Sec-
torbureau Dierlijke Produktie, Gabriel L.
van Winkel, Postbus 338, 6700 AH Wage-
ningen (Tel.: 31.8370.83911, telefax: 31-
.8370.83962).

Updating programme for senior tropical
veterinarians: Recent advances plus. Georga-
niseerd door: Centre for Tropical Veterinary
Medicine, University of Edinburgh. Pro-
gramma: Specialist training-modules of a
duration of 2 days to 2 weeks. Modules are
concerned with aspects of: Livestock data-
handling and analysis (21 maart - 2 april).
An introduction to project management and
evaluation (28 maart - 2 april), Livestock ex-
tension methods (18-30 april), Current tech-
niques in the laboratory diagnosis of infecti-
ous diseases in ruminants. Informatie en
registratie: Hamish Macandrew, UnivEd
Technologies Ltd., 16 Buccleuch Place, Edin-
burgh EH8 9LN, Scotland, UK. Tel.: 44.31-
.6503476/5, telefax: 44.31.6624061, telex:
727442 unived g.

Updating courses on: Recent advances and
current concepts in tropical veterinary medi-
cine. And: Recent advances and current con-
cepts in sustainable tropical animal producti-
on. Georganiseerd door: Centre for Tropical
Veterinary Medicine, University of Edin-
burgh. Informatie en registratie: Hamish
Macandrew, UnivEd Technologies Ltd., 16
Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9LN, Scot-
land, UK. Tel.: 44.31.6503476/5, telefax:
44.31.6624061, telex: 727442 univedg.

14^ International Conference of the Worid
Association for the Advancement of Veteri-
nary Parasitology. Thema: quot;Understanding
and control of parasitic diseases of animalsquot;.
Sub-thema\'s: Parasite control in (1) sustaina-
ble production systems, (2) intensive versus
non-intensive systems for ruminants and
non-ruminants, (3) nomadic situations and
(4) transhumance situations; Genetic resis-
tance to parasitic diseases; Vaccine develop-
ment; Vector biology and control; Chemo-
therapy and delivery systems for blood pro-
tozoa and helminths; Anthelmintic resistan-
ce; Teaching veterinary parasitology. Infor-
matie: Prof. Lord Soulsby, Dep. Clinical Ve-
terinary Medicine, Madingley Road, Cam-
bridge CB3 OES (Telefax.: 44.223.337610).

15 augustus - 19 november 1993.
21®quot; International Course on Dairy Farming
in Rural Development. Cursus programma:
dairy development, farming systems, statis-
tics, economics and agricultural credit, bree-
ding, pasture production, nutrition and fee-
ding, animal health, reproduction and AI,
extension and case studies. Cursus kosten:
Dfl. 4,000. Sluitingsdatum: 1 mei, 1993. In-
formatie en registratie: Directeur, Internatio-
naal Agrarisch Centrum (lAC), P.O. Box 88,
6700 AB Wageningen. (Tel.: 31.8370.90111,
telefax: 31.8370.18552, telex: 45888 intas
nl).

4®\' Symposium on quot;Tropical Animal Health
and Production: quot;Recent developments in
veterinary epidemiologyquot;. Georganiseerd
door het quot;Committee for the Advancement
of Tropical veterinary Sciencequot; (CATS) en
het Bureau Internationale Contacten van de
Faculteit Diergeneeskunde. Programma: zie
eerstvolgende nummer van EQUATOR.
Plaats: Faculteit Diergeneeskunde, Yalelaan
1, De Uithof, Utrecht. Informatie en regis-
tratie: Bureau Internationale Contacten,
Postbus 80.163, 3508 TD Utrecht (Tel.: 31-
.30.532116, telefax: 31.30.531815).

11*^ International Symposium of World Asso-
ciation of Veterinary Food Hygienists
(WAVFH). Georganiseerd door: The Thai
Veterinary Medical Association under the
Royal Patronage (TVMA). Informatie en
registratie: The Symposium Secretariat, Dr.
Songkram Luangtongkum, 11\'^ WAVFH
Symposium, TVMA, 69/26 Soi Äthane Thea-
tre, Phyathai Road, Bangkok 10400 (Tel.:
66.2.252.8773/7066, telefax: 66.2.255.-
3910).

13quot;quot; International Pig Veterinary Society
(IPVS) Congress. Georganiseerd door: Fa-
culty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkom
University. Informatie en registratie: Dr.
Annop Kunavongkrit, Secretary of the 13*
IPVS Congress, Faculty of Veterinary Scien-
ce, Chulalongkom University, Bangkok
10330 (Tel.: 66.22520738, telefax 66.-
2.2553910).

HOUATÜR is a ix\'i iodical of
the Oltkc lor Inlcrnational
C^oopcralion of the Faculty of
Vclorinary Mcdicinc of Utrccht
Ifnivcrsity.

Editorial board
.I.H.A. dc Cilooijcr
(hid. prodiiclion)
M.F.M. Langclaar MVM
R.W. Palitig DVM PhD
(cdilor-in-chiclquot;)

Faculty of Veterinary Medicinc
Office for Inlcrnational
Cooperation
P.O. Box 80.163

EOUATOR is published bi-
monthly.: The March, .luly and
November issues of EOUATOR
are published in Evnglish.

For all information, cigt;py and
subscriptions please contacl the
editor. For changes in address
and termination of subscription
please return the corrected label
to the editorial olfice.

This is the first issue in the English
language of volume 5: the first lustrum
of EOUATOR! The editorial board
decided this milestone to be a good
occasion to introduce a renewed lay-
out. The new logo stresses the equator
as a symbol for the line where North
and South meet.

Also, there has been a change in the
composition of the editorial board.
From volume 5 onwards, the founda-
tion DIO does not co-edit EQUATOR
any longer. Unfortunately, the founda-
tion, run by volunteers, is not able to
provide the necessary manpower and
funds to co-produce a newsletter.
However, EQUATOR will remain a
medium for information on DIO\'s
activities.

In the discussion on how veterinary
science can contribute to the ever
growing need for protein in the world,
taking into consideration the necessity
of a sustainable development, the focus
comes more and more on the possibili-
ties modern biotechnology offers.
In this issue of EQUATOR, Robert
PaUng draws attention to the insight
that indigenous breeds of cattle often
show a level of resistance to indigenous
plagues, like tsetse-transmitted trypano-
somiasis in Africa. Trypanosomiasis,
possibly the major constraint on lives-
tock and agriculture development in
Subsaharan Africa, is estimated to cost
over 50 biUion dollars annually. Re-
searchers have made huge efforts to
unravel the mystery of trypanotoleran-
ce. The contributions genetic resistance
can make to present and future resour-
ce utilisation, are presumably the most
realistic, economically and environmen-
tally sound approach for control of
parasitic diseases of cattle, sheep and
goats.

Another aspect of development coope-
ration is the question whether research
efforts are really concerned with pro-
blems that are relevant to local far-
mers. Merel Langelaar reports her
experiences in Benin, where she did a
traineeship on the subject of abortions
in dwarf goats. She learned a lot about
working in a project and about the
advantages and difficulties of working
in the tropics. In her opinion, the local
population often cannot afford the
required input of money, work and
time. Also, a change in mentality may
be required before the introduction of
a new method will be generally accep-
ted. She wonders whether it is always
worth the effort, because it might not
be the farmers\' priority after all.

In EQUATORS\' regular columns DIO
reports on the successful fund raising
for a dairy project in Lovedale, India,
and the Office for International Coop-
eration announces the fourth sympo-
sium on Tropical Animal Health and
Production. This year\'s theme is quot;Re-
cent developments in veterinary epide-
miologyquot;. Activities of interest to our
readers may be found in the Calendar,
as usual.

Please keep in mind that EQUATOR
can be used as a forum for discussion
on relevant topics in the frame of live-
stock development cooperation. Send
your contributions to the editors\' office.

The principal disease determinants,
which directly or indirectly influence
the frequency of occurrence and distri-
bution of diseases are (1) specific dis-
ease agents and their properties, (2)
host characteristics and (3) environ-
mental factors. These determinants,
together with some of their interrela-
tionships, like mode of transmission
(for example by insect vectors), deter-
mine the pattern of diseases in animal
populations. Host characterisdcs are
for instance species, breed, age and
immunological state. Natural resistance
to disease, also called innate or genetic
resistance, is believed to evolve through
the survival of more resistant indivi-
duals during long exposure of the spe-

Genetic resistance to ECF
forms, under traditional
husbandry conditions, the
basis for sustainable live-
stock production (Photo:
Baertsoen *)

Diseases impair animal productivity in most parts of Africa. For example, tsetse
transmitted trypanosomiasis, which is possibly the major constraint on live-
stock and agriculture development in Subsaharan Africa, is estimated to cost
over 50 billion dollars annually. Control of this disease has been based on
vector control and the use of trypanocidal drugs to treat and prevent infection
in animals. Both control methods are effective but have proven to be unsustai-
nable due to the high cost of implementation, lack of trained manpower,
environmental considerations, and increased incidence of parasite resistance to
the drugs available. Moreover, the development of a vaccine against trypano-
somiasis is unlikely to be successful in the near future. On the other hand, it
has been shown that trypanotolerant cattle, like the N\'Dama, can survive and
produce in tsetse affected areas without interventions for control.
Many indigenous breeds have special adaptive traits, including disease resis-
tance, climatic tolerance, ability to use poor quality feed and to survive with
irregular supplies of feed and water. Their contribution to present and future
resource utilisation may be highly significant to sustainable development and
may be the most realistic, economic and environmentally sound approach for
control of parasitic diseases of cattle, sheep and goats until far into the 21®\'
century.

Biotechnology has created new ways to exploit these unique qualities of
indigenous livestock. The identification of the proper genetic markers for
resistance to specific livestock diseases will ultimately shorten the selection
process; this is necessary to provide the small scale farmer with productive
and disease tolerant livestock.

des or breed to the parasite. This ge-
netic adaptation of the breed to the
parasite forms the basis for an enzootic
equilibrium between the parasite and
the host population. Different genetic
stocks vary in their response to various
disease agents. Once resistance to dis-
eases is recognized it should be utiU-
sed. However, one must not forget to
consider other important aspects before
steps are taken to introduce disease
resistant stock, like productivity and
numbers of stock available, the prevai-
ling farming system and the expected
farmers\' acceptance, as well as other
available control methods and pro-
grammes for the control or eradication
of the disease.

In Africa the highest level of disease
resistance is present in wild animals.
These animals are indigenous to the
continent for up to 2 miUion years.
Resistance to the pathological effects of
disease are well documented for East
Coast fever (ECF) in the African buf-
falo and eland, trypanosomiasis in
buffalo and waterbuck, and foot-and-
mouth disease (FMD) in a variety of
species, with much attention given to
the buffalo. However, the mechanisms
by which these species succeed in resis-
ting the pathological effects are in most
cases not well known. Exploitation of
the high level of resistance to the major
livestock diseases in wild animals is still
limited. Game farming and ranching in
areas endemic for ECF, FMD or trypa-
nosomiasis is only appUed on a modest
scale in countries like Zimbabwe, Ke-
nya and South Africa.

Between the 13th and
1 6th century, Nilotic
tribes, like the Bahima,
introduced Sanga-type
cattle from Ethiopia into
the area west of Lake
Victoria (Photo:
Baertsoen *)

Longhorn of taurine origin, were intro-
duced in North Africa. These cattle
spread west-ward along the north and
west coast of Africa (descended breed
the N\'Dama) and south-ward up the
Nile valley to what to-day are Ethiopia
and Kenya. Here, the longhorn cattle
are now extinct. The N\'Dama are well
known for their resistance to trypano-
somiasis, which is called trypanotole-
rance. The potential of trypanotoleran-
ce to become an important method for
increased production in tsetse areas in
West and Central Africa, is now well
recognized.

Research on trypanotolerance is sup-
ported by international organizations as
the Consultative Group on Internatio-
nal Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
and the Food and Agriculture Organi-
zation of the United Nations (FAO).
Studies are conducted on a relatively
large scale under field and experimen-
tal conditions by national and internati-
onal organizations like the Internatio-
nal Laboratory for Research on Animal
Diseases (ILRAD), the International
Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA)
and the International Trypanotolerance
Centre (ITC). For example, scientists
at ILRAD in Nairobi studied the cha-
racteristics of and the mechanisms in-
volved in trypanotolerance. Moreover,
studies have been initiated to map
parts of the bovine genome and to

The first zebu cattle arrived in Africa
between 2,000 and 1,800 B.C. Subse-
quently Sanga-type breeds have resul-
ted from a mixture of Zebu and Hami-
tic Longhorn. Sanga-type animals mo-
ved in the period between the ISquot;\' and
16quot;\' century from the Ethiopiam high-
lands southwards to the area west of
Lake Victoria. Here, the Ankole (San-
ga: B. indicus/B. taurus) breed is now
recognized as a relatively stable type of
cattle. A total of at least 750,000 An-
kole is present in an area covering
Rwanda, Burundi and parts of Uganda,
Zaire and Tanzania. ECF was first
reported in Rwanda in 1919. Later, in
1925, the epidemiology was described
and the transmission studied. Rhipi-
cephalus appendiculatus, the tick vector,
is present in nearly the whole of the
country and ECF is endemic.
Reports from the late nineteenseventies
state that certain types of Zebu cattle
in Kenya showed a partial tolerance to
Theileria parva infections, which proba-
bly had a genetic basis. Moreover, it
was suggested that cattle from ECF
endemic areas may represent a useful
genetic pool from which productive and
Theileria tolerant cattle could be deve-
loped.

Approximately 130 dipping tanks and
100 spray platforms have been installed
for the appUcation of acaracides to
control the vector of T. parva. How-
ever, only between 10 and 15% of the
cattle population is regularly dipped or
sprayed. Traditionally, Ankole calves
remain on small pastures around the
houses up to the age of 1 year. Tick
infestation on these young animals is
very low and no tick control is applied.
At an age of approximately 1 year
calves will start to follow the adult
animals to the communal grazing areas
and an increasing number of ticks can
be observed. Occasionally, tick control
may be applied once the owner obser-
ves a disturbing number of ticks on the
animals.

A study was conducted in an ECF
endemic area of Rwanda, whereby 57
calves kept under traditional manage-
ment conditions were observed for
periods up to 16 months. During the
period of observation the animals were
sampled at monthly intervals. Only four
calves died (7%) of which one of ECF
(2%). Over 85% of the calves of under
1 month of age had (maternal) antibo-
dy to T. parva. At the age of 7 months
the percentage positive animals had
dropped to 17%. At 1 year of age
about half the number of animals had
antibody and from then on to the age
of 19 months this percentage rose
sharply to 100%. The exposure of cal-
ves to a gradually increasing number of
ticks and the resulting ECF challenge,
provided a re-enforcement of the gene-
tic tolerance with acquired immunity to

N\'Dama cattle imported
from Senegal thrive in the
humid forest zone of
Gabon (Photo: Paling)

local T. parva stocks. It could be con-
cluded that this husbandry system pro-
vided the animals with a solid basis for
a life-long protection against the dis-
ease.

Studies were conducted in Rwanda to
determine whether genetically distinct
breed groups of Ankole and Ankole x
exotic cattle reacted differently to chal-
lenge with local stocks of T. parva.
Local Ankole cattle originating from
ECF endemic areas of Rwanda was
used for a study. Susceptible experi-
mental animals were derived from
farms with no recent history of thelle-
riosis. The study was carried out in a
series of experiments for which a total
of 105 cattle was used. Seventy-two
belonged to the Ankole breed and 33
were crossbred Ankole x Jersey or
Ankole x Sahiwal. Theileria parva
stocks, isolated in Rwanda were used
to infect the cattle. The analysis of the
observations provided the following
results. Disease, followed by sponta-
neous recovery, was observed in 49 of
the 72 Ankole cattle (68%) after infec-
tion with T. parva-, the other 23 animals
(32%) died of ECF. In contrast 21 of
33 infected crossbred cattle (64%) died
of ECF. Immunization of Ankole could
be realized by infecting the animals
with defined low doses of T. parva

Ankole cattle, a Sanga-
type breed, originate from
a mixture of Zebu and Ha-
mitic Longhorn cattle
(Photo: Baertsoen •)

Eland at Galana Ranch in
Kenya. Exploitation of
resistance to diseases in
wild animals is still limited
(Photo: Paling)

sporozoites of local stocks without the
need for accompanying treatment. It
was concluded that the partial Theileria
tolerance of the Ankole is genetic.

From these studies in Rwanda it can be
concluded that the exposure of the
Ankole cattle to ECF during 4-7 centu-
ries has resulted in a selection of ani-
mals with a certain level of natural
resistance, which forms the basis for an
enzootic equilibrium. This genetic resis-
tance to ECF is exploited through
traditional livestock practices in a way
that calf mortality due to ECF is below
5% and tick control by acaracide treat-
ment of cattle is usually unnecessary.
As such, genetic resistance is under
these traditional conditions the basis
for ECF control and a sustainable
livestock production system. Of course
the lasting presence of the enzootic
equilibrium is a prerequisite for the
success of this production system; one
cannot and should not endeavour to
eradicate the disease. However, the
introduction of susceptible adult up-
graded pure and crossbred Ankole
cattle, that has raised under tick-free
conditions on breeding stations, into
ECF endemic areas requires a certain
form of ECF control. Immunization of
Ankole can be realized by infecting the
animals with defined low doses of T.
parva sporozoites; crossbred animals
require drug treatment following the
infection.

One may assume that the process of
selection towards genetic resistance has
also taken place in other breeds or
breed groups of cattle towards other
endemic diseases. Reports of resistance
of cattle, goats or sheep to anaplas-
mosis, babesiosis, heartwater, hehnin-
thiasis and streptothricosis can be
found in the literature. Especially inves-
tigation of the immune responses follo-
wing infection can provide indications
of the mechanism of resistance. Studies
should be initiated to identify genetic
markers to clarify the relationship be-
tween genetic variation at the molecu-
lar level and phenotypic variation in
disease resistance. It is envisaged that
in the next decade genetic improve-
ment can be achieved by applying mar-
ker assisted selection and transfer of
quot;disease tolerance genesquot; to other, often
more productive, breeds. Large projects
have been designed to study and exploit
the trypanotolerance of N\'Dama cattle.
Time has come to pay attention to
genetic resistance to other diseases and
of other cattle breeds and livestock spe-
cies. This approach may well offer an
important contribution to sustainable
disease control and livestock production
until far into the 21quot; century.

* Source: Au Rwanda. La
vie quotidienne au pays
du Nil Rouge. Omer Mar-
chai, Editions Didier Ha-
tier, 1987, Bruxelles

Anonymous (1991). Proceedings of an inter-
national conference on wildlife research
for sustainable development, 22-26 April,
1990, Nairobi, Kenya. Pride and Co., Nai-
robi.

Axford, R.F.E. and Owen J.B. (Eds). (1991).
Breeding for disease resistance in farm
animals. C.A.B. International, Welling-
ford.

FAO. (1992). Proceedings of the FAO expert
consultation on the genetic aspects of
trypanotolerance, 3-4 September, 1991,
Rome, Italy. FAO Animal Production
and Health Paper 94, FAO, Rome.

Grootenhuis, J.G. (1979). Theileriosis of wild
Bovidae in Kenya with special reference
to the eland. PhD thesis, Utrecht Univer-
sity, Utrecht.

and Zwart, D. (1992). Towards a sustai-
nable livestock production in developing
countries and the importance of animal
health strategy therein. Veterinary Quar-
terly 14: 66-75,

Murray, M,, Morrison, W.I. and Whitelaw,
D.D. (1982). Host susceptibility to Afri-
can trypanosomiasis: trypanotolerance.
Advances in Parasitology 21: 1-68.

Murray, M., Trail, J.C.M, d\'leteren, G.D.M.
(1990). Trypanotolerance in cattle and
prospects for the control of trypanoso-
miasis by selective breeding. Revue scien-
tifique et technique d\'Office international
des Epizooties 9: 369-386.

Murray, M., Trail, J.C.M. and Grootenhuis,
J.G. (1984). Trypanotolerant livestock:
Potential and future exploitation. Out-
look on Agriculture 13: 43-51.

Olubayo, R.O, (1991). Expression of trypa-
notolerance by wild bovidae with special
reference to the buffalo {Syncerus caffer^.
PhD thesis, Utrecht University, Utrecht.

Paling, R.W. (1990). A contribution to the
understanding of the epidemiology and
control of livestock diseases in Africa.
PhD thesis, Utrecht University, Utrecht.

Paling, R.W., Mpangala, C., Luttikhuizen, B.
and Sibomana, G. (1991). Exposure of
Ankole and cross-bred cattle to theilerio-
sis in Rwanda. Tropical Animal Health
and Production 23: 203-214.

Teale A.J. (Ed.) (1991). Bovine genome
mapping and trypanotolerance. Procee-
dings of a workshop held at ILRAD, 9-11
April, 1991, Nairobi, Kenya. ILRAD, Nai-
robi.

As reported in DIO Communications
in EQUATOR 6 of November 1992,
the Foundation DIO has adopted the
\'local dairy development planquot; after a
feasibility study in 1991. DIO supports
this project by providing backstopping
from the Netherlands and by fund
raising. A third task is to inform veteri-
narians about the veterinary infrastruc-
ture in this part of India.

More than 15 veterinarians, employed
by the government, work at various
places in the Nilgiris District. There is
no veterinary hospital or pharmacy in
Lovedale. Emergency services and
weekly routine service are provided by
veterinarians who work for the milk
factory at Lovedale. Other veterinarians
work for rural development projects at
the village unions in Ooty, Coonoor,
Gudalur and Kotagiri. One private
veterinary surgeon works at a stud farm
in Lovedale. Farmers can obtain free

Jersey x Zebu crossbred
cows are being introduced
at the dairy development
project in Lovedale
(photo: Vonk)

veterinary service from the milk factory
under the condition that they sell their
milk to the plant. The plant also
organises foot-and- mouth disease
vaccinations, while rinderpest vaccina-
tions are organised by a government
team. The most common causes of
death are extreme weather conditions,
parasite infestations and hill
haematuria. Artificial insemination is

The project proposal aims at improving
the income and the standard of living
of local farmers in Lovedale and
surroundings. The initial phase of the
project consists of the construction of a
cowshed and the purchase of crossbred
cows and necessary materials for the

quot;Sunflower Maghaleer Mandramquot;. This
organisation, which is mainly led by
women, is registered by the Indian
government. The participants in the
project earn an income from the milk
yield, which will be partly re-invested in
the project. The project will be self-
supporting in 1996.

In 1991 contacts were made with repre-
sentatives from the \'Sunflower Magha-
leer Mandram\', with the Nilgiris Dis-
trict Co-op Milk Producers\' Union and
with representatives of the Government
District Livestock Farm. This research
station is mainly involved in research
using Holstein-Friesian x zebu cross-
breds and includes an artificial insemi-
nation unit. The most interesting visit
was made to the Nucleus Jersey Stud
Farm. All these facilities were well
equipped and their representatives
were willing to assist in the proposed
project.

An expert consulted by DIO evaluated
the drawing of the cowshed. Further-
more it was decided to work with the
Jersey x zebu crossbred, because in
India they have a better natural resis-
tance against bovine theileriosis than
Holstein crossbreds. Another advantage
of the Jersey crossbred is the higher fat
percentage in the milk. The farmers
are paid according to this fat percenta-
ge-

DIO made an estimation of the costs
of a cowshed, the purchase of 25 cows,
feeding, management, veterinary care,
tools and materials, maintenance, insur-
ance, transport and raising of the
calves. The budget also includes costs
for evaluation visits to India, overhead
and public relations. The total budget
comes to ƒ 61.000,-. The expenditure of
the Indian NGO will be controlled by
an Indian government auditor.
The following organisations are finan-
cially involved: The Province of U-
trecht. Foundation \'Steun door Rabo-
banken\'. Third World Group Soest,
Umodja Wereldwinkel, Foundation
Emmaus and the Foundation DIO.

DIO aims at being a connection
between animal husbandry specialists
and veterinarians in developing coun-
tries, and technical assistance organisa-
tions and veterinarians in developed
countries. The local dairy development
plan for the people of Lovedale and
surroundings is an example of this
approach.

THIRD INTERNATIONAL COURSE
quot;INTRODUCTION TO HERD HE-
ALTH AND EPIDEMIOLOGYquot;

After 2 succesfully completed courses,
the third international course quot;Intro-
duction to herd health and epidemio-
logyquot; will be organized from 8 October
to 26 November 1993 in the Depart-
ment of Herd Health and Reproduc-
tion of the Faculty of Veterinary Medi-
cine. The Office for International Co-
operation will organize this 7-week
post-academic course.

*nbsp;Introduction to herd health and the
VAMPP-programme for fertiUty
control of dairy cattle;

*nbsp;fertility analysis and aspects of re-
production like gynaecology, animal
husbandry, artificial insemination
and embryo transfer;

Besides attending lectures, practicals
and demonstrations, participants will
visit a number of dairy farms in the
service area of the ambulatory clinic of
the Faculty and they will join excursi-
ons to veterinary institutes and/or
health services. Also, the touristic inte-
rest of the participants will not be
forgotten. The course includes 2 days
of excursions to interesting sites in the
Netherlands.

Following this course, the possibility ex-
ists to follow more specialized training
on an individual basis.

The course fee is Dfl. 7.500,-, excluding
the costs for travel, subsistence, lodging
and medical insurance.

The coordinating bureau requires a
good knowledge of the level of educati-
on and the working conditions of the
candidates for selecting the appropriate
participants for the course. Therefore,
applicants have to send a letter with a
detailed curriculum vitae, stressing aca-
demic and/or professional merits. Fur-

thermore, a certified statement of ap-
proval to participate in the course from
responsible superiors and a declcuation
by the granting authority should be
included. Closing date for registration
is 1 August, 1993.

For more information and application,
please contact the Office for Internatio-
nal Cooperation, Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine, P.O. Box 80.163, 3508 TD
Utrecht, the Netherlands, tel: 3130-
532116, telefax: 3130-531815.

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
quot;TROPICAL ANIMAL HEALTH
AND PRODUCTIONquot; AT
UTRECHT UNIVERSITY

On October 19, 1989, ten members of
the academic staff of the Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine established the
quot;Committee for the Advancement of
Tropical veterinary Sciencequot; (CATS).
The members of CATS are all scien-
tists involved in research and teaching
on subjects related to Uvestock in the
tropics. The main objective of CATS is
the perpetuation and promotion of re-
search and education relevant to the
tropics by the Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine.

CATS, together with the Office for
International Cooperation of the Facul-
ty organises a yearly international sym-
posium on quot;Tropical Animal Health
and Productionquot;. Research achieve-
ments and activities of the Faculty, with
relevance to the tropics, as well as
research projects which are a collabora-

tive effort of the Faculty and scientists
in developing countries, are presented.
Moreover, key speakers are invited to
present recent developments in a rele-
vant area of research. The aim of the
symposium is to inform scientists, poU-
cy-makers and members of develop-
ment organizations of the research
activities and potential of the Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht Universi-
ty and to stimulate research relevant to
the tropics by scientists of the Faculty.

The organizing committee of the 4quot;^
symposium on quot;Tropical Animal He^dth
and Productionquot; has selected as general
theme: quot;Recent developments in veteri-
nary epidemiologyquot;. The symposium
will be held on 24 September, 1993 in
Utrecht. Models for the epidemiology
of many human and animal diseases
have been developed and are for exam-
ple applied to predict consequences of
the mtroduction of control methods
and new drugs and of the development
of drug resistance. Models can be help-
ful in analyzing major disease con-
straints in livestock production and in

the planning of disease control pro-
grammes following outbreaks and epi-
demics. The symposium will pay atten-
tion to these approaches and discuss
their relevance for the Uvestock sector
in the tropics.

The symposium will pay attention to
the various epidemiological models that
can be applied for livestock diseases in
the tropics. The impact and relevance
of disease surveys, as conducted in
many countries over the last years, will
be reviewed. Invited speakers present
the epidemiology and control of several
major diseases in tropical areas; trypa-
nosomiasis and foot-and-mouth disease
will be given attention. The application
of epidemiological models will be high-
lighted by presenting results on mastitis
control and analyzing risk factors in
calf rearing on dairy farms in Costa
Rica. An analysis of the complex epide-
miological situation of rabies in Zim-
babwe, involving wild and domestic ani-
mals, will be presented. The epidemio-
logy of poultry diseases under small
scale fanning conditions in the Philippi-
nes will also be given attention.

Those interested in the programme are
welcome to participate in the symposi-
um. A registration form will be forwar-
ded soon to all subscribers of EQUA-
TOR and can also be obtained from
the editors\' office. Registration is free.
Participants will receive a symposium
book, including the programme and
extended abstracts of all presentations.
For more information please contact:
Office for International Cooperation,
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, P.O.
Box 80163, 3508 TD Utrecht, The
Netherlands (Tel.: 31.30.532116, tele-
fax: 31.30.531815).

The section RECENT PUBLICATIONS is included in the March, July and November issues of EQUATOR. Scientific
publications of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and other research institutes in the Netherlands, relevant to Uvestock
production and health in the tropics as weU as titles of papers by Dutch veterinary scientists working on animal health and
production topics in relation to developing countries, will be included. Please inform the editor of your pubUcations so we can
bring them to the attention of the readers of EQUATOR. For reprints contact the authors directly, their addresses can be
obtained from the editorial office (Office for International Cooperation, P.O. Box 80.163, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Nether-
lands).

Obwolo, MJ. and Zwart, P. (1992). Prevalence of coccidiosis in reared Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) on a farm
in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe veterinary Journal 23: 73-76.

Boorder, J. de. (1992). Spread of F. gigantica in Tanzania. The veterinarv Record 131: 80.

Pandey, V.S. and Knapen, F. van. (1992). The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in sheep, goats and pigs in Zimbabwe.
Annals of tropical Medicine and Parasitology 86: 313-316.

Leperre, Ph., Dwinger, R.H., Rawlings, P., Janneh,nbsp;L., Zürcher, G., Faye, J. and Maxweell, J. (1992). Etude des

paramètres zootechniques de la race N\'Dama ennbsp;milieu traditionnel villageois en Gambie. Revue d\'Elevage et de
Médicine vétérinaire des Pays tropicaux 45: 55-62.

Kaya, F., Duin, C.T.M. van, Veenendaal, G.H. and Miert, A.S.J.PA.M. van. (1992). Food intake and rumen motility in
dwarf goats. Effect of some reotonin receptor agonists and antagonists. Veterinarv Research Communications 16: 379-390.

Jongejan, F. (1992). Experimental transmission of Cowdria ruminantium (Rickettsiales) by the American reptile tick
Amblyomma dissimile Koch, 1844. Experimental and apphed Acarologv 15: 117-121.

Kock, N.D., Jongejan, F., Kock, M.D., Kock, RA., Morkel, P. (1992). Serological evidence for Cowdria ruminantium
infection in free-ranging black (Diceros bicomis) and white (Ceratotherium simum) rhinoceroses in Zimbabwe. Journal of
Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 23: 409-413.

Benin is a West-African country, situa-
ted between Togo and Nigeria. The
official language is French, but many
different African languages are spoken.

Some veterinary students have a keen interest in the tropics. If they also have
some time to spare during the first phase of the curriculum at the Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University they may decide to broaden their
education by following a course at another institution. Merel Langelaar, fourth
year student and editor of EQUATOR went to the quot;Institut d\'élevage et de
médecine vétérinaire tropicalequot; (I.E.M.V.T.) in Maisons-Alfort, France, to
participate in the course on tropical animal production. The course has a duration
of one year and includes a traineeship in a tropical country. Merel went to Benin,
to perform a study in a project of the Benin Ministry of Rural Development,
which receives technical assistance of the Royal Institute for the Tropics of the
Netherlands.

There are about five million inhabi-
tants, most of them work in the agricul-
tural sector.

The country has several climatic zones,
varying from semi-arid to humid, each
with its distinct ecology.

I worked in Zouzouvou, a little village
in the south-west of Benin, in the de-
partment of Mono, on the Adja pla-
teau. In this region the rain forest has
been replaced completely by cultivated
areas. Overpopulation and degredation
of the soil are the biggest problems in
this area. The main agricultural pro-
ducts are: cotton, maize, palm oil, cas-
sava, niébé, groundnuts, tomato and
red pepper.

Most farmers keep some livestock,
generally in a rather unorganized way.
Eighty percent of them keeps one or
more goats. These goats are West
African dwarf goats, a trypanotolerant
breed. The goats are kept for meat and
for religious ceremonies.

The project is called quot;Projet de Recher-
che Appliquée en Milieu Réelquot;, which
means that the technical assistance
workers collaborate closely with the
farmers. In a certain area the project

Many local agricultural
products like tomatoes
and peppers can be found
on market places in the
south west of Benin
(photo: Langelaar)

Staff investigates the specific problems,
and subsequently tries to find solutions
for them. Possible solutions are tested
by volunteers among the farmers. Only
when these volunteers accept the new
approach and are able to work with it,
the modified approach will be propaga-
ted to other farmers. This method may
seem quite logical, but only a few pro-
jects use it consequently. Of course,
this has also some disadvantages: every
solution to a problem is unique becau-
se it is adapted to the local circumstan-
ces. Therefore it is difficult to imple-
ment the results of research in another
place and at another time. That is why
opponents regard this approach as not
very scientific. It is also frustrating for
the staff that problems are not always
recognized as a problem by the far-
mers. For example, in the early begin-
ning of the project in Zouzouvou the
maize yield was quite low. The project
workers proposed to grow another
variety of maize, which would yield a
better crop. The farmers tried this
variety but did not accept it because
they did not like the taste of it. The
low yield was obviously not their big-
gest problem.

The project is composed of Beninese
and Dutch staff, working on socio-eco-
nomical issues, animal production and
crop production. The quot;agents de villagequot;
are very important in this project be-
cause they are the link between the
project staff and the farmer. These
agents live in the village and speak
both French and the local language.
They discuss the tests with the farmers,
give information to the farmers and
translate everything, in a literal and
figurative way of speaking, from staff to
farmers and vice versa.

My task in the project was to do some
research on the high rate (20%) of
abortion in pregnant goats in Zouzou-
vou. In other villages where the project
is active this percentage was significant-
ly lower (3 and 5%).
Before my departure to Benin, I stu-
died some literature on possible causes
of abortion. I found out that I would
never find the one and only cause.

People try to control the most common
causes of death and illness in goats,
which are mange, quot;peste des petits
ruminantsquot; (PPR) and diarrhea, but
there is no information on other disea-
ses. This absence of veterinary infra-
structure is not so amazing as it may
seem, because livestock keeping is not
the first occupation of the farmer. The
farmers work hard on the land all day;
most women keep some animals, just
to have an extra income.
To learn more about the way goats are
kept in the village, I started an inquiry.
With a girl from the village as my per-
sonal interpreter, I crossed the whole
village and asked the goat keepers
questions about animal feeding, animal
health, circumstances of the abortions,
etcetera.

In the hbrary of the Faculty of Agricul-
tural Science in Cotonou I continued
my study of the literature.
To have at least an idea of which disea-
ses may have caused the abortions, I
took some bloodsamples which were
tested for toxoplasmosis, brucellosis
and chlamydiosis.

On the basis of the literature and the
results of the inquiry, I concluded that
the most important cause of the aborti-
ons was probably non-infectious. Espe-
cially poor feeding of the animals may
have resulted in protein and mineral
deficiency. The provision of salt blocks
and proper feeding might prevent abor-
tions in the dwarf goats in the future.
I realize that these recommendations
are far more easy to give than to carry
out. I consider the abortions not as an
isolated problem but as a signal of a
more structural problem in the keeping
of goats in Zouzouvou. Therefore, the
whole production system should be
analysed and may need to be adapted.
This requires an input of money, work
and time, which are all very scarce.
Also, a change in mentaUty may be
needed, and that could be the biggest
problem. I wonder if it is worth the
effort, because it might not be the
farmers\' priority.

The months I spent in Benin were of
great value to me. I learned a lot about
working in a project and about the
advantages and difficulties of working
in the tropics.

Also, I got the opportunity to participa-
te in the congress on goat production
in He Ife, Nigeria, where I could visit
the West African Dwarf Goat Project
and meet a lot of people, all occupied
with these little animals.
Last, but certainly not least, I met a lot
of very nice and kind people, such as
the inhabitants of Zouzouvou, the pe-
ople who work in the project and most
of all my host family.

CENTRE DE COOPERATION IN-
TERNATIONALE EN RECHERCHE
AGRONOMIQUE POUR LE DEVE-
LOPPEMENT - DEPARTEMENT
ELEVAGE ET MEDECINE VETERI-
NAIRE (CIRAD-EMVT)

Information générale:
Le CIRAD est un organisme scientifi-
que spécialisé en agriculture des régi-
ons tropicales et subtropicales. Sous la
forme d\'un établissement public à ca-
ractère industriel et commercial, il est
né en 1984 de la fusion d\'instituts de
recherche en sciences agronomiques,
vétérinaires, forestières et agro-alimen-
taires des régions chaudes. Le CIRAD-
EMVT est l\'héritier d\'une longue tradi-
tion avec une triple mission: enseigne-
ment et formation; recherche et déve-
loppement; documentation. Au cours
des années 50, l\'IEMVT a créé des
stations de recherche et des labora-
toires pour la diagnostic et la produc-
tion de vaccins principalement en Afri-
que. Aujourd\'hui le CIRAD-EMVT
comprend 190 agents (dont 65 hors de
France métropolitaine), dont 95 cher-
cheurs et ingénieurs (44 hors de France
métropolitaine). Les agents en poste
outre-mer sont répartis dans une ving-
taine de pays d\'Afrique, d\'Asie et d\'A-
mérique du Sud et dans les DOM-
TOM. Son budget est environ 92 milli-
ons de francs français. Les activités du
CIRAD-EMVT sont organisés en deux
divisions de recherche:

-nbsp;Productions animales: ressources
alimentaires; ressources animales;
systèmes de production; aquaculture
et pêches continentales

-nbsp;Santé animale: pathologie infectieuse;
pathologie parasitaire; écopathologie.

Toutes les activités de recherche se
prolongent par des travaux d\'étude et
de développement menés seuls ou en
collaborations avec des organismes
français ou étrangers.

This section contains vacancy announcements which the editorial board considers
to be of possible interest to Dutch veterinarians. Besides vacancies that will be
taken from Vacatureblad Internationale Samenwerking, Tijdschrift voor Dierge-
neeskunde, Veterinary Record, Intro vacatures (RDP Advies/ Ministry of Internal
Affairs) etc., there will be room for personnel advertisements. For further
information one is requested to apply directly to the institution or company.

DIRECTEUR DE DEPARTEMENT
DE L\'IEMVT / MAISONS-
ALFORT - FRANCE
Responsabihtés:

Le directeur du CIRAD-EMVT est
nommé par le directeur général du
CIRAD, à l\'issue d\'une procédure de
sélection menée par un comité de sé-
lection ad hoc.

Dans le cadre de la politique génénera-
le du CIRAD, et par délégation du
directeur général, il assure la direction
scientifique, administrative et financière
du département; à ce titre, il est chargé
de proposer la politique en élevage et
en médecine vétérinaire du CIRAD,
d\'en diriger les programmes de recher-
che, de formation et de développement,
de représenter le département élevage
et médecine vétérinaire du CIRAD en
France et à l\'étranger, d\'execer l\'auto-
rité sur le personnel du CIRAD-
EMVT et d\'en nommer les responsa-
bles, de gérer le CIRAD-EMVT dans
le cadre des règles communes admini-
strative et financières internes à l\'éta-
bHssement public, d\'en assurer l\'équili-
bre financier en recherchant et en
contractant les ressources propres né-
cessaires à cet équilibre (il est ordon-
nateur secondair).

-nbsp;Expérience démontrée dans la direc-
tion et la gestion d\'une institution ou
d\'un project de recherche. Une atten-
tion particuhère sera apportée aux
références relatives à la gestion des
ressources humaines et à la capacité
de gérer financièrement une entre-
prise ayant une forte proportion de
ressources contractuelles.

-nbsp;Experience démontrée de la coopé-
ration internationale, notamment
avec les pays du Sud.

-nbsp;Bonne connaissance de la probléma-
tique des productions animales et de
la santé animale dans le monde tropi-
cal et de la recherche s\'y rapportant.

-nbsp;Compétences et quaUtés personnelles
largement reconnues et respectées
dans la communauté scientifique et
dans le domaine des productions et
de la santé animale. Capacité à inspi-
rer le sens du devoir, l\'appartenance
à un groupe, l\'adhésion à un projet.

-nbsp;Aptitude à communiquer de manière
claire, succincte et effective à tous les
niveaux, dont celui des responsables
des productions et de la santé anima-
les nationaux et internationaux.

-nbsp;Capacité à entreprendre de nom-
breux déplacements, en particuUer
dans les pays étrangers tropicaux.

-nbsp;Très bonne capacité de s\'exprimer en
français et en anglais. La connais-
sance de l\'espagnol constitue un
avantage.

La durée du mandat du directeur du
CIRAD-EMVT est de trois ans. Ce
mandat, après évaluation, est renouve-
lable une fois. La rémunération brute
de référence est de 380.000 francs
français par an. Elle peut varier notam-
ment à la hausse en fonction des queJi-
fications de son titulaire et de son âge.
Cette rémunération est imposable.
Cette fonctionsera à exercer d\'abord à
Maison-Alfort puis, fin 1994, à Mont-
pellier. L\'emploi est vacant en septem-
bre 1993.

Les intéressés peuvent s\'adresser (avec
un curriculum vitae et trois noms de
personnes de références) au Monsieur
Pierre Dubreuil, Comité de sélection
du Directeur du CIRAD-EMVT, 42,
Rue Scheffer, 75116 Paris, France.
(Télécopie 33.1.47043185). La date
limite du dépôt des candidatures est
fixée au 1quot; mai 1993.

Het DGIS van het Ministerie van Bui-
tenlandse Zaken heeft een vacature
voor een suppletie-deskundige bij de
University of Zimbabwe.

The Faculty of Veterinary Science at
the University of Zimbabwe is the
regional training centre for veterinari-
ans, developed with funds provided by
the European Community. Students are
accepted into the Faculty from SADCC
countries to train as veterinarians who
will work in their country of origin. The
majority of graduates go into govern-
ment service as private practices tend
to be fully staffed and it is beyond the
means of most graduates to become
private practitioners. At the Depart-
ment of Clinical Veterinary Studies
there is a vacancy for a:

-nbsp;To assist with under-graduate tea-
ching of large animal medicine and
herd health in conjunction with clini-
cians in the Department of Clinical
Veterinary Studies.

-nbsp;To assist with the operation of the
ambulatory andh herd health services
of the Veterinctry Teaching Hospital
by using their expertise to recruit
more clients and thereby to improve
the quality of the undergraduates
hands-on practical training.

-nbsp;To establish Masters in Veterinary
Science training programmes for
veterinarians from the SADDC region
and to initiate such training program-
mes.

-nbsp;A basic veterinary degree with post-
graduate qualifications in large animal
medicine.

-nbsp;Extensive clinical experience with live-
stock, especially beef and dairy cattle
(5-10 years), preferably in a tropical
environment.

Information and application:
Information can be obtained from Mrs.
G. Vennik (Tel.: 31.70.3485708) or
Mrs. J. de Graaf (Tel.: 31.70.-
3485299). Applications in writing, quo-
ting the vacancy nunber, should be
directed to: Ministerie van Buitenland-
se Zaken, Directoraat Generaal Inter-
nationale Samenwerking
(DGIS/APO/PE), Postbus 20061, 2500
EB \'s-Gravenhage, The Netherlands
(Telefax: 31.70.3485305; telex: 31326).

Veterinarian with a postgraduate de-
gree in veterinary histopathology and
clinical pathology.

(Announcement taken from The veteri-
nary Record 132, nr.9 of 27 february,
1993).

The successful candidate will participa-
te in on-going departmental research
with particular emphasis on one of the
following subjects: comparative
oncology, foot-and-mouth disease sero-
logy, tick-borne diseases, reproductive
productivity and epidemiology of disea-
ses of dairy cattle.

The post is tenable for one year in the
first instance. Applicants should possess
either a good first degree in life scien-
ces or a Veterinary degree. A postgra-
duate qualification would be an advan-
tage.

The successful candidate will take char-
ge of on-going research projects on
epidemiology and immunology of tri-
chostrongylids in cattle under different
systems of management.

The post is tenable for one year. AppU-
cants should possess a good Veterinary
degree or a good BSc degree in Zool-
ogy or Biological Sciences majoring in
parasitology/immunology plus postgra-
duate experience in working on nema-
todes of farm animals.

Salary scales (per annum): Lecturer Z$
62,724 - Z$ 67,944; Senior Lecturer Z$
71,376 - Z$ 75,768; Associate Professor
Z$ 78,756 - Z$ 81,984. Qualified veteri-
narians receive a 50% retention allo-
wance. Both permanent and short-term
contacts are offered. Persons who are
not Zimbabwean citizens may be ap-
pointed only on a short-term contract
basis for an initial period of two years.
Short-term contracts may be extended.

Application and information:
Six copies of applications quoting ref.
ASA/3/2/93 and giving full personal
particulars which should include full
name, place and date of birth, qualifi-
cations, employment and experience,
present salary, date of availability, te-
lephone number and names and ad-
dresses of three referees should be ad-
dressed to the Director, Appointments
and Personnel, University of Zimbab-
we, P.O. Box MP 167, Mount Pleasant,
Harare, Zimbabwe (Telex 26580

UNIVZ ZW, telefax: 263.4.732828).
Applicants from outside Zimbabwe
may obtain further particulars from
Mrs. M.F. Gwata, Deputy Registrar
(Administration), Appointments and
Personnel Office, University of Zim-
babwe, P.O. Box MP 167, Mount Plea-
sant, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Closing date: 5 April, 1993.

Zodiac Symposium 1993: quot;The biological ba-
sis of sustainable animal productionquot; held on
the occasion of the 75\'^ Anniversary of the
Wageningen Agricultural University. The
conference aims at presenting new and con-
trasting, if not controversial view-points on
various aspects of sustainable animal produc-
tion in (eco)systems in western and tropical
countries. Location: International Agricultu-
ral Centre. Registration fee; Dfl. 400. Infor-
mation: Sectorbureau Animal Production,
Gabriel L. van Winkel, P.O. Box 338, 6700
AH Wageningen (Tel.: 31.8370.83911, tele-
fax: 31.8370.83962).

14quot;quot; International conference of the world
association for the advancement of veteri-
nary parasitology. Theme: quot;Understanding
and control of parasitic diseases of animalsquot;.
Sub-themes: Parasite control in (1) Sustaina-
ble production systems, (2) Intensive versus
non-intensive systems for ruminants and
non-ruminants, (3) Nomadic situations and
(4) Transhumance situations; Genetic resis-
tance to parasitic diseases; Vaccine develop-
ment; Vector biology and control; Chemo-
therapy and delivery systems for blood
protozoa and helminths; Anthelmintic resis-
tance; Teaching veterinaiy parasitology. In-
formation: Prof. Lord Soulsby, Dep. Clinical
Veterinary Medicine, Madingley Road, Cam-
bridge CB3 OES (Telefax.: 44.223.337610).

15 August - 19 November, 1993.
21* International course on dairy farming in
rural development. Course programme:
Dairy development, farming systems, statis-
tics, economics and agricultural credit, bree-
ding, pasture production, nutrition and fee-
ding, animal health, reproduction and AI,
extension and case studies. Course fee: Dfl.
4,000.Closing date: 1 May, 1993. Information
and registration: Director, International
Agricultural Centre (lAC), P.O. Box 88,
6700 AB Wageningen. Tel.: 31.8370.90111,
telefax: 31.8370.18552,telex: 45888 intas nl.

30 August - 8 October, 1993.
International course on modern dairy farm
management. Organized by: Dairy Training

Centre Friesland. Programme: Milk and mil-
king; dairy cattle feeding; forage production;
calf-rearing; fertility; breeding; animal
health; housing; farm machinery; manpower
management; farm economics; Dutch dairy
industry. Course fee including board and
lodging, excursion and insurance: Dfl. 4,250.
Information and registration: Director DTC-
Friesland, P.O. Box 85, 9062 ZJ Oenkerk,
The Netheriands. Tel.: 31.5103.1562, tele-
fax: 31.5103.1628.

Symposium on: quot;The capture, care and
management of threatened mammelsquot;. Orga-
nized by: The Worid i\\ssociation of Wildlife
Veterinarians and the Wildlife Group of the
South African Veterinary Association. Infor-
mation: Dr. Ian Epsie, 209, Clara Rerea, 18
Clara Street, Pretoria 0001 or Prof. J. van
Heerden, P.O. Box 12900, Onderstepoort
0110.

4quot;^ Symposium on quot;Tropical animal health
and production. Recent developments in
veterinary epidemiologyquot;. Organized by the
Committee for the Advancement of Tropical
veterinary Science (CATS) and the Office
for International Cooperation of the Faculty
of Veterinary Medicine. Programme: See
under quot;BIC Newsquot;. No registration fee.
Closing date for registration: 1 September,
1993. Information and registration: Office
for International Cooperation, P.O. Box
80.163, 3508 TD Utrecht (Tel.: 31.30.-
532116, telefax: 31.30,531815).

11 October - 26 November, 1993.
3quot;* International course quot;Introduction to herd
health and epidemiologyquot;. Organized by the
Office for International Cooperation and the
Department of Herd Health and Repro-
duction of the Faculty of Veterinary Medici-
ne. Programme: See under quot;BIC Newsquot;.
Course fee: Dfl. 7,500,-. Closing date for
registration 1 August, 1993. Information and
registration: Office for International Coop-
eration, P.O. Box 80.163, 3508 TD Utrecht
(Tel.: 31.30532116, telefax: 31.30.531815).

11\'^ International Symposium of the World
Association of Veterinary Food Hygienists
(WAVFH). Organized by: The Thai Vete-
rinary Medical Association under the Royal
Patronage (TVMA). Information and Regis-
tration: The Symposium Secretariat, Dr.
Songkram Luangtongkum, 11quot;^ WAVFH
Symposium, TVMA, 69/26 Soi Äthane
Theatre, Phyathai Road, Bangkok 10400
(Tel.: 66.2.252.8773/7066, telefax: 66-
.2.255.3910).

17 January - 15 July, 1994.
7quot;quot; International course on quot;Dairy husbandry
and milk processingquot;. Organized by: Dairy
Training Centre Friesland. Programme gene-
ral part (11 weeks): Dairy development;
animal husbandry; milk processing. Followed
by specialized part (15 weeks) which has 3
options. Option 1 and 2: Daiiy production (9
weeks) followed by either 6 weeks: Training
and extension or by 6 weeks: Dairy farm
management. Option 3: Small-scale milk
processing. Course fee: Dfl. 4,500. Closing
date for registration: 1 October, 1993. Infor-
mation and registration: Director DTC -
Friesland, P.O. Box 85, 9062 ZJ Oenkerk,
The Netherlands. Tel.: 31.5103.1562, tele-
fax: 31.5103.1628.

13quot;quot; International Pig Veterinary Society
(IPVS) Congress. Organized by: Faculty of
Veterinary Science, Chulalongkom Univer-
sity. Information and registration: Dr. An-
nop Kunavongkrit, Secretary of the 13\'^ IPVS
Congress, Faculty of Veterinary Science,
Chulalongkom University, Bangkok 10330
(Tel.: 66.22520738, telefax 66.2.2553910).

29 August - 7 October, 1994.
International course on: quot;Modern dairy
farmmanagementquot;. Organized by: Dairy
Training Centre Friesland. Programme: milk
and milking; dairy cattle feeding; forage
production; calf-rearing; fertility; breeding;
animal health; housing; farm machinery;
manpower management; farm economics and
Dutch dairy industry. Course fee including
board and loging, excursion and insurance:
Dfl. 4,250. Information and registration:
Director DTC-Friesland, P.O. Box 85, 9062
ZJ Oenkerk, The Netherlands. Tel.: 31.-
5103.1562, telefax: 31.5103.1628.

EOUATOR is a periodical of
the Office for International
quot;Cooperation of the Faculty of
Veterinary Medicinc of Utrecht
University.

J.H.A. de Gooijer
(incl. producliim)
M.F.M. Langelaar MVM
R.W. Paling DVM PhD
î/jdit OF-in-chief)

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Office for International
Cooperation ;
P.O.quot; Box .S(j.U)3

EOUATOR is published bi-
monthly. The March, July and
November issues of EQUATOR
are published in English.

Subscription is free of charge.
For changes in address and
termination of subscription plea-
se return the corrected label to
the editorial oflice.

Before going into a comment on the
articles presented in this issue of
EQUATOR, the publishers have to
excuse themselves to our Dutch rea-
ders. You may have noticed that you
did not receive the May issue of
EQUATOR. Due to unforseen circum-
stances the pubUshing had to be
delayed until June. However, we were
able to do a mailing on vacancies to
selected subscribers. The present issue
and number 4/5, a double issue which
will be produced in August, are both in
the English language.

Two events, important for the interna-
tional activities of the Utrecht Faculty
of Veterinary Medicine, have taken
place during the last months.
Firstly, there was the renewal of the ac-
creditation of the faculty by the Ameri-
can and Canadian Veterinary Medical
Association (AVMA and CVMA). The
faculty received its first accreditation in
1973 and subsequently in 1978 and
1985. This year, the faculty received the
designation quot;fully approvedquot; (for an-
other 7 years) as a result of an evalu-
ation and a site visit in October, 1992.
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of
Utrecht University remains the only
European veterinary faculty accredited
by the AVMA and CVMA.
Secondly, the Faculty Council has
accepted the proposal of the Faculty
Board to create the possibility, for the
first time, to organize Master of Scien-
ce courses. This is very good news for
those who want to develop internatio-
nal post-graduate education at our
faculty and of course for the many
potential participants who have been
writing in vein with a request to conti-
nue their training with an MSc course
at the Utrecht Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine.

MSc for its participants, is on quot;Epide-
miology and Herd Healthquot;. The topics
herd health and veterinary epidemio-
logy are at the fore front of this
years\' the international activities of the
faculty. Not only is there the ongoing
18-month MSc course, but it is also the
subject of the yearly international sym-
posium on quot;Tropical Animal Health
and Productionquot; (24 September, 1993),
as well as of the 7-week international
course quot;Introduction to herd health and
epidemiologyquot; (11 October-26 Novem-
ber, 1993). An article in this issue of
EQUATOR, based on a presentation
by Prof. Dr. A. Brand, sets the scene
for these events.

Also in this issue of EQUATOR you
find the first part of an interview with
Dr. Jack Doyle, the Deputy Director
General of the International Labora-
tory for Research on Animal Diseases
(ILRAD), based in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Netherlands, as one of the donors
of ILRAD, and Utrecht University as
one of the longstanding collaborating
institutes, have a strong link with
ILRAD. For example, the Utrecht
professor in Parasitical and Tropical
Diseases served as acting Director
General of ILRAD and was elected to
the Board and selected to serve on the
last Quinquennial Review team.
Besides, a number of collaborative
research projects has strengthened the
links between both institutes. Not less
than six scientists obtained their PhD
degree from Utrecht University based
on research (partly) executed at and
supported by ILRAD.
Dr. Doyle covers a large number of
practical and fundamental matters and
give his views on recent developments
in tropical veterinary science and medi-
cine, and on the importance of inter-
national collaboration and the develop-
ment and application of new techno-
logies.

On 18 May, 1993 Dr. Jack Doyle, Deputy Director General of the International
Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD), based at Nairobi Kenya,
made a brief stop-over in Utrecht. Dr. Doyle was invited to present a guest-lecture
to a group of final-year veterinary students as part of the ongoing course on
quot;Tropical animal health and husbandryquot;. The editors of EQUATOR took this
opportunity to interview Dr. Doyle. Dr. Doyle, a veterinarian who graduated from
Glasgow University, has been involved with research and management at ILRAD
for almost 20 years. ILRAD, one of the research institutes of the Consultative
Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) was established in 1973
with the mandate quot;To conduct intensive research leading to improved control of
important livestock diseases in developing countries, particular in Africaquot;. During
this period ILRAD has developed into one of the leading research institutes on
livestock diseases in the world. In his capacity as Director of Research of ILRAD,
a function Dr. Doyle occupied from 1983 to 1991, he developed and directed
ILRAD\'s research programmes on theileriosis and trypanosomiasis, which have
not only produced major scientific breakthroughs in the fundamental knowledge of
the parasites and the diseases they cause, but also in the comprehension of the
bovine immune system and defence mechanisms in general.

Of course often questions are asked like: quot;What has all this research contributed
to livestock production in Africa and to the income of livestock holder?quot; and
quot;When will there be adequate, sustainable and economical methods of control for
diseases that obstruct livestock development in Africa?quot;

Dr. Doyle\'s views about recent developments in tropical veterinary science and
medicine, the importance of the application of new technologies and of internatio-
nal collaboration, will undoubtedly be of interest to the readers of EQUATOR.

When ILRAD\'s mandate was formula-
ted in 1973, diseases were considered to
be the major constraint for livestocJc
development in Africa. Is this still so 20
years later?

One can distinguish three major areas
of constraint to livestock productivity:
animal health, animal nutrition and
animal genetics.

Drug resistance is at the
moment a major threat in
the control of tiypanosomia-
sis; the use of existing trypa-
nocides will improve once
assays for trypanocides,
which are being developed
at ILRAD and Glasgow
University, will be available
(photo: collection Murray)

into molecular genetics and molecular
physiology, so we are in fact moving
into that area as an extension to our
current work. In terms of strategic
molecular biological research I per-
sonally find it very difficult to see any
advances in basic research in nutrition
which are at a point where they can be
transferred towards developing coun-
tries. There is plenty of conventional
work on nutrition still to be done.

In research on animal health emphasis
has been on theileriosis and trypanoso-
miasis. What have been the major achie-
vements of ILRAD towards improved
control of these two diseases after 20
years of research?

I would like to consider two aspects.
First is what we have done to sustain
the control measures that already exist
for those diseases and secondly what
we have done to develop new control
measures.

In sustaining the existing control mea-
sures: where you are going to have
problems of drug resistance, of acari-
cide resistance, problems in tsetse
control, the new diagnostic tests that
we developed, not only for trypanoso-
miasis but also for tick-borne diseases
in general, are helping to sustain the
existing control measures. The work we
are doing with the University of Glas-
gow on assays for trypanocides will also
help to avoid problems of drug resis-
tance, which is the major threat at the
moment in control of trypanosomiasis.
We have also done a substantial
amount of work with FAO and African
countries on the infection and treat-
ment method of immunization against

Tropical Animal Health and Production
at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Utrecht University

Utrecht University, one of the 14 universities in the Nether-
lands, includes 14 faculties. Its Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
is the only veterinary faculty in the Netherlands and, as a
result of its scientific and educational standards, it has been
accredited by the American and Canadian Veterinary Medical
Associations since 1973. Within the Faculty there are 11
departments. Research on tropical animal health is mainly
conducted by the Department of Infectious Diseases and
Immunology, but other departments are also actively involved
in collaborative research in e.g. Zimbabwe, Benin, Costa Rica
and Mozambique.

In 1987 the Faculty Office for International Cooperation
(BIC) started with the coordination and extension of the
international activities. In 1989 the quot;Committee for the Ad-
vancement of Tropical veterinary Science (CATS) was esta-
blished at the Faculty. The main objective of CATS is the
perpetuation and promotion of research and education rele-
vant to the tropics.

The organization of the Symposia on quot;Tropical Animal
Health and Productionquot; is an activity of BIC and CATS. The
first symposium quot;Contributions and perspectives from the
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht Universityquot; was
held in 1990. During the 1991 symposium, which was subtitled
quot;Research for development: policies, priorities and optionsquot;
various donor agencies presented their policy on research in
livestock development and animal health in the tropics.
Research priorities of the developing countries were also
highlighted. The theme for the Symposium in 1992 was
Bovine theileriosis, caused by Theileria parva and T. annulata,
a major disease in Africa and an important subject of re-
search for the Section of Parasitology and Tropical Veteri-
nary Medicine of the Faculty.

Office for International Cooperation
Faculty of Veterinaiy Medicine
P.O. Box 80.163, 3508 TD Utrecht
the Netherlands.

In 1993 the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine organizes its 4quot;\'
symposium on Tropical Animal Health and Production. The
organizing committee has selected as this years\' general
theme: quot;Recent developments in veterinary epidemiologyquot;.

Models for the epidemiology of many human and animal
diseases have been developed and are for example applied to
predict consequences of the development of drug resistance
and of the introduction of control methods and new drugs.
Models can be helpful in analyzing major disease constraints
in livestock production and in the planning of disease control
programmes following outbreaks and epidemics. The sympo-
sium will pay attention to these approaches and discuss their
relevance for the livestock sector in the tropics. The impact
and relevance of disease surveys, as conducted in many coun-
tries over the last years, will be reviewed. Invited speakers
present the epidemiology and control of several major dis-
eases in tropical areas. The application of epidemiological
models in veterinary practice will be highlighted. Moreover,
scientists, policy-makers and members of development orga-
nizations will be able to discuss research requirements in
tropical animal health with specific reference to epidemiology
and the role of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht
University in this field of research.

Prof. Dr. A. Brand - chairman
Dr. R.W. Paling - secretary
J.HA. de Gooijer - treasurer
members:

Prof. Dr. A.W.C.A. Comelissen
Drs. AA.H.M. ter Huurne
Dr. V.P.M.G. Rutten
Dr. H.A.P. Urlings

Opening by Prof. Dr. A. Brand, Department of Herd Health
and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht
University.

Y.H. Schukken, E. Perez and A. Brand (Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands and
School of Veterinary Medicine, National University, Heredia,
Costa Rica).

Epidemiological and economic modelling of foot-and-mouth
disease control strategies.

A.A.nbsp;Dijkhuizen (Agricultural University Wageningen, Wage-
ningen, the Netherlands).

An evaluation of recent disease surveys in the tropics.
K.H. Zessin (Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterina-
ry Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Free University
of Berlin, Berlin, Germany).

Livestock mortality in Afghanistan in districts with and with-
out a veterinary programme.

B.E.C.nbsp;Schreuder, N. Noorman, M. Halimi and G. Wassink
(DLO-Central Veterinary Institute, Leiystad, the Netherlands
and DCA-Veterinary Training and Support Centre for
Afghanistan, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan).

Epidemiology and economic aspects of calf rearing in diffemt
production systems in Costa Rica.

E. Perez (School of Veterinary Medicine, National University,
Heredia, Costa Rica).

Data and data management in veterinary practice in the
communal areas of Zimbabwe.

A.A. Majok (Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of
Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe).

Transmission of viruses through products of animal origin.
H.A.P. Urlings and C.A.A. in \'t Veen (Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands).

Epidemiolo^ of poultry diseases under tropical farming
conditions in the Philippines.

L. van der Heide (College of Agriculture and Natural Resour-
ces, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA).

I wish to attend the Symposium quot;Tropical Animal Health and
Production. Recent developments in veterinary epidemiologyquot;
on 24 September, 1993 at the Faculty of Veterinaiy Medicine,
De Uithof, Utrecht.

Office for International Cooperation
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
P.O. Box 80.163
3508 TD Utrecht
the Netherlands.
Telefax: 31.30.531815

ECF (East Coast fever), which is now
becoming more widely used, especially
in the milk production sector. We lar-
gely are sustaining the use of that, not
only in Kenya, but also in other coun-
tries affected by ECF, so that that vac-
cine can be used today and tomorrow
to help these countries to improve their
milk production.

In terms of new control measures: in
East Coast fever we have a new mo-
lecular vaccine, which is looking very
promising in pen-trials. We will know
within the next two years whether or
not that will be the basis of a field
vaccine. If so it will be the first mole-
cular vaccine against a parasitic disease
and that is what you should keep in
mind, especially when you consider the
enormous investment that has been put
into malaria vaccines, with very little
success at the moment.
And then trypanosomiasis. I think the
exiting area is really to look at the
genetic capacity of indigenous cattle,
the so-called trypanotolerant trait, and
look at it at the molecular level. As far
as ILRAD is concerned this relates to
gene maps, we can talk about those
later on. But with ILCA (International
Livestock Centre for Africa) at the
moment we have a very nice example;
they have been able to use our new
diagnostic test and applied it in quanti-
tative genetics in trypanotolerant cattle
in production systems in Zaire and Ga-
bon. By using this very simple test they
could breed improved trypanotolerant
livestock. That is livestock with impro-
ved productive capacity.

Concerning the subject of ECF immu-
nization: 20 years ago there was the
infection and treatment method used in
various countries with local isolates or
the quot;Muguga cocictaHquot;. At this moment it
is still the only practical way for immu-
nization. What is the reason why all the
efforts at ILRAD to produce a vaccine
which can be used to protect against a
field challenge did not succeed? Why is
it so difficult?

It simply takes time. I remind you that
prior to molecular genetics, even in
crops it takes 12-15 years to develop a
new variety from an existing variety in
the field. In our case we really have
only been looking at this problem for
12 years, with limited funding. And it is
a significant achievement to get to the
point where you have a recombinant
vaccine that stands up to lethal challen-
ge. We will know within the next 2 or 3
years whether or not this will actually
work in the field. But it is not simply
the fact that you have got one potential
vaccine candidate. What you have is all
the technology and all the knowledge
that got you there. So, if that antigen
does not work, the next one will not
take another 12 years, it will take an-
other 12 months. It is on the basis of
all the work that is going on that we
can now get to the stage where we can
test antigens. We do not have to repeat
12 years every time we change. We do
not have to change the research, we
change an antigen.

This is why we are also looking at the
other tick-borne diseases, because so
much of the technology we have deve-
loped is immediately applicable to ana-
plasmosis, babesiosis and cowdriosis,
the other significant tick-borne diseases
which are of global importance, while

The new diagnostic tests
that ILRAD developed for
tick-borne diseases are
helping to sustain the exis-
ting disease control measu-
res such as spaying against
ticks with acaricides (photo:
Paling)

So, your prediction is that there will be a
vaccine tested under field conditions
within 2 - 3 years?

Yes, the only point of constraint at the
moment is that we need to build a
much bigger facility to actually do the
testing of recombinant vaccines in num-
bers enough to know whether or not
you really have a vaccine with which we
can go to commercial production and
that we do not break any regulation on
the use of recombinant vaccines in
Africa. We adhere to the major guideli-
nes, so this has got to be done in con-
strained facihties. We are not simply
going out to try a quot;quicky testquot; in the
field just because it is Africa.

Tests with recombinant materials will
also be subject to severe government
rules.

Yes. What we have done all the way
through is that we have imposed, be-
cause African countries do not have
appropriate legislation, European,
American and Australian guidelines on
ourselves to make sure that we are
within the bounds of safety, as we
would recognize it when working in a
developed country. The point is that if
ILRAD can get the funds for a new
building to test vaccines, that it will
become easier for other institutions to
test vaccines in that facility for Africa
and prevent these institutions from the
temptation to slightly go to the margin
of existing rules, just because you have
a vaccine and you think it works in
Africa.

You just mentioned other tick-bome
diseases then ECF. Is ILRAD actually
working on other diseases like cowdriosis
and anaplasmosis?

We have talked about it. The board of
ILRAD has recognized that we should
in a matter of fact make funding avai-
lable for collaborative studies on the
other tick-borne diseases, because there
are similarities in the case of vaccines

that are mediated by antibodies. The
work we have done in ECF is directly
relevant. It is simply a question of a
collaborator finding antigens and us
being able to test them, which they can
not do. In the case of vaccines media-
ted by cell mediated reactions, the
second half of the ECF research comes
into play. Here again we can use the
technologies we have developed for
ECF to study diseases like cowdriosis,
where it looks very much as if cell
mediated immunity is critical, rather
then as people supposed, antibodies.
The amount of work we have done will
allow collaborative researchers to get
results much quicker then if they would
have to start themselves. What we are
doing, we do it collaboratively. We will
not set off to tackle any disease from
square one. This is really how we can
use our technology and knowledge to
help others to get there quicker.

Basically there are 4 groups of people
working on the topic of cowdriosis,
researchers in South Africa, Florida in
collaboration with Zimbabwe and in
Europe in Utrecht and at the lEMVT
(Institute d\'Elevage et de Medicine
Veterinaire des Pays Tropicaux) in
France. The question is: quot;How can we
all work together, in a collaborative
mode rather that in a competitive mo-
de?quot; The major thing is that people fail
to realise that work done in a develo-
ped country nearly always comes down
to the identification of antigens. But
when you move to making a vaccine
and testing that vaccine, it becomes
enormously more difficult, because you
are not allowed to use the parasite in
the country, containment facilities are
expensive, the epidemiology is different.
So, that is where ILRAD can play a
significant role in the future, as being a
place where people can come together
to move from antigens to vaccines.
Well all of this depends on the funding
and how ILRAD\'s mandate will or will
not be changed or extended in the nexi
couple of weeks.

By using the very simple
antigen ELISA test for
trypanosome, detection,
which was developed at
ILRAD, ILCA could accele-
rate, by applying quanti-
tative genetics, the selection
of improved trypanotolerant
livestock in Gabon (photo:
Paling)

Yes, but the amount of investment will
not be not high compared to the
amount of investment we have already
made in basic immunology, antigen
searching and things like that. So it
would not take a tremendous amount
of money for us to have competence to
host, what I would prefer to call a
collaborative group. In this way, scien-
tists from lEMVT, Florida, Zimbabwe
and Onderstepoort would all work
together at ILRAD, using the facilities
to have a conjoint programme to move
towards this vaccine. I think that would
be the most effective way of doing it. ■
And if these people have funds, they
generally come from the same donors
as we have. This will ensure that the
donors as well are happy that the who-
le programme is moving along under
some coherence, rather then little bits
being done at vast costs without know-
ing where they will fit in the end. So
our staff does not need to expand hu-
gely, but the number of people working
at ILRAD might expand considerably,
but they will be staff from other institu-
tions.

Going bacic to trypanosomiasis, one of
the achievements was the development
of the ELISA antigen test. There have
been a lot of discussions that not all
veterinary care in Africa can he done by
veterinarians. There are laymen, animal
health extensionists, etc. who should also
be able to do a diagnostic test. Do you
think this antigen ELISA test will reach
a stage where a veterinary assistant or
even the farmer can perform a cow side
test?

It depends if that request comes from
people who think they know what the
farmer wants or from the farmer who
tells us what he wants. There is a clear
distinction there. If we consider trypa-
nosomiasis in relation to diagnostic
ELISAs, the technology in the develo-
ped world for cow side or animal side
testing really comes out to be a cost of
5 - 10 $ per diagnostic test. There is
little way I can see a farmer, even in
the developed world, who is going to
pay 5 or 10 $. But where I think it
becomes important is that at some level
diagnosis on a herd health basis cem be
done and the epidemiology of the dis-
ease becomes knovra. Then a farmer, if
he believes this information, - and he
will do because he can see the disease
himself - will do the most critical thing
and that is to treat all the animals that
are apparently exposed.
The problem with trypanosomiasis is
not individual treatment, it is the fact
that the farmer does not treat enough
or that he underdoses because he has
only bought one bottle and he has
more cows to treat. The farmers are
not stupid, they are very good clinicians
themselves. What we really want to
move forward to is to use the test in
the best way possible, so that the far-
mer knows that for a given expenditure
he can treat all the animals and they
will remain productive. That is really
what the farmer needs and we do not
make the problem of drug resistance
worse because the farmer undertreats
either its numbers or the individual
animals.

The question will become more com-
plex because privatization of the vete-
rinary services in Africa is starting and
will go very rapidly. And we need to be
aware of what level of technology we
need to transfer to what type of either
research institution, local veterinary
laboratory or local practitioner in this
evolving situation. At the moment that
is not clear. But we can certainly use
the technology to help the farmer, that
is absolutely clear.

Whether the farmer can use it to help
himself? I suggest there are no indi-
cations, even in the developed world,
that that approach has worked finan-
cially or in a productive term in large
animal production systems.

Mainly because in Europe the concentra-
tion of veterinarians is so high that they
usually make the diagnosis for the far-
mer. But in Africa you have situations
where there are no vets available but still
there is a need for diagnosis.

The question is the other way. What
you are actually saying is that we do
not have cow side diagnostics because
we have got better things to do. Let me
tell you, if we had cow side tests and
we have veterinarians to do it, the
farmers would do it themselves, and in
a number of diseases. I think it is up to
us as veterinarians to actually ask our-
selves in these different epidemiological
situations: quot; What does the farmer
needquot;, and then tailor it to their needs.
That requires much more thought then
simply a demand for cow side testing.
If you can tell a farmer, a pastoralist,
that if they move their animals at this
time from A to B and they are going
through a tsetse belt - and you know
the disease is there because you have
used the test to prove the tsetse are
infected - then you know what the level
of challenge is going to be. Then you
can advise them how and when to
administer the drug to get them
through this period. And that is a far
more rational and better way of doing
things then simply demanding an abUity
to diagnose an individual animal. I
think we got to use this test in a better
way.

(Part 2 of the interview with Dr. Doyle
will be published in the next edition of
EQUATOR in August, 1993).

PRINCIPLES OF HERD HEALTH
AND PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
PROGRAMMES FOR DAIRY HERDS
IN TROPICAL COUNTRIES^

In industrialized countries veterinary services in the food animal sector have
evolved from individual treatment of diseased animals and controlling major
infectious diseases by eradication, to collective prevention by vaccination and
disease monitoring programmes. This resulted in many countries in a considerable
improvement of animal health. In the 1970\'s these achievements were followed by
herd fertility programmes with regular scheduled farm visits. As a consequence of
this approach, dairy farmers began keeping records and using pregnancy diagnosis
results to accurately determine drying off times, predict calving dates and make
culling decisions. An overall consequence of these programmes was improved farm
management. As soon as dairy farmers recognized the benefits of reproduction
management programmes, a strong request arose for similar programmes in other
operational areas such as: health care, nutrition, milk production and replacement
rearing.

This led to the development of integrated Herd Health and Production Manage-
ment Programmes (HH amp; PMP) for use by veterinary practioners. These pro-
grammes form the basis for the development of areas of veterinary specialization.
In an HH amp; PMP the technical and theoretical well known approaches in
individual animal health care are broadened to incorporate the herd or farm as
the unit of interest. The primary goal of these programmes is to improve profit
and productivity of the dairy enterprise by measuring, assessing and improving
management performance. In this paper the infrastructure for privatized veterinary
services in tropical countries and principles and techniques used in an HH amp; PMP
for dairy farming will be discussed.

Animal health services in many deve-
loping countries have been directed
towards the implementation of disease
surveillance and control programmes
that are intended for application on
national or regional scale. Departments
of Veterinary Service of the Ministries
of Agriculture of various countries in
Africa and Central America have start-
ed herd health monitoring program-
mes, mostly supported by international
organizations for development coope-
ration. Initial goals were to determine
the reproductive performance, produc-
tivity and production and health con-
straints of selected existing livestock
production systems. Following a regular
(monthly) collection of herd data of
identifiable animals over periods of 2-5
years and the detailed determination of
aspects of management, health pro-
blems and nutrition, it has been possi-
ble to identify major constraints.
In the medium and large size commer-
cial dairy farming enterprises in Zim-
babwe and Costa Rica, the HH amp;
PMPs have been successfully introdu-
ced. The encountered constraints and
the possibihties for interventions were
very similar to those in the industriali-
zed countries. Problems like prolonged
calving interval, high calf mortahty,
mastitis and lameness could, in general.

^ This is an abridged version of a presentation given by Prof. Dr. A. Brand during an expert panel consultation at FAO, Rome in March 1993.
Correspondence on the subject can be directed to Prof. Dr. A. Brand, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Herd Health and Reproduction, P.O.
Box 80.151, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands

be corrected or improved through
interventions in the management. Un-
der these conditions it has also become
possible to set targets for improvement
of productivity for individual farms of
herds. In both countries the private
sector, including private veterinau-ians,
have taken up the concept of HH amp;
PMP.

Various herd monitoring projects have
been implemented over the last decade
in a number of tropical countries with
varying results. For example in Borena,
Ethiopia, it was concluded that range
and water resources may have reached
their potential capacity to support sus-
tained herd growth under the pastoral
conditions. Here there has been no
follow-up. Likewise in Nicaragua,
where internal parasites and ticks were
identified as the major constraint for
increased productivity. In several other
instances there have been initiatives to
influence or control the limiting fac-
tor(s) and measure the subsequent
changes in the health status and pro-
ductivity of the herds. Interesting re-
sults were obtained under village condi-
tions in tsetse affected areas of Africa.
In The Gambia, where feeding during
the dry season is a problem, a marked
improvement in milk production was
noticed following the introduction of
locally available food supplements.
Following the introduction of novel
methods for tsetse control in northern
Ivory Coast, the effects on tsetse chal-
lenge, trypanosomiasis prevalence and
productivity were measured; in Ethio-
pia the changes in the requirement for
chemoprophylactic treatments for try-
panosomiasis control were determined.
The monitoring of zebu cattle, kept
under hot and humid climatical condi-
tions in the Coastal Province of Kenya,
resulted in the identification and reUef
of three serious constraints in relation
to nutrition and endemic diseases. In
areas where intensive dairy farming has
been introduced, the monitoring pro-
jects identified drawbacks in the repro-
duction performance and the health
status, which could often be corrected
through management interventions. An
example that can be mentioned is the
small scale dairy farming enterprise
under village conditions in eastern
Tanzania. Here the introduction of the
zero-grazing system allowed the use of
highly susceptible dairy cows in East
Coast fever (ECF) endemic ares.

What most or probably all these studies
have in common is that they are done
on a project basis and that the follow-
up is not guarantied. The involvement
of private veterinary practitioners has
therefor become an essential aspect of
a sustainable livestock service in these
countries.

For the implementation of HH amp;
PMPs in developing countries a proper
infrastructure is needed. It should con-
tain the following organizational, tech-
nical and financial elements: (1) private
veterinary practices; (2) regional vete-
rinary diagnostic laboratories; (3) vete-
rinary schools that include herd health
and production training in their curri-
culum; (4) extension service organiza-
tions; (5) epidemiological information
systems; (6) sufficient funding, equip-
ment and materials (cars and motorbi-
kes, instruments and drugs etc.) and (7)
qualified personnel

Examination of a sick individual animal
follows a protocol that contains a se-
quence of steps in which attention is
paid to every relevant aspect of the
function of the body as a whole and of
its separate organs. These observations
can lead to a diagnosis. In HH amp; PM
services, the examination of the mana-
gement of the whole enterprise or of
the various farm functions should also
make use of a protocol or systematic
approach. By employing an HH amp;
PMP protocol, management may be
examined thoroughly and systematical-
ly, comparable to the conduct of a
clinical examination of an animal. An
HH amp; PMP protocol consists of four
main components: (1) objectives; (2)
materials and methods; (3) interpreta-
tion and (4) follow-up or assessment.
Interpretation encompasses three sour-
ces of information: data collected by
the farmer, data resulting from clinical
examinations by the practioner and
farm inspection data. Follow-up inclu-
des actions and advices and/or adjust-
ment of pre-set targets.

Objectives can be defined either as
general objectives, reference values or
pre-set targets to be achieved on a
specific dairy farm or group of dairy
herds.

The primary general objectives of an
HH amp; PMP are directed towards dia-
gnosis and manipulation and optimi-
zation of: (1) the health and well being
of the herd; (2) the productivity of the
herd (and land); (3) the quality and
safety of dairy and meat products and
(4) the economic viability and sustaina-
bility of the enterprise.
Reference values for various farm per-
formance figures are or might be avai-
lable as regional averages. Pre-set tar-
gets are defined for individual farms or
herds and may be lower or higher than
reference values. Setting pre-set targets
implies shifting farm management from
an intuitive to an objective approach.
These targets are not only a starting
point of the programme but also im-
part direction to the programme.

Materials and methods are the tools
and techniques used by both the vete-
rinarian and the farm advisor to help
the farmer to reach the pre-set targets.

Interpretation is the integration of
information obtained from monitoring
raw data, from calculating performance
figures and from making evaluations
and analyses of performance parame-
ters. The final goal is to determine
whether or not the objectives are met.
Experience and long term record
keeping will stimulate recognition of
seasonal patterns and non-significant
deviations.

A set of herd-based performance figu-
res, that can be used to monitor the
herd\'s health and productivity, are
needed. Examples of such figures are:
calving interval of the herd, incidence
of abortions (%), disease prevalences
and incidences, milk production level,
roughage production per ha etc. These
performance figures are different from
physical performance parameters such
as: body temperature, pulse and res-
piration rate in individual animals. This
means that in the evaluation process, a
switch has to be made from the use of
physical performance indicators to herd
performance indicators. Once the
switch is made the clinical approach for
individual animals is also applicable to
a herd.

Analysis encompasses the resolution of
performance figures into simpler ele-
ments and sometimes requires epide-
miological comparisons. The analysis
may need to incorporate information

The contents and frequency of farm visits de-
pend on the number of animals in the herd
and on the number of farm functions inclu-
ded in the programme. If herds consist of
only a few animals, herds can be grouped
and considered as one herd. The operational
management of a dairy farm can be divided
into eight separate functions, which include
most of the farm activities. The individual
functions are (1) crop production; (2) feeding
management; (3) health care; (4) reproducti-
on; (5) milk production; (6) replacement
management; (7) fixed asset and labour
management and (8) cash management.
The costs of the proposed herd health and
production management programme (HH amp;
PMP) should be convinced that the benefits
of the overaU HH amp; PMP exceed the costs
although specific proof of this relationship
will be impossible in many cases.

Each of the earlier mentioned functions
consists of several interrelated processes. For
example, the processes contained within
health care are: observation, examination,
prevention, treatment and assessment. Each
of these processes generate data that have to
be recorded.

Data recording is the heart of the HH amp;
PMP. The weakest link in an HH amp; PMP is
usually inaccurate or insufficient daily record
keeping, not only by the farmer but also by
the practioner. Without good records, no
meaningful evaluations can be made of plan-
ned objectives and no analysis of herd per-
formance can be undertaken. Therefore the
follow-up or assessment can not be conduc-
ted. The examination of a reliable data will
result in a clinical and epidemiological dia-
gnosis and in the quantification of a pro-
blem.

Within the framework of an HH amp; PMPs,
one has to realise that in most cases data
may be only present in the mind of the far-
mer or scattered in many different spots. The
first step in an HH amp; PMP is to train the
farmer or herdsman in accurate, daily data
collection, so that the information becomes
more tangible and accessible.

The form of the record keeping systems is
important and will increase or limit the abili-
ty of the farmer and HH amp; PM practioner to
make sound interpretations and decisions.
They may include: (1) farm diary; (2) bam
charts and (3) electronic data systems. Data
collection and storage must be followed by
computation and processing of performance
figures and subsequent analysis.

Several activities have to be performed
during the first farm visit or better before the
first farm visit. These include: (1) consulting
the producers in the defmition and imple-
mentation of HH amp; PMP and making use of
the knowledge, skills and analytical ability of
local farmers and herdsmen; (2) a good
technical and sociological understanding of
farming systems used in (rural) communities.
It is always important to examine if HH amp;
PMP can be implemented under specific
cultural, religious, sociological and ecologi-
cal circumstances; (3) awareness of gender
influence in livestock keeping; (4) collection
of comprehensive and recent data on actual
production of milk, meat, manure and
draught power, on which HH amp; PMP plan-
ning can be based and (5) taking time to
listen to farmers and offering them to share
their knowledge with others. In order to
observe farm conditions over the breadth of
farm operations the first visit will usually
require more time than later visits. Clinical
examination and general observation of the
enterprise and herd should always be
included.

A farm inspection is an in-depth epidemiolo-
gical examination of a farm function, in
which attention is paid to all relevant inter-
actions between hosts, agents and the envi-
ronment. A farm inspection will be conduc-
ted in some form at each visit. Initially, the
veterinarian should become familiar with all
aspects that might influence the herd perfor-
mance. However, the aspects of farm mana-
gement chat are most closely related to the
initial focus of the HH amp; PMP should recei-
ve greatest attention. The following items
should be examined: (1) observation of
cows, farm conditions and management
aspects. Observation of management activ-
ities is a basic instrument in an HH amp; PMP.
(2) feeding, (3) manure management and (4)
pasture management.

Usually clinical activities are performed first
during the farm visit. Thç activities should
be directed towards the chief complaint that
initiated the HH amp; PMP. One of the reasons
for immediately inspecting or treating the
individual animal, when the major concern
of the HH amp; PMP is the status of the whole
herd, is to insure the farmer that he will get
service in addition to advice as part of the
programme. During the first visit and depen-
ding on the current information about the
reproductive status of individual animals, the
veterinarian must decide whether to rectally
examine all cows or only those of unknown
status The size of the herd and the restrain
facilities will influence how this is handled.
Clinical activities are continued by examin-
ation and treatment of sick, mastitic or lame
cows. Blood, milk, faeces, or urine may be
collected for laboratory examination if the
data obtained will be relevant to the problem
initiating he HH amp; PMP or if analyses are
indicated by observations.
Youngstock examination for the status of
health, growth and reproductive function is
done following the same procedures as in
adults. Discussion of current replacement
rearing policy can be incorporated into these
activities. Preparation for the (next) farm
visits also includes the making of work lists,
data acquisition or computer entry and data
analysis. The routine clinical work at the
farm, performed at set intervals, provides
regular opportunities for observation and
data collection.

Usually a protocol for activities is esta-
blished that follows a logical sequence and
covers the following aspects: (1) routine
genital examinations, clinical examination of
sick or lame animals and treatments; (2)
youngstock growth monitoring; (3) collection
of samples for laboratory disease diagnosis,
disease monitoring, or surveillance; (4) farm
inspection to monitor progress in planned
changes and to check for pending problems;
(5) collection of farmer recorded data; (6)
review of performance figures; (7) planning
for the solving of problems recognized du-
i-ing analysis or identified during farm in-
spection and (8) scheduling of next farm
visit.

result. The analysis of the data collec-
ted by the farmer, veterinarian, veteri-
nary assistants, including data from the
farm inspection, will lead to a perfor-

The epidemiological components wilî
provide insight into risk factors thaï
may be modified by management chan-
ges.

The fourth component of the system is
the follow-up. It includes: (1) the trans-
lation of the interpreted results into
actions and advice for corrective mea-

sures; (2) assessment of the effects of
measures previously taken, or if indica-
ted; (3) re-setting the objectives and
(4) continuing with the routine activi-
ties through the next farm visit.

In most tropical countries local veteri-
nary practioners managing a private
practice hardly exist. This is clearly
demonstrated in many reports on live-
stock services for smallholders. In or-
der to help livestock farmers in develo-
ping countries to move from subsisten-
ce level of farming to a more producti-
on oriented system, the veterinary in-
frastructure has to be improved. The
estabUshment of private veterinary
practices is a first prerequisite for
achieving this goal. However, privatiza-
tion has not been very successful for
professional veterinarians and requires
as such support from national and
international organizations. A second
instrument is the implementation of
integrated HH amp; PMP. In these pro-
grammes the veterinary practioner,
farm advisor and the farmer must
cooperate by implementing their spe-
cific skills to understand and manipula-
te the complex nature of health and
productivity. Farm visits should be
made on a regular basis instead on
emergency calls.

Proper infrastructures are needed to
improve animal health and productivity
they can be created by switching health
services from the public to private
sector where possible. The key words
for this are: establishment of private

Following regular collection
of herd data of identifiable
animals and the detailed
determination of aspects of
management, health status
and nutrition, it may be
possible to identify major
production constraints
(photo: Paling)

veterinary practices in rural areas, ttirn
out by veterinary schools of veterinari-
ans with excellent clinical skills and
knowledge as well as well trained para-
veterinarians; good functioning regional
veterinary diagnostic laboratories and
livestock extension service organizations
and, last bot not least, capable farm
advisors working in concert with the
local veterinary assistance. Animal
health services must be located in the
villages where farmers, especially small-
holders, live.

Services should be delivered by locals
who understand and can communicate
with farmers. Up-dated resource bases
and continued education programmes
of involved personnel are needed. The
development of veterinary assistance
should be started on a small scale and
should be subsidised whenever requi-
red. International development pro-
grammes should be aimed at suppor-
ting such developments.

On 27 January, 1993 the Foundation
Diergeneeskunde in Ontwikkelings-
samenwerking (DIO) organized its
annual symposium. This year\'s sympo-
sium was entitled quot;Livestock production
and environment in developing coun-
triesquot;. Prof. Dr.-D. Zwart gave an in-
troductory presentation on quot;Perspec-
tives of sustainable Uvestock production
in developing countriesquot;. The following
speakers covered subjects like: intensive
versus extensive production systems
(Drs. Van Dbdioorn), sociological and
extension aspects of livestock produc-
tion (Ir. Beerling) and environmental
effects of overgrazing (Ir. Baars). The
last two speakers presented data on the
livestock development project in Zam-
bia. A booklet, containing abstracts of
the presentations can be obtained from
DIO.

On 27 February, 1993 the annual mee-
ting of the organization quot;Vétérinaires
sans Frontières Europaquot; took place in
Edinburgh. A copy of the report of this
meeting can also be obtain from DIO.
The next meeting, which will take place
on 28-29 January, 1994 will be held in
Utrecht. We will keep you informed!

Foundation DIO, Yalelaan 17, P.O.
Box 80156, 3508 TD Utrecht, The
Netherlands (Tel.: 31.30.532032).

the country is a paradise in a turbulent
region. However, coming from the
Netherlands, I had to get used to some
differences, so are the houses in gene-
ral rather small and simple, the roads
in poor condition and the cars of old
age. And, although there is a large
middle class, the differences between
the rich and the poor are more evident
than in the Netherlands.
Apart from being a pleasant country to
do a tralneeship, the country is also an
ideal place for holidays. There are
many splendid national parks and vast
beaches, of which most can be reached
in a few hours by public transport. One
is tempted to let the weekends last for
3 or 4 days!

During the (last) year of their education at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
of Utrecht University, the Netherlands, veterinary students with an interest in the
tropics can choose to take part in a special 10 week course on quot;Tropical animal
health and husbandryquot;, the so-called quot;Tropencursusquot;. Students who seriously
consider to opt for a job in the tropics once they have graduated, may wish to do
a student traineeship as part of their veterinary education in a tropical country,
usually as a follow-up of the tropical course. After finishing their veterinary edu-
cation, the special course on tropical animal health and husbandry and the practi-
cal training in a tropical country, these young veterinarians are well prepared to
start a professional career in the livestock sector in any part of the world. Patrick
Hermans is one of them. He has just completed two-thirds of his six months
traineeship at the Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria in Heredia, Costa Rica, where
he studies ticks of livestock and the infections they carry. This is his report from
Central America.

When I made my choice to start stu-
dying veterinary medicine, already I
had the idea that once I might be wor-
king in the tropics. During my study,
for several reasons, I did not do a
traineeship in the tropics. However,
when I was at the end of my year
and finishing my co-assistantship with
the course on tropical animal health
and husbandry, I decided to do a trai-
neeship at the very end of my veterina-
ry training. So, when my colleagues
made their first uncertain steps in vete-
rinary practice or were searching for a
job, I left for Costa Rica. In Septem-
ber, 1992 I started with a research
project on ticks of livestock. Now, while
I am writing this article, two-thirds of
my time here have past. Time flies!

Animals are put to the
ground and all ticks present
on one side are collected
(photo: Dwinger)

Apart from walking through the tropi-
cal rain forest and sun bathing on the
white beaches, I also try to do some
work in the veterinary field. I follow my
traineeship at the veterinary school of
the Universidad Nacional (UNA) in
Heredia. This veterinary school has a
programme of collaboration with the

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in
Utrecht. I perform a study on the pre-
sence of ticks on cattle and look at the
seasonal variation (dry and rainy sea-
son) in the numbers of the different
species. For this study we have selected
five farms in two different areas of
Costa Rica. Each farm is visited once a
month and three to five animals are
chosen at random. Each of these ani-
mals is put to the ground and all ticks,
present on one side of the animal, are
collected.

Patrick Hermans in the
laboratory. Serum is sepa-
rated and will be examined
for antibodies (photo:
Dwinger).

each of the animals. These will be exa-
mined for Anaplasma and Babesia
parasites. For this purpose a blood
slide is made and examined and serum
samples are collected to be tested for
the presence of antibodies.

A second aspect of the study, which
sofar has not come of the ground very
well, is the determination of the level
of infection of ticks with Anaplasma
and Babesia parasites. Of all female
ticks larger than 5 mm. a smear is
made of the haemolymph and it is the
intention to examine these smears
using an immune fluorescence test
(IFT). Up to now we have not succeed-
ed to obtain results with this test, main-
ly due to a lack of experience in using
IFT for the examination of haemo-
lymph.

The research protocol of my training
indicated that the polymerase chain
reaction (PGR) would also be used to
determine the infection rate of ticks.
However, soon it became clear that the
essential requirements for this test
were lacking. Through the contacts that
the veterinary school of Heredia main-
tains with the veterinary faculty of
Missouri in the USA, we have now
been offered the possibihty to perform
the PGR at their laboratory. At the end
of my stay here I hope to spend a
month in the USA to determine the
infection rate in the ticks we have col-
lected by using the PGR.

All considered, it is a good experience
to be and to work here for six months.
Although many people do not consider
Costa Rica to be a developing country,
for me there are a good number of
things I associate with a developing
country. This varies from cuts in the
power and water supply, to the fact
that one has to be very patient to get
something done. Especially, institutions
like banks, the post office, goverimient
institutions, the university etc. do not
seem to function efficient at all times. I
learned that it is best to accept this. If
one tries to speed things up this may
well have the opposite effect. Certainly,
once I am back in the Netherlands I
shall recall with sadness aU the positive
experiences I had, the friendly people,
the beautiful nature and the pleasant
climate.

THIRD INTERNATIONAL COURSE
quot;INTRODUCTION TO HERD HE-
ALTH AND EPIDEMIOLOGYquot;

*nbsp;Introduction to herd health and the
VAMPP-programme for fertility
control of dairy cattle;

*nbsp;fertility analysis and aspects of re-
production like gynaecology, animal
husbandry, artificial insemination
and embryo transfer;

Besides attending lectures, practicals
and demonstrations, participants will
visit a number of dairy farms in the
service area of the ambulatory clinic of
health services. Also, the touristic inte-
rest of the participants will not be
forgotten. The course includes 2 days
of excursions to interesting sites in the
Netherlands.

Following this course, the possibiUty ex-
ists to follow more specialized training
on an individual basis.

The course fee is Dfl. 7.500,-, excluding
the costs for travel, subsistence, lodging
and medical insurance.

The coordinating bureau requires a
good knowledge of the level of educati-
on and the working conditions of the
candidates for selecting the appropriate
■participants for the course. Therefore,
applicants have to send a letter with a
detailed curriculum vitae, stressing aca-
demic and/or professional merits.
Closing date for registration: 1 August,
1993.

This section contains vacancy an-
nouncements which the editorial board
considers to be of possible interest to
Dutch veterinarians. Besides vacancies
that will be taken from Vacatureblad
Internationale Samenwerking, Tijd-
schrift voor Diergeneeskunde, Veteri-
nary Record, Intro vacatures (RDP
Advies/ Ministry of Internal Affairs)
etc., there will be room for personnel
advertisements. For further information
one is requested to apply directly to the
institution or company.

outline: Realization of an study on the
feasibility of a project to eliminate bru-
cellosis and tuberculosis in bovines.

The professional to be contracted will
carry out a feasibility study on the eli-
mination of brucellosis and tuberculosis
in bovines and the implementation of a
system of epidemiologic vigilance, pre-
vention and evaluation of the economic
impact of chronical diseases and sub-
clinic complexes in the Uruguayan catt-
le breeding. A maximum of 3 missions,
with a total duration of 2 months wall
to be conduted during a period of 6
months.

The professional to be contracted will
act as Director of the Project and will
receive a salary equivalent to $ 20,000
for the 2 months period and other be-
nefits.

Specialization in epidemiology and/or
planning in animal health and producti-
on (MSc or PhD).

Please forward a CV to: Dr. Dante
Geymonat, Director General de los
Servicios Veterinarios, Ministerio de
Ganaderia, Agricultura y Pesca, Colo-
nia 892-2° Piso - Montevideo, Republi-
ca Oriental del Uruguay (Tel.: 598.2-
.920227, telefax: 598.2.980234 or
985603).

(The full text in Spanish can be obtai-
ned from the Editorial Office of EQU-
ATOR, telefax: 31.30.531815).

14quot;^ International conference of the
world association for the advancement
of veterinary parasitology. Theme:
quot;Understanding and control of parasitic
diseases of animalsquot;. Sub-themes: Para-
site control in (1) Sustainable producti-
on systems, (2) Intensive versus non-
intensive systems for rimiinants and
non-ruminants, (3) Nomadic situations
and (4) Transhumance situations; Ge-
netic resistance to parasitic diseases;
Vaccine development; Vector biology
and control; Chemotherapy and delive-
ry systems for blood protozoa and
helminths; Anthelmintic resistance;
Teaching veterinary parasitology. Infor-
mation: Prof. Lord Soulsby, Dep. Clini-
cal Veterinary Medicine, Madingley
Road, Cambridge CB3 OES (Telefax.:
44.223.337610).

30 August - 8 October, 1993.
International course on modern dairy
farm management. Organized by: Dairy
Training Centre Friesland. Programme:
Milk and milking; dairy cattle feeding;
forage production; calf-rearing; fertility;
breeding; animal health; housing; farm
machinery; manpower management;
farm economics; Dutch dairy industry.
Course fee including board and loging,
excursion and insurance: Dfl. 4,250.
Information and registration: Director
DTC-Friesland, P.O. Box 85, 9062 ZJ
Oenkerk, The Netherlands. Tel.: 31.-
5103.1562, telefax: 31.5103.1628.

14-18 September, 1993.
Symposium on: quot;The capture, care and
management of threatened mammelsquot;.
Organized by: The World Association
of Wildlife Veterinarians and the Wild-
life Group of the South African Veteri-
nary Association. Information: Dr. Ian
Epsie, 209, Clara Rerea, 18 Clara
Street, Pretoria (X)01 or Prof. J. van
Heerden, P.O. Box 12900, Onderste-
poort 0110.

4quot;^ Symposium on quot;Tropical animal
health and production. Recent deve-
lopments in veterinary epidemiology.
Organized by the Committee for the
Advancement of Tropical veterinary
Science (CATS) and the Office for
International Cooperation of the Facul-
ty of Veterinary Medicine. See pro-
gramme and registration form enclosed
in this issue of EQUATOR. Locaüon:
Yalelaan 1, De Uithof. Utrecht. No
registration fee. Closmg date for regist-
ration: 4 September, 1993. Informadon
and registration: Office for Internatio-
nal Cooperation, P.O. Box 80.163, 3508
TD Utrecht (Tel.: 31.30.532116, tele-
fax: 31.30.531815).

11 October - 26 November, 1993.
3quot;^ International course quot;Introduction to
herd health and epidemiologyquot;. Organi-
zed by the Office for International
Cooperation and the Department of
Herd Health and Reproduction of the
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Pro-
gramme: Introducdon to herd health
and the VAMPP-programme for fertili-
ty control of dairy cattle; introduction
to veterinary epidemiology; fertility
analysis and aspects of reproduction
like gynaecology, animal husbandry,
artificial insemination and embryo
transfer; claw disorders; mastitis: diag-
nosis, epidemiology, therapy and pre-
vention; calf rearing and nutrition.
Course fee: Dfl. 7,500,-. Closing date
for registration 1 August. 1993. Infor-
mation and registration: Office for
International Cooperation, P.O. Box
80.163, 3508 TD Utrecht (Tel.: 31.30-
532116, telefax: 31.30.531815).

24-29 October, 1993.
11*^ International Symposium of the
World Association of Veterinary Food
Hygienists (WAVFH). Organized by:
The Thai Veterinary Medical Associati-
on under the Royal Patronage
(TVMA). Information and Registrati-
on: The Symposium Secretariat, Dr.
Songkram Luangtongkum, llquot;*
WAVFH Symposium, TVMA, 69/26
Soi Äthane Theatre, Phyathai Road,

17 January - 15 July, 1994.
T*quot; International course on quot;Dairy hus-
bandry and milk processing\'. Organized
by: Dairy Training Centre Friesland.
Programme general part (11 weeks):
Dairy development; animal husbandry;
milk processing. Followed by speciali-
zed part (15 weeks) which has 3 opti-
ons. Option 1 and 2: Dairy production
(9 weeks) followed by either 6 weeks:
Training and extension or by 6 weeks:
Dairy farm management. Option 3:
Small-scale milk processing. Course
fee: Dfl. 4,500. Closing date for regist-
ration: 1 October, 1993. Information
and registration: Director DTC-Fries-
land, P.O. Box 85, 9062 ZJ Oenkerk,
The Netherlands. Tel.: 31.5103.1562,
telefax: 31.5103.1628.

13quot;quot; International Pig Veterinary Socie-
ty (IPVS) Congress. Organized by: Fa-
culty of Veterinary Science, Chulalong-
kom University. Information and re-
gistration: Dr. Annop Kunavongkrit,
Secretary of the 13quot;^ IPVS Congress,
Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chula-
longkom University, Bangkok 10330
(Tel.: 66.22520738, telefax 66.2.-
2553910).

29 August - 7 October, 1994.
International course on: \'Modern dairy
farmmanagementquot;. Organized by: Dairy
Training Centre Friesland. Programme;
milk and milking; dairy cattle feeding;
forage production; calf-rearing; fertihty;
breeding; animal health; housing; farm
machinery; manpower management;
farm economics and Dutch dairy indus-
try. Course fee including board and lo-
ging, excursion and insurance: Dfl.
4,250. Information and registration:
Director DTC-Friesland, P.O. Box 85,
9062 ZJ Oenkerk, The Netherlands.
Tel.: 31.5103.1562, telefax: 31.-
5103.1628.

F:01:AT()R is a pcrimliial ol
iIk- OIIkv lor Inlcrnalinnal
CcmpL\'ialiiin ui the F\'aciilly ul
Vckrinary MccIIl-mic ol\' Lîlrcchl
I \'nivcrsily.

Editorial biiiird
J.H.A. dc (lOoijcT
(iiK-l. prodiiclion)
M.F.NL i-anuolaar MVM
R.W. I\'alinii DVM I\'hl)
(cdilor-in-chicf)

EOUATOR is published bi-
monthly. The March, July and
NovemlK-r issues of EOUATOR
are published in Engli.sh.

Subscription is free of charge.
For changes in address and
termination of subscription plea-
se return the corrected label to
the editorial office.
If undeliverable please return to
the editorial office.

As announced, this issue of EQUA-
TOR contains numbers 4 and 5. In
November this year\'s last issue will be
published in the Dutch language.
Readers may have wondered where the
title of the first part of the interview
with Dr. Jack Doyle of ILRAD, came
from. They will find the solution in this
issue.

Dr. Doyle states that the western coun-
tries have enough knowledge and
know-how to solve, at least for the
coming ten years, the problems resul-
ting from the fast increasing demand
for food in the developing world. We
have to use the best of nowadays tech-
nology to meet with the growing de-
mand for protein in third world coun-
tries. Indispensable elements are trans-
fer of knowledge and the formation
and strengthening of networks of re-
search groups in government instituti-
ons, universities and private enterprise
all over the world. But, how can one
operate looking at the reality of vast
numbers of refugees in many parts of
the world? A healthy livestock produc-
tion sector requires a sound and func-
tioning infrastructure. As long as mil-
lions of farmers are not able to work
on the land and livestock is being
slaughtered in civil wars, all efforts
beside emergency aid will be wasted in
the quot;war zonesquot;.

We bring you news from East Asia.
Two representatives from Utrecht
University\'s Faculty of Veterinary Me-
dicine went to Thailand to discuss
possibilities for future activities and to
sign a memorandum of understanding
on veterinary education and research
co-operation between the Ministry of
University Affairs of Thailand and the
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of
Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
The general objective of the memoran-
dum is to strengthen and broaden the
scientific co-operation between the
Thai and Dutch veterinary faculties. No
doubt you will read more about this
new link in future issues of EQUA-
TOR.

in 2 - 3 years from now, more likely 2
than 3 years. The collaboration with
ILCA - our parallel work at looking at
trypanotolerance in the field and ap-
plying conventional good quantitative
genetics - allows you to marry both
technologies. Now you can look at
what quantitative genetics tells you in
a production system environment and
you can eventually marry that out-
come to what your markers are star-
ting to tell you about these various
traits. And when these two are put
together, there will be a substantial
opportunity to breed trypanotolerant
cattle for the production environment.
Who is going to do it is a question of
private/public sector capacities or
anything else, but the technology will
be there to do it.

I participated in a workshop of the
Kenya National Research Organiza-
tion and they were completely confi-
dent of the fact that these opportu-
nities were coming up. They were
brushing up their quantitative genetics
to marry to the molecular genetics to
improve their production systems, not
in trypanotolerant cattle, but in milk
and meat. So this is the way we
should look as we transfer technology
to developing countries. We need to
make sure they have the already
established technologies well at hand.
Because if they don\'t have competen-
ce in quantitative genetics, they can-
not use the new genetics. The new
genetics do not solve that problem,
but if they have got both they can
make large advances in selective
breeding. And if you ally that with the
technology of embryo transfer and
the rest, there is a unique opportunity
to go and do something practical
about expanding the number of im-
proved productive cattle.

At the moment people are trying to
put money into artificial insemination
(A.I.). They say: quot;We have to have an
A.l. facilityquot;. quot;Wequot; is a very dubious
noun to use there. Actually, they
should really look at the problem and
say: quot;Okay, if we need increased
productivity by an x- amount in this
period of time, so that people won\'t
starve, what technologies will be avai-
lable and how do we use them?quot; We
just got to go and do it! Not say peo-
ple can\'t do it. You will not get a
solution in time by A.l. and you will
not get it by conventional breeding,
so you have got to use the new tech-
nology.

How will this affect the farmer. How
will the farmer get hold of these im-
proved animals. Do you think there is
a way to introduce trypanotolerant
livestock into other areas of Africa,
not only West Africa?

The previous president of Tanzania
once asked his head of veterinary
services and livestock production,
long before he retired, how he could
have trypanotolerant animals in Tan-
zania. And really the only thing that
stopped him was the animal health
regulation on import of live animals.
Embryo transfer solves that problem.
And there will be an increasing move
to the private sector. Remember the
cooperatives are private sector. So, a
group of farmers, getting together,
that technology will be there and will
spill down from public to private. It
will be demand driven by the private
sector. It got to be private sector to

succeed. Because we know if you put
large investments into the public sec-
tor for things like this, in Africa or
elsewhere, they generally don\'t work.

Yes, but don\'t confuse these FAO
initiatives with the FAO initiative on
genetic conservation which is lauda-
ble and for which these maps and
these techniques make it much more
simple. I think that those of us who
are vets know the definition of pheno-
type and genotype. An example: ILCA
was going to look at trypanotolerance
in sheep. When you go to West Afri-
ca, you find a whole lot of sheep
called a whole lot of different names.
But you don\'t actually know if they
are genetically different. The new
technologies now allow you to check
that out with precision. The converse
is also true, that things that look the
same may as a matter of fact be im-
portantly different. So there are two
aspects to genetic technology. Firstly,
you can start to accurately identify
your indigenous livestock and conser-
ve them with reason and purpose and
secondly you can use them to impro-
ve the productivity. I am not even
talking of gene transfer and transge-
nics. We are talking about reasonable
technology.

One of the things that is going to
drive the public sector faster than
people realise is that government
policies have changed their pricing
structures into virtually open markets
and cross-border markets. This is, for
the first time, putting-real money in
the hands of the farmer. The farmer
will use this to develop, this is the key
change that will make agriculture
work. When the farmers were not
getting a real return on their invest-
ments, because the governments
were protecting the urban popula-
tions, the farmers had no incentive to
invest or experiment and that is the
reason for our failures over the last 20
years. If the farmers want to invest,
we have to give them something that
is going to return their investment and
give them more money to invest and
hence you increase agriculture pro-
ductivity.

There is quite some talk about the
quot;dumpingquot; by the EC of meat in West
Africa and the negative effects it has
on livestock production in this area.
In fact, does this not deprive the
farmers of a real income?

That is largely coming to an end. If
the GATT negotiations ultimately suc-
ceed, a lot of these quot;little thingsquot;,
which were important, will disappear
over time. A real market situation,
where the farmer is starting to see a
return for his investment and can
invest more, is the issue. Also, the
different levels of currencies in Africa
cause problems, the CFA franc in
particular. People are now giving their
attention to that as well. The real key
is now more and more that the farmer
has money and a vote. That means
something. These two opportunities
must not be missed if we want to try
to avoid the malnutrition economy
trap. And my part in this is to get the
technology to them. It does not need
to be yesterday\'s technology.

The uterus of a N\'Dama cow is flushed
to remove the embryos which are only a
few days old and not yet fixed inside.
Subsequently each embryo is implanted
in a foster mother cow (photo: ILRAD)

As you mentioned earlier on, money
for research is limited. Subsequently,
networks are being formed of institu-
tes having the same objectives, stu-
dying the same disease, or having
the same problems as their goal for
research. Is ILRAD participating in
this type of networks?

Yes, ILRAD always has: With ILCA
and the national organizations of sub-
saharan Africa in the trypanotolerance
network, with FAO on infection and
treatment immunization against ECF
in the countries affected, that is now
extended to other tick-borne disea-
ses, and with IAEA in Vienna on the
new diagnostics in animal and human
health. We see ourselves as people
whose comparative advantage is to
make tools. What is really the end of
the research process is knowledge
and technology. There are many
other much larger institutions in the
world whose job it is to give those
tools to people. And we will work in
partnership with them. I think this
type of collaboration needs to be
much more encouraged in all sorts of
aspects of development work than
currently is.

is ILRAD also participating in fund
raising? A network often has more
access to funds then individual insti-
tutes.

That is a very complex question. The
answer is depending on where you
want to start. If you start a research
network in strategic research, one of
the reasons you start it, is to bring
coherence to the programme; but
also to bring in the funding your part-
ners will get from sources that are not
available to ILRAD.

When you come down towards the
farmer level in networking it becomes
probably less cost effective for a Con-
sultative Group (CG) institute to do
this then for a regional organization,
like SADCC or the other regional
organizations which exist in the world.
They are closer to the problem and
they can select who they want their
partners to be. I prefer to see the
money for networks in functional re-
gional organizations or national
organizations. For example, a national

Trypanosomiasis has been studied at
ILRAD from 1973 onwards. A lot has
been discovered about the biology of
the parasite, but no vaccine has been
developed yet. Will there be a vacci-
ne? Will ILRAD continue to looflt; for it
or has the interest moved towards
improvement of chemotherapy and
the use of trypanotolerance?

What the institute is doing, is adop-
ting a far more logical approach to
what we term candidate antigens. I
think the interesting approach is: quot;Can
we find parasite antigens that are
actually involved in pathogenesis of
disease, the interaction of these anti-
gens with macrophages or other cells
in the body, or the haemapoetic sys-
tem.quot; By looking at these and the
pathogenesis of trypanosomiasis, we
can link the parasite, its products and
its end effects, and then look if there
is an antigen out there that may be
able to immunize with, but that won\'t
stop disease. And let the animal, be-
cause it has no longer a disease, take
care of the parasite anyway. The ma-
laria example is a good one to follow.
We are doing that because we are so
heavily involved in molecular patholo-
gy and molecular physiology. We
have a very good understanding of
the parasites, so if these leads ap-
pear, they will be followed up. But it
is not cheap to do so. That is the
other point you have to keep in mind.
You cannot chase any trypanosome
antigen on a limited budget.

In May this year Dr. Jack Doyle, Deputy Director of the International Laboratory
for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD), based at Nairobi Kenya, was
interviewed by the editors of EQUATOR. The first part of the interview was
published in EQUATOR, volume 5, no. 3 of June, 1993. Dr. Doyle has been
involved with research and management at ILRAD for almost 20 years. ILRAD
was established in 1973 with the mandate quot;To conduct Intensive research
leading to improved control of important livestock diseases in developing
countries, particular in Africaquot;. During this period ILRAD has developed into one
of the leading research institutes on livestock diseases in the world. In his
capacity as Director of Research of ILRAD, a function Dr. Doyle occupied from
1983 to 1991, he developed and directed ILRAD\'s research programmes on
theileriosis and trypanosomiasis, which have not only produced major scientific
breakthroughs in the fundamental knowledge of the parasites and the diseases
they cause, but also in the comprehension of the bovine immune system and
defence mechanisms in general.

Of course often questions are asked like: quot;What has all this research contribu-
ted to livestock production in Africa and to the income of livestock holder?quot;
and quot;When will there be adequate, sustainable and economical methods of
control for diseases that obstruct livestock development in Africa?quot; In Dr.
Doyle\'s view, the transfer of new technologies, privatization and money to
invest for the farmers are key words in the process of increasing animal
production in developing countries.

What follows is the second part of the interview with Dr. Doyle.

We have been able to move on from
the delineation of the bovine immune
system, which is basically where
ILRAD paid its price to the world, be-
cause nobody else was able to do
that. We are now looking at cytokines
and macrophages, the haemapoetic
system and the lymphoid system and
its stem cells and organization. When
we know the organization, we can
see where it is perturbed. It is very
difficult to know what is perturbed if
you don\'t know what normality looks
like. But we are well along that path, I
would say that the second most im-
portant thing that ILRAD is doing in
ruminant physiology is to look at the
cytokines and their interactions and
to see how all these systems interact
among themselves and which dis-
eases are a manifestation of perturba-
tion of physiology. We now really
have the tools to go back and look
where this perturbation occurs. It is a
long term process, you never know
when it will pop out of the woodwork.
That is the nature of it. But that work
is not specifically geared at looking at
antigens; it is geared partially at the
mechanism of trypanotolerance and
looking at genetics of antigen produc-
tion as well. So it is all incorporated
and if a vaccine comes out, it will
spin out of that.

You mentioned trypanotolerance. For
the last decade, this is an area of
research at ILRAD. How is the pro-
gress and do you see ways that it
can be exploited to increase live-
stock production in Africa in the near
future?

The answer to that is clearly yes. The
third thing that ILRAD has done is to
collaborate on the study of the bovine
genome. As a matter of fact, we are
one of only three institutions that are
able to breed the Fl and F2 genera-
tions required and we make this DNA
available to all the other people who
are looking at it. The way the techno-
logy is advancing, a workable physi-
cal map of the genome will be around

organization witli a programme to
control calf diseases would not come
to ILRAD, because we could not help
them. Utrecht University could, with
their lovely new molecular diagnos-
tics. But if it was tick-borne disease
then the problem would come to us,
because we are more comparative
then Utrecht University. My father is
an artist. Now, I always use this simi-
larity: The regional organizations
should be able to lift the colour of the
palet as they wish. ILRAD wants to be
one of the colours on the palet. It is
very important because production
systems have to change so rapidly
that what is good today will not be
good tomorrow. So you should not
lock it in. You should be able to react
to changing situations.

Universities in Europe, like Utrecht
University, have limited funds but a
very strong commitment to participate
in research, basic and applied if
possible, for developing countries.
How does ILRAD value these con-
tacts and do you see any scope for
collaboration in the future?

Yes, I think in strategic research
ILRAD\'s critical role is not to do the
basic research at all, but to take basic
research and apply it strategically to
problems of the developing world,
which are very precisely defined. If
people do not do this basic strategic
research in the developed world, we
can not transfer it to the developing
world. I think there are two paths
happening. One is the necessity for
developed countries to support basic
strategic research at their biological
agricultural faculties and secondly we
have got to get better in applying the
technology we have already gene-
rated in the developed world and ap-
ply it to problems in the developing
world. That requires another infra-
structure, maybe networks, but may-
be something bigger. If you are look-
ing for real increases in agricultural
productivity in the next 5 to 10 years,
there is probably more than enough
technology in the developed world for
any situation. But we are not finding a
way of focusing it on the problems in
the developing world. We are starting
to see in Europe that the universities
are getting together through the EC-
type of collaborative organization. We
need to see better how we can start
to link these, not only with the natio-
nal agricultural research systems, but
more in particular with the universities
and perhaps some private sector
groups in the developing world to
solve problems. I think the biggest
gap we still have is between the po-
tential and wish in the developed
world. We don\'t have a vehicle to
transfer it with efficiency to the farmer
in the developing world who needs it.
That is one thing we all should think
about.

The overall problem is that even in
Europe, the right hand has trouble
knowing what the left hand is doing.
What we must avoid is creating new
vehicles and re-doing research that is
already done. We can use that money
better in the countries themselves to
take the technology by improving
their universities, their veterinary and
agricultural skills. May be in the form
of a World bank project, may be
UNEP or FAO have a role to play; the
consultative group is not the ultimate
vehicle for it.

The Itiformation Centre for Low-Exter-
nal-Input and Sustainable Agriculture
(ILEIA) is looking for papers on how
rural peoples\' biotechnology can be
improved. ILEIA especially welcomes
case studies on farmers\' practices and
appropriate farm technologies deve-
loped by research and development
agencies in the domains of:

It is further interested in innovative
roles of farmers in generating, main-
taining and further developing of bio-
technologies.

These papers, together with the win-
ning articles of a contest held by ILEIA
earlier this year, will be published. The
publication will be made available for
all readers of the ILEIA Newsletter
and the Biotechnology and Develop-
ment MONITOR. Authors of the se-
lected papers will be paid an author\'s
fee.

Persons interested in contributing are
requested to contact ILEIA with a
short description of the kind of infor-
mation they could offer. ILEIA will
send more information on the format
of the specific publication, procedure of
publication and the relationship with
other contributions. The deadline for
the final contributions is September 30,
1993.

Send proposal or contribution to: Ber-
tus Haverkort, ILEIA, P.O. Box 64,
3830 AB Leusden, The Netherlands.

The 45*^ General Assembly of the
World Veterinary Association (WVA)
was held on 29*^ May, 1993 in Paris.
During this meeting, proposals pre-
sented by Prof. Dr. C. Pilet, chairman
of the permanent WVA Development
Committee were accepted. These pro-
posals read as follows:

To ask the presidents of the natio-
nal member associations to raise
funds for the WVA Development
fund.

To ask national member associa-
tions to place an advertisement in
the veterinary journals in their
respective countries, offering
retired veterinarians and students
the opportunity to work in deve-
loping countries as volunteers in
return for payment of travel and
subsistence expenses as well as
insurance coverage.

For more information and submission
of project proposal please contact the
Secretariat of the WVA (address: c/

Principe de Vergara 276, 28027
Madrid, Spain; Tel.: 34.1.3593022,
telefax: 34.1.3593021). Contact can
also be made with Dr. F.O. Ayanwale,
Vice-President (Africa) of the WVA
and member of the WVA Development
Committee (Nigerian Veterinary Medi-
cal Association, c/o Dept. of Veterin-
ary Public Health and Preventive Medi-
cine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Ni-
geria; Tel.: 234.22.400550-614 (65
lines).

The University of Edinburgh, Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine
Diploma/MSc Postgraduate courses

This course is designed for field vete-
rinarians aiming at the senior and
middle ranks of veterinary services in
developing countries. It deals with the
prevention and control of animal dis-
eases at regional and national levels
and has a strong epidemiological com-
ponent. Related aspects of animal pro-
duction and veterinary public health are
also covered. Dissertation projects are
normally undertaken at the CTVM but
some students undertake investigations
in the field in a tropical country.

The course is designed for veterinary
graduates who wish to acquire a wor-
king knowledge of modern laboratory-
based diagnostic techniques and re-
search methods involved in the investi-
gation of animal health problems in
developing countries at national, regio-
nal and herd levels. The dissertation
research project covers approximately 5
months of the course and is normally
undertaken at the CTVM or associated
institutes in Edinburgh, but may involve
research in the field in a tropical coun-
try.

This course, which is organized in con-
junction with the University\'s Institute
of Ecology and Resource Management,
is open to agricultural and veterinary
graduates intending to specialise in
animal production in developing coun-
tries. It provides a comprehensive re-
view of the main constraints to animal
production likely to be encountered in
these countries with an indication of
how these may be overcome. Disserta-
tion projects are normally undertaken
at the CTVM but some students under-
take investigations in the field in a
tropical country.

three months in Paris at EMVT-
CIRAD provided they are sufficiently
proficient in the French language.

With all the above courses it is possible
to extend the training to two years
leading to an MPhil degree.

The Director, Centre for Tropical Ve-
terinary Medicine, Easter Bush, Roslin,
Midlothian, Scotland EH25 9RG. Tel:
44.31.445.2001, Fax: 44.31.445.5099,
Telex: UNIVED G 727442.
For application forms please contact:
The Dean, Royal (Dick) School of
Veterinary Studies, Summerhall, Edin-
burgh, Scotland EH9 1 QH. Tel: 44.-
31.6506138, Fax: 44.31.6677938, Telex:

In Agenda 21, adopted at the United
Nations Conference on Environment
and Development (UNCED, Rio de
Janeiro, June 1992), one chapter is
specifically dedicated to quot;Environ-
mentally sound management of bio-
technologyquot;. One of the objectives is to
ensure safety in biotechnology develop-
ment and apphcation through interna-
tional agreement on principles for
safety in biotechnology by international
cooperation. Governments agreed to
undertake the necessary activities. In
this context the Research Council of
Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Hou-
sing, Physical Planning and Environ-
ment (VROM) and the Directorate
General for International Cooperation
(DGIS) of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the Netherlands, decided to
organize an quot;African Regional Confe-
rence on Safety in Biotechnologyquot;.
MEBO environmental consultancy has
been assigned to take care of the prac-
tical organization and preparations of
this conference.

The purpose of the conference is to
contribute to international cooperation
on safety in biotechnology, by making
available existing safety procedures and
adapting these to the specific needs of
the countries of eastern and southern
Africa, with particular reference to the
acquisition of the necessary expertise to
implement safety procedures.

-nbsp;Scientific aspects related to the con-
tained use and release into the envi-
ronment of genetically modified
organisms, risk assessment and risk
management and monitoring;

-nbsp;Regulatory aspects like the scope of
regulations and guidelines, existing
and new legislation, maintenance,
pubUc participation and financial and

human resources;
- International and regional coope-
ration through information exchange
and networking.
The options for adaptation of available
regulations and/or guidehnes to speci-
fic local needs will be actively dis-
cussed. Case studies will be used to
develop expertise of participants in the
evaluation of field trial proposals.

A maximum of 50 representatives from
the following African countries can be
accommodated: Angola, Botswana,
Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia,
Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zim-
babwe. In addition, representatives of
SACCAR and a maximum of 20 inter-
national experts to contribute to the
conference, will be invited. Participants
should be involved or expected to
become involved in biosafety issues,
either at the policy level (ministries,
regulatory bodies), as researchers (uni-
versities, institutes) or at the user\'s
level (industry, consumers, farmers).
For the selected applicants travel and
accommodation will be arranged.

More information and apphcation
forms can be obtained from: MEBO
Environmental Consultancy, Mr. P.
Schenkelaars, P.O. Box 38, 2250 AA
Voorschoten, The Netherlands (Tel.:
31.71.611298, telefax: 31.71.617791).

This section contains vacancy announcements which the editorial board considers
to be of possible interest to Dutch veterinarians. Besides vacancies that will be
taken from quot;Vacatureblad Internationale Samenwerkingquot;, quot;Tijdschrift voor Dier-
geneeskundequot;, quot;Veterinary Recordquot; and quot;INTRO vacaturesquot;, there will be room for
personnel advertisements. For further information one is requested to apply
directly to the institution or company.

The University of California (Davis)
Small Ruminant Collaborative
Research Support Programme (SR-

CRSP), is a multi-institutional research
and training programme to improve
sheep, goat, llama and alpaca produc-
tion in several developing countries.
The Small Ruminant CRSP has a
vacancy for:

The Programme Director has execu-
tive, technical and fiscal management
responsibilities for the Title Xll-funded
SR-CRSP. The Director responds to
the Administrative Council, Board of
Directors and the Technical Committee
(comprised of principal investigators)
and reports to the Vice Chancellor-
Research at the University of Califor-
nia (Davis).

Representation of the participa-
ting institutions in official contacts
with overseas co-operating institu-
tions and with the Board for In-
ternational Food and Agricultural
Development and Economic Co-
operation and the United States

Coordination of the reporting and
the publishing of information
about the programme;
Other duties required by the Uni-
versity of California (Davis) or
delegated by the SR-CRSP Admi-
nistrative Council or Board of
Directors.

PhD or equivalent degree related to
agricultural development. Extensive
administrative experience; demonstra-
ted research achievement; direct expe-
rience vwth the U.S. Land Grant Uni-
versity system; interest and experience
in international agricultural develop-
ment; experience with CRSP and
USAID is highly desirable.
Ability to work with a multidisciplinary
team of scientists and willingness to
undertake extensive national and inter-
national travel.
Conditions:

Salary is commensurate with qualifi-
cations and experience and consistent
with University of California (Davis)
guidehnes. The University of California
is an equal opportunity/affirmative
action employer. The present funding
extends through 30 September, 1995. A
proposal to extend funding to the year
2000 will be submitted.

Curriculum vitae, summary of relevant
qualifications and experience and na-
mes of four referees should be forwar-
ded to: Dr. Barbara D. Webster, Asso-
ciate Vice Chancellor-Research, Uni-
versity of California, 424 Second St.,
Suite B, Davis, CA 95616-8700. Closing
date: 30 September, 1993, or until a
suitable candidate is selected.

In April, 1992, a mission from the Thai Ministry of University Affairs visited
various veterinary faculties in Europe and the United States, including the faculty
at Utrecht University. The aim of this high level mission was to select veterinary
faculties that were of interest for the Thai faculties to start a more intensive
programme of collaboration. As a follow up of the visit to Utrecht, two professors
visited Thailand in July 1993. The next step in the building of a link between the
Thai and Utrecht faculties was set on the iT of July, 1993, when a quot;Memorandum
of Understanding on veterinary education and research co-operationquot; was signed
in Bangkok by the representatives of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of
Utrecht University and the Thai Ministry of University Affairs.

Recently the state of the art in Thai
veterinary medicine was evaluated. Two
secondly the quality of the veterinarians
has to be improved and their expertise
enlarged. At this moment there are
three veterinary faculties in Thailand,
namely at the Chulalongkorn and Kat-
setsart Universities in Bangkok and at
the Khon Kaen University in the North
East of the country. Both the faculti-s
in Bangkok are located in the city au^
therefore have few large animal pa-
tients. To compensate the small num-
ber of patients both faculties have a
clinic in a rural area, where students in
the last phase of their education spend

two days a week. The volume of small
animal patients is high, however, most
of the illnesses involve fractures.

The Ministry of University Affairs has
developed a policy to meet with these
challenges. Firstly, the three existing
institutions will admit considerably
more first-year students and secondly,
in the period 1993 - 1998 two new vete-
rinary faculties will be estabUshed, one
at the University of Chang Mai in the
North of Thailand and one at the Uni-
versity of Songklha in the South. Fur-
thermore this Ministry finances a post
graduate training and exchange pro-
gramme. This programme will aim at
the training of young staff members to
a higher academic level (MSc or PhD)
and at creating opportunities for senior
staff to visit faculties abroad and start
collaborative research projects.

The now signed Memorandum of Un-
derstanding formally arranges the pos-
sibilities for cooperation between the
three Thai veterinary faculties and the
Utrecht veterinary faculty. This agree-
ment is of major importance for the
Utrecht faculty as it lays the basis for
the development of close links with
sister faculties in Asia, complementing
the existing important links with facul-
ties in other parts of the world, like
Harare and Maputo in Africa and
Heredia in Latin America. Depending
on the priorities still to be decided
upon by the Thai counterparts,
Utrecht\'s Faculty of Veterinary Medici-
ne sees opportunities to collaborate in
the field of clinical diagnosis, laborato-
ry diagnostics, diagnostic tests for infec-
tious diseases and tests for nutritional
parameters. Also the possibilities for
joint research will be looked into.

On the occasion of his retirement as
professor in tropical and protozozm
diseases at the Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine of Utrecht University in
July, 1992, Prof. Dr. D. Zwart was
offered a symbohc present: an issue
of quot;The Veterinary Quarterlyquot;, dedi-
cated to issues and subjects he
closely identified himself with dur-
ing recent years. This special issue
of The Veterinary Quarterly\' was
published in July, 1993 (Vol. 15
no.2/1993, pp. 1-80). The authors
are post doctorals and colleagues of
Professor Zwart. Attention is being
paid to developmental and pohcy
issues in articles by Schilhorn van
Veen and Gryseels, reflecting Prof.
Zwart\'s close Unks with the CGIAR
and especially the institutes in Afri-
ca (ILRAD and ILCA) and his con-
tinuous concern for the develop-
ment and problems of the veterina-
ry services in Africa and more re-
cently for the privatization of the
veterinary profession in this region.
His scientific guidance contributed
to a good number of PhD theses on
tropical veterinary medicine at
Utrecht University. Some of his
post doctorals remained involved in
tropical veterinary science. A selec-
tion of quot;up-to-datequot;
topics was made and this resulted in
three review articles on: tickborne
diseases (Uilenberg et al), wildlife
disease research (Grootenhuis and
Olubayo) and trypanotolerance
(Paling and Dwinger). Though, not
only because of the full page superb
colour photograph of Dick Zwart, is
this issue a memorable publication.
The full titles and authors are inclu-
ded in the section quot;Recent Pubhca-
tionsquot; of this issue of EQUATOR.

As Prof. Dr. A.W.CA. CorneUssen,
the guest editor, states in the quot;Edi-
torialquot; of the special issue: quot;For 26
years Dick Zwart has been profes-
sor in Tropical and Protozoal Dis-
eases. During that period he and his
staff trained many veterinary stu-
dents as well as veterinarians in
specific aspects of tropical diseases.
The veterinary community will, due
to the retirement of Dick Zwart,
miss one of their eminent teachers
in this specific field of veterinary
medicinequot;.

The section RECENT PUBLICATIONS is included in the EngUsh issues of EQUATOR. Scientific publications of the
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and other research institutes in the Netherlands, relevant to livestock production and health
in the tropics as well as titles of papers by Dutch veterinary scientists working on animal health and production topics in
relation to developing countries, will be included. Please inform the editor of your pubUcations so we can bring them to the
attention of the readers of EQUATOR. For reprints contact the authors directly, their addresses can be obtained from the
editorial office (Office for International Cooperation, P.O. Box 80.163, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands).

Grootenhuis, J.G. and Olubayo, R.O. (1993). Disease research in the wildlife livestock interface in Kenya. The Veterinarv
Quarterlv 15: 55-59.

Kolk, J.H. van der. Wijden, M.W. van der en Jongejan, F. (1993). Equine granulocytaire ehrlichiosis (EGE), een overzicht.
Tijdschrift voor Diergeneeskunde 118, 227-229.

Leeflang, F. (1993). Some observations on ethnoveterinary medicine in northern Nigeria. The Veterinary Quarterly 15: 72-73.
Mulder, J. (1993). Veterinary services in Africa. The Veterinary Quarterly 15: 79-80.

Obwolo, M.J. and Zwart, P. (1993). Prevalence of Salmonella in the intestinal tracts of farm-reared crocodiles (Crocodylus
niloticus) in Zimbabwe. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 24: 175-176.

Schilhorn van Veen, T.W. (1993). The present and future veterinary practitioners in the tropics. The Veterinary Quarterly 15-
43-47.

Dieleman, S.J., Colenbrander, B., Booman, P. and Lende, T. van der. (Eds.) (1992). Clinical trends and basic research in
animal reproduction. Proceedings of the 12^^ International congress on animal reproduction. Amsterdam, 23-27 August,
1992. Elsevier, The Hague, pp. -466.

Gryseels, G. (1993). Setting priorities and strategies for livestock research m the CGIAR. The Veterinarv Quarterly 15: 68-71.

Provost, A. and Uilenberg, G. (1992). Part VI. Beef production in semi-arid and tropical zones. Chapter 21. Diseases as a
limiting factor. In: World Animal Science. C5. Beef cattle production. Eds. R. Jarrige and C Beranger Elsevier The
Hague, pp. 395-418.

Zwart, D. (1992). Livestock production and health for sustainable agriculture and rural development. In: Livestock production
^ diseases m Ihe tropics; Animal production a^ ^ essential part rf sustainable agriculture. Proceedings of the
International Conference of Institutions of Tropical Veterinary Medicine. Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, 14-19 September,
1992, Eds. G. Tacher and L. Letenneur. Deutsche Stiftung für internationale Entwicklung, Feldafing, pp. 51-55.

Jongejan, F. (1992). Serodiagnosis of Cowdria ruminantium: current status. In: Recent developments jn jthe control ^
anaplasmosis. babesiosis and cowdriosis. Proceedings of a workshop held at ILRAD Nairobi, Kenya, 13-15 May, 1991, Ed.
T.T. Dolan. International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases, Nairobi, pp. 67-77.

Uilenberg, G. (1992). Veterinary significance of ticks and tick-borne diseases. In: Tick vector biology. Medical and veterinary
aspects. Eds. B.H. Fivaz, T.N. Petney and I.G. Horak. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 23-33.

Uilenberg, G., Dobbelaere, D.A.E., Gee, A.L.W. de and Koch, H.T. (1993). Progress in research on tick-borne diseases:
theileriosis and heartwater. The Veterinarv Quarterly 15: 48-54.

Yunker, C.E., Mahan, S.M., Waghela, S.D., McGuire, T.C., Rurangirwa, F.R., Barbet, A.F. and Wassink, L.A. (1993).
Detection of Cowdria ruminantium by means of a DNA probe, pCS20 in infected bont ticks, Amblyomma hebraeum, the
major vector of heartwater in southern Africa. Epidemiology and Infection 110: 95-104.

Dargie, J.D., Qoijen, C.J.P.G. and Plaizier, J.C.B. (1993). The FAO/L\\EA DGIS coordinated research programmes on
trypanosomiasis diagnosis and animal production in Africa. The Veterinarv Quarterly 15: 75-78.

Paling, R.W. and Dwinger, R.H. (1993). Potential of trypanotolerance as a contribution to sustainable livestock production in
tsetse affected Africa. The Veterinarv Quarterly 15: 60-67.

14-18 September, 1993.
Symposium on: quot;The capture, care and
management of threatened mammalsquot;. Orga-
nized by: The World Association of Wildlife
Veterinarians and the Wildlife Group of the
South African Veterinary Association. Infor-
mation: Dr. Ian Epsie, 209, Clara Rerea, 18
Clara Street, Pretoria 0001 or Prof. J. van
Heerden, P.O. Box 12900, Onderstepoort
0110 (Telefax: 27.12.5294281).

4*^ Symposium on quot;Tropical animal health
and production. Recent developments in
veterinary epidemiologyquot;. Organized by the
Committee for the Advancement of Tropical
veterinary Science (CATS) and the Office
for International Cooperation of the Faculty
of Veterinary Medicine. Programme:
Introduction of epidemiological models;
Surveys; Recent epidemiological studies.
Location: Main building of the Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine, Yalelaan 1, De Uithof,
Utrecht. No registration fee. Information
and registration: Office for International
Cooperation, P.O. Box 80.163, 3508 TD
Utrecht (Tel.: 31.30.532116, telefax:
31.30.531815).

quot;African regional conference for interna-
tional cooperation on safety in biotechno-
logy, with specific attention to implementa-
tionquot;. Organized by the Research Council of
Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Housing,
Physical Planning and Environment
(VROM) and the Directorate General
International Cooperation (DGIS) of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nether-
lands. Programme: Biotechnology in Sub-Sa-
haran Africa; Biotechnology in developed
countries; Safety considerations associated
with agricultural applications; An introduc-
tion to regional and national needs, con-
straints and priorities related to safety in
biotechnology; Guidelines and regulations on
safety in biotechnology: examples; Case stu-
dies in risk assessment. Information and
application: P. Schenkelaar, MEBO Environ-
mental Consultancy, P.O. Box 38, 2250 AA
Voorschoten, The Netherlands (Tel.: 31-
.71.611298. telefax: 31.71.617791).

3quot;* International Congress on Medical and
Applied Malacology. Organized by: Eliza-
beth Macarthur Agricultural Institute of the
NSW Agriculture and the Australian Mu-
seum Sydney. Programme: Eiconomic, medi-
cal and veterinary aspects of parasites trans-
mitted by molluscs; Molluscs and agriculture;
Aquaculture of molluscs. Registration: Phil
H. Colman, Division of Invertebrate Zoo-
logy, Australian Museum, P.O. Box A285,
Sydney South, NSW 2000 (Tel.: 61.2.-
3398112, telefax: 61.2.3604350).

llquot;quot; International Symposium of the World
Association of Veterinaiy Food Hygienists
(WAVFH). Organized by: The Thai Vete-
rinary Medical Association under the Royal
Patronage (TVMA). Information and regis-
tration; The Symposium Secretariat, Dr.
Songkram Luangtongkum, 11\'^ WAVFH
Symposium, TVMA, 69/26 Soi Äthane The-
atre, Phyathai Road, Bangkok 10400 (Tel.:
66.2.252.8773/7066, telefax: 66.2.-
255.3910).

30 November - 2 December, 1993
5quot;quot; Panafrican Veterinary Association Con-
gress in conjunction with the Regional Com-
monwealth and llquot;quot; Tanzanian Veterinary
Association Scientific Conference. Theme:
quot;Livestock production and the African envi-
ronmentquot;. Topics: The impact of livestock
husbandry systems on the environment;
Science and technology for sustainable live-
stock development in Africa for the
21quot;quot; century; Nutrition as a constraint to
livestock production in Africa; The impact of
diseases on livestock development in Africa;
The role of private veterinary practice in
enhancing livestock productivity; Improving
animal production at village level. Informa-
tion: Dr. P. Msolla, Chairman, Tanzanian
Veterinary Association, P.O. Box 3021, Mo-
rogoro (Tel.: 255.56.3511, telefax scientific
committee: 255.56.3177/3718/3259).

Training Centre Friesland. Programme gene-
ral part (11 weeks): Dairy development; ani-
mal husbandry; milk processing. Followed by
specialized part (15 weeks) which has 3 op-
tions. Option 1 and 2: Dairy production (9
weeks) followed by either 6 weeks: Training
and extension or by 6 weeks: Dairy farm
management. Option 3: Small-scale milk
processing. Course fee: Dfl. 4,500. Closing
date for registration: 1 October, 1993. Infor-
mation and registration: Director DTC-
Friesland, P.O. Box 85, 9062 ZJ Oenkerk,
The Netherlands (Tel.: 31.5103.1562, tele-
fax: 31.5103.1628).

13quot;\' International Pig Veterinary Society
(IPVS) Congress. Organized by: Faculty of
Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn Univer-
sity. Information and registration: Dr.
Annop Kunavongkrit, Secretary of the 13quot;^
IPVS Congress, Faculty of Veterinary Scien-
ce, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok
10330 (Tel.: 66.22520738, telefax 66.2.-
2553910).

7^ International Symposium on Veterinary
Epidemiology and Economics. Information:
The International Society for Veterinary
Epidemiology and Economics (ISVEE),
Centre for Disease Control, Mailstop G.33,
Building 15 SSB 611, Atlanta, GA 30333,
U.S.A. (Tel.: 1.404.6391050, telefax: 1.-
404.6393296).

29 August - 7 October, 1994.
International course on: quot;Modem dairy farm
managementquot;. Organized by: Dairy Training
Centre Friesland. Programme: milk and mil-
king; dairy cattle feeding; forage production;
calf-rearing; fertility; breeding; animal
health; housing; farm machinery; manpower
management; farm economics and Dutch
daily industry. Course fee including board
and lodging, excursion and insurance: Dfl.
4,250. Information and registration: Director
DTC-Friesland, P.O. Box 85, 9062 ZJ Oen-
kerk, The Netherlands (Tel.: 31.5103.1562,
telefax: 31.5103.1628).

EQUATOR is ccn iiilgavc van
het Bureau Internationale
Contacten van de Facuheit
Diergeneeskunde.

J.HA. de Gooijer
(eindredacteur)
Drs. M.F.M. Langelaar
Dr. R.W. Paling \'
(hoofdredacteur)

Bureau Internal iona le Contact en
Faculteit Diergeneeskunde
Postbus 80.163
3508 TD UTRECHT

Opzeggingen of naam- en/of
adresvwjzigingen aangeven op de
adresband en de/e retourneren
aan het redactie-adres.

De Minister van Ontwikkelingssamen-
werking wordt onder invloed van veran-
derende verhoudingen in de wereld en
de daarmee gepaard gaande maat-
schappelijke problemen gedwongen zijn
begroting aan te passen. Opvang en
huisvesting van asielzoekers, hulp aan
Oost-Europa, steeds andere extra pos-
ten quot;vervuilenquot; het budget voor ontwik-
kelingssamenwerking. Meer geld ook
wordt uitgegeven aan zogenaamde
noodhulp. En dus blijft er minder geld
over voor structurele ontwikkehngspro-
jecten. Naar de mening van Drs. Joep
Bolwerk hoeft dit geen probleem te
zijn. Redactrice Merel Langelaar sprak
met hem over zijn ervaringen in Nigeri-
a, waar hij als general manager op een
commerciële kippenfarm werkte. Naar
zijn mening zijn ontwikkelingsprojecten
op de manier zoals ze nu worden uitge-
voerd zinloos in een land als Nigeria.
Volgens hem gaat het land langzaam
kapot aan corruptie en bureaucratie.
Een commercieel bedrijf verschaft de
werknemers tenminste een bescheiden
inkomen.

Een ander verhaal vertelt Chris Bartels,
een jonge dierenarts die na zijn afstu-
deren is gaan werken in Cambodja
voor Church World Service , een Ameri-
kaanse kerkelijke niet-gouvernementele
organisatie (NGO). Hij probeert de
dienstverlening door het Nationaal
Veterinair Diagnostisch Laboratorium
weer op poten te zetten. Maar, door
jarenlang gebrek aan coördinatie lopen
de hulporganisaties elkaar soms in de
weg. Nu er langzaamaan weer sprake is
van enig centraal gezag staan de grote
internationale donoren als UNDP,
WHO en de Wereldbank aan de voor-
deur van Phnom Penh. De NGO\'s zul-
len weer terugkeren naar waar ze naar
de overtuiging van Chris Bartels thuis-
horen, namelijk het arme platteland.
Ook de wetenschap wordt niet vergeten
in dit nummer. Nadat de lokale vakpers
in het Tijdschrift voor Diergeneeskunde
en de BRRTUP al verslag heeft gedaan
van het recent in Utrecht georganiseer-
de 4® internationale symposium quot;Tro-
pical Animal Health and Productionquot;
kunnen nu ook onze internationale
lezers zich op de hoogte stellen. U
vindt in deze EQUATOR een overzicht
van wat er dit jaar tijdens het zoge-
naamde quot;tropensymposiumquot; te verne-
men viel. Sprekers uit Nederland,
Duitsland, Costa Rica, Zimbabwe en
de Verenigde Staten behchtten het
thema quot;epidemiologiequot; van verschillen-
de kanten. Prof. Dr. A. Brand, de voor-
zitter van het organiserend comité,
concludeerde in zijn epiloog dat een
epidemioloog eigenlijk boven alles
prakticus moet zijn. Hij of zij is te
vergelijken met een detective die oren
en ogen open moet houden voor elk
detail binnen de complexe moderne
produktiesystemen.

Volgend jaar zal het eerste lustrum-
symposium in deze reeks plaatsvinden.
Het is te hopen dat tijdens deze feeste-
lijke gebeurtenis een nieuwe Utrechtse
hoogleraar in de tropische diergenees-
kunde zijn visitekaartje zal kunnen
afgeven aan een internationaal gehoor.
Natuurlijk treft u ook in dit nummer de
agenda en de rubriek vacatures aan.

Aangezien dit al weer het laatste num-
mer is van deze jaargang, wenst de
redactie van EQUATOR alle lezers nu
al een zeer voorspoedig 1994 toe!!

Cambodja, ingesloten tussen Vietnam en Thailand, is na een gruweüjke burgeroor-
log en een langdurige bezetting door het Vietnamese leger bezig zich uit een diep
dal van menselijk leed omhoog te werken.

Het Rode-Khmer regime is verantwoordelijk voor de grootste misdaad tegen de
mensheid sinds de Tweede Wereldoorlog. De communistische Rode Khmers
wierpen het pro-westerse Lon Nol-regime op 17 april 1975 omver en walsten in
korte tijd het land plat. Steden werden van de ene dag op de andere volledig
leeggehaald. Aanhangers van het verslagen bewind werden samen met hun gezins-
leden ter dood gebracht. Het hele land werd herschapen in een immens arbeids-
kamp en de bevolking werd te werk gesteld in landbouwcoöperaties. Terreur en
geweld waren middelen om van Cambodja een modelsamenleving te maken. De
naam Pol Pot zal voor altijd verbonden zijn aan het terreurregime dat in de
periode 1975-1979 de dood van minstens 1,2 miljoen mensen heeft veroorzaakt. Na
een korte grensoorlog eind 1978 bezette Vietnam het lemd en installeerde een
vazalregering in Phnom Penh. De bezetting van Cambodja door het Vietnamese
leger zou meer dan tien jaar duren. De feitelijke macht berustte bij de communis-
tische partij, die aanvankelijk voUedig werd gedomineerd door de zusterpartij uit
Hanoi. In deze jaren gaf de Cambodjaanse regering prioriteit aan het veiligstellen
van de voedselproduktie, de landsverdediging en de poging om een a-politieke,
traditioneel ingestelde en godsdienstige bevolking te laten geloven in een commu-
nisme dat minder totaal was dan dat van Pol Pot. Een van de eerste maatregelen
die de nieuwe regering na 1979 doorvoerde was een landhervorming naar sociahs-
tisch model. Dit werd geen succes. De oogst bleek bij lange na niet voldoende om
de weer groeiende bevolking te voeden. Een missie van de Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) constateerde al in 1984 dat de ernstige rijsttekorten niet
alleen te wijten waren aan natuurrampen, maar ook aan gebrek aan deskundige
leiding, machines, trekvee en werktuigen.

Cambodja is nog steeds een voornamelijk agrarisch land waar 85% van de bevol-
king op het platteland leeft. Westerse niet-gouvernementele organisaties (NGO\'s)
spelen een niet-onbelangrijke rol bij de wederopbouw van het land. Nederlandse
organisaties als NOVIB, CEBEMO en ICCO zijn al sinds 1979 in samenwerking
met buitenlandse NGO\'s betrokken bij de noodhulp voor Cambodja.\'
De redactie van EQUATOR ontving een brief van dierenarts Chris Bartels, die
via Dienst over Grenzen voor Church World Service voor een periode van drie jaar
naar Cambodja is uitgezonden. Het onderstaande verhaal is een bewerking van
zijn brief.

Church World Service (CWS) is de
afdeling van de National Council of
Churches van de Verenigde Staten die
zich bezig houdt met ontwikkelingssa-
doet dit al sinds de verdrijving van Pol
Pot in 1979. Tijdens de Vietnamese
bezetting die volgde, was het voor
NGO\'s feitelijk alleen mogeUjk te wer-
ken in en rond Phnom Penh. Het was
toen ondenkbaar om in Cambodja te
reizen zoals nu, eind 1993, weer wel
mogelijk is. CWS besloot samen te
werken met het American Friends Servi-
ce Committee (AFSC) op het gebied
van de diergezondheidszorg. Cambod-
jaanse boeren zijn namehjk voor de
rijstproduktie goeddeels afhankelijk van
de trekkracht van runderen en water-
buffels. Onder het bewind van Pol Pot
is het aantal trekdieren gereduceerd
van 3 tot 1 miljoen. Gezamenlijk zetten
CWS en AFSC een vaccinatiecampagne
op tegen besmettelijke dierziekten, met
als voornaamste doel het aantal trek-
dieren weer op het oude peil te krijgen.
Vier ziekten stonden hoog op de priori-
teitenhjst: mond- en klauwzeer (MKZ),
hemorragische septicaemie (HS), bout-
vuur en miltvuur. CWS en AFSC zorg-
den voor de aanschaf van de benodigde
vaccins en koelvoorzieningen ten be-
hoeve van de distributie (de zogenaam-
de cold chain). Tegelijkertijd werd
voorlichting gegeven aan veterinairen
en vaccinators. Daau-naast heeft het
AFSC in de loop van 1985-86 een klein
laboratorium opgezet voor de produk-
tie van het HS-vaccin en ondersteunde
CWS het nationaal diagnostisch labora-
torium door veterinaire expertise en
materiaal ter beschikking te stellen.

Na het vertrek van de Vietnamese
troepen in 1989 werd het makkelijker
voor de hulporganisaties om lokale
projecten uit te voeren. CWS heeft
momenteel 3 projecten in de provin-
cies. De nadruk ligt nog op voorlichting
aan en training van veterinairen, vacci-
nators en boeren. Echter, het accent
begint te verschuiven dehting klinisch
werk. De Cambodjaanse counterparts
worden hierbij intensief begeleid zodat
zij in staat zijn op de juiste manier
zieke dieren te behandelen. Het cre-
eren van de noodzakelijke infrastruc-
tuur, zoals de aanleg van waterputten,
moet uiteindelijk leiden tot een verbe-
tering van het inkomen van de boeren.

Chris Bartels werkt bij het Nationaal
Veterinair Diagnostisch Laboratorium
(NVDL). Dit laboratorium bevindt zich
op hetzelfde terrein als de veterinaire
dienst. Hierdoor heeft hij de mogelijk-
heid intensieve contacten te onderhou-

den met ambtenaren van dit departe-
ment. Het grote probleem van Cam-
bodja is dat er te weinig geschoold
kader is om het land te besturen. Zo-
doende wordt het beleid op veterinair
gebied momenteel uitgestippeld en
uitgevoerd door de NGO\'s. Door het
gebrek aan coördinatie kan alles en is
er nauwehjks overleg tussen de ver-
schillende projecten. Om te beginnen
maakte Chris daarom een rondgang
langs de andere NGO\'s die op veteri-
nair gebied werkzaam zijn. Hij wilde
nagaan hoe de NGO\'s zouden kunnen
samenwerken en welke functie zijn
laboratorium daarbij zou kunnen ver-
vullen.

Het NVDL had sinds het vertrek van
de laatste quot;laboratorium dierenartsquot;
geen budget meer om de voorraad
reagentia en media op peil te houden.
Ook de aanvoer van monsters werd
niet meer geregeld. Toen Chris Bartels
arriveerde, ontdekte hij dan ook dat
basale materialen niet meer in voor-
raad waren en minder courante media
ver over hun houdbaarheidsdatum heen
waren.

Chris is nu bezig om samen met zijn
counterpart, de dierenarts Sen Sovann
protocollen te schrijven voor laboratori-
umtesten met het idee dat uniformiteit
in de uitvoering noodzakelijk is om
betrouwbare testresultaten te krijgen.
Tegelijkertijd krijgen studenten les in
laboratoriumtechnieken. Zolang de
universiteit geen eigen laboratoriumfa-

ciliteiten heeft, zal het NVDL dienst
doen als prakticumzaal. Voorlopig
wordt het laboratorium uitgerust voor
parasitologisch, haematologisch en
bacteriologisch onderzoek en post-mor-
tem diagnostiek. De verwachte installa-
tie van ELISA-apparatuur in december
1993 zal de diagnostische mogelijkhe-
den aanzienlijk vergroten. Het zou dan
mogelijk moeten zijn een uitbraak van
mond- en klauwzeer, varkenspest of
Newcastle disease vast te stellen en
uitgebreide studies te doen naar het
voorkomen van leverbotinfecties (Fasci-
ola gigantica). En, last but not least,
Bartels geeft iedere dag een uur Engel-
se les aan de medewerkers. Zelf ziet hij
dit als het meest nuttige dat de staf
wordt aangeboden. Zonder kennis van
de Engelse taal komen de stafleden

In Cambodja is klinisch onderzoek vaak
de enige methode voor het stellen van
een diagnose(foto: Stienstra).

Een ander aspect van zijn werk is het
onderhouden van contacten met de
veterinaire dienst. CWS houdt zich al
jaren bezig met vaccinatie tegen MKZ
en Bartels probeert momenteel de
verantwoordelijke ambtenaren te inte-
resseren voor een structureel plan voor
de controle van MKZ. Dit plan bevat
onder andere de volgende elementen:
identificatie van dieren, controle op de
verplaatsing van dieren (momenteel is
er absoluut geen controle, de veterinai-
re diensten hebben geen mogelijkheden
om eventueel bestaande wetgeving op
dit gebied kracht bij te zetten.), een
adequate rapportage van eventuele
uitbraken, een goede monitoring na
een uitbraak, en een goede follow up.
Een zelfde aanpak kan worden overwo-
gen voor pasteurellose, bout- en milt-
vuur.

Een ander opmerkelijk probleem is dat
er geen betrouwbare data beschikbaar
zijn. Elke administratieve kracht in de
veterinaire sector kan met veel enthou-
siasme vertellen hoeveel dieren er van
elke diersoort in zijn district aanwezig
zijn. Navraag leert echter dat deze
\'getallen Casio statistics zijn. Alle statis-
tieken zijn gebaseerd op oude gege-
vens, waar ieder jaar 4-4,5% bij wordt
opgeteld. Bartels zou graag zien dat het

laboratoriumwerk aansluit bij vragen
die leven in het veld. Want vragen zijn
er genoeg, maar er zijn nauwelijks
resultaten bekend die zijn gebaseerd op
harde gegevens. Zonder grondig onder-
zoek wordt al snel verondersteld dat
bepaalde ziekten endemisch voorko-
men. Deze conclusie wordt soms al
getrokken op basis van één voorko-
mend klinisch geval. Aan de andere
kant kunnen door betrouwbare diag-
nostische tests ook quot;nieuwequot; ziekten
aangetoond worden. Zo konden Bartels
c.s. voor het eerst in de veterinaire
geschiedenis van Cambodja een geval
van varkenspest daadwerkelijk aanto-
nen door de organen van een verdacht
varken voor post-mortaal onderzoek op
te sturen naar Bangkok, de hoofdstad
van Thailand.

In de westerse landen functioneert een
laboratorium op basis van vragen uit
het veld: taken zijn bijvoorbeeld het
confirmeren van ziekten en de onder-
steuning van controle-programma\'s. In
Cambodja is de situatie anders: het
NVDL wordt voorzien van monsters
door de NGO\'s die in de buurt van
Phnom Penh opereren en in de gele-
genheid zijn de monsters op tijd in het
laboratorium te krijgen. Bartels heeft
hier geen problemen mee, maar, zoals
gezegd, hij wil het laboratorium een
positie geven binnen de veterinaire
dienstverlening. Hij wil dit bereiken
door het opzetten van onderzoekjes
naar het voorkomen van ziekten en
infecties. Het is in dit verband ook erg
belangrijk om de laboranten te betrek-
ken bij het werk dat relevant is voor de
provincie. Bartels wil beginnen met
onderzoek naar parasitaire infecties.
Daarvoor zijn geen geavanceerde tech-
nieken nodig en het kan op grote
schaal uitgevoerd worden. Ook moeten
de uitslagen van het laboratorium be-
trouwbaar zijn. Op deze wijze hoopt
Chris Bartels zijn mensen te motiveren,
hetgeen niet meevalt in een situatie
waarin de mensen een maandsalaris
verdienen van omgerekend 10 tot 15
Amerikaanse dollars. Vaak wordt het
salaris 2-3 maanden te laat uitbetaald.
Het is dus logisch dat velen na het
tekenen van de presentielijst weer ver-
trekken om het brood op de plank te
verdienen.

Op het ogenblik verandert er veel op
nationaal bestuurlijk niveau. Wat de
omzqtting van de oude communistische
structuren in een meer democratisch
model voor gevolgen zal hebben voor
bijvoorbeeld het Ministerie van Land-
bouw en de positie van de mensen die
er werken, is nog niet zeker. Velen
stellen zich dan ook terughoudend op.
Niets doen heeft in deze situatie im-
mers minder consequenties dem al te
fanatiek te werk te gaan.
Inmiddels hebben diverse internationa-
le organisaties al voorstellen ter verbe-
tering van de situatie ingediend bij het
ministerie. Ook het NVDL komt hier-
bij ter sprake. De voorstellen variëren
van het renoveren van het laboratorium
en het leveren van nieuw materiaal tot
een miljoenenvoorst el om een geheel
nieuw gebouw neer te zetten en dat
nieuwe laboratorium de eerste 5 jaar te
laten begeleiden door buitenlandse
experts. Het werkterrein van de NGO\'s

zal door deze ontwikkelingen langzaam
worden teruggedrongen naar de provin-
cies. Dat NGO\'s jarenlang nationaal
konden opereren had zijn redenen,
maar die tijd is nu voorbij. Bartels
vindt dit geen probleem. Hij stelt wel
dat miljoenenbudgetten goed zijn voor
mooie gebouwen en apparaten maar
dat de mensen niet vergeten moeten
worden. De ontwikkeling van human
resources is en blijft de eerste prioriteit.
Bartels besluit zijn brief met de ver-
zuchting dat het omnogelijk is een
totaal beeld te schetsen. De situatie
verandert razendsnel en het is niet te
voorspellen in welke richting.

Internationaal tropensymposium in Utrecht: Recente
ontwikkelingen in de Veterinaire Epidemiologie

Op 24 september jongstleden vond het jaarlijke internationale symposium quot;Tropi-
cal Animal Health and Productionquot; bij de Faculteit Diergeneeskunde in Utrecht
plaats. Het thema van het 4® symposium in deze reeks Recent developments in
veterinary epidemiologyquot;, bleek goed gekozen: de organisatoren konden op deze
dag ruim 100 deelnemers uit 22 landen verwelkomen.

De symposia op het gebied van quot;Tropi-
cal Animal Health and Productionquot; zijn
een initiatief van de Tropencommissie
van de Faculteit Diergeneeskunde.
Deze commissie is samengesteld uit
medewerkers met werkerv£u-ing in de
tropen die ijveren voor het in stand
houden van voldoende kennis op het
gebied van de diergeneeskunde in de
tropen bij de Faculteit. Onder-
zoeksresultaten en activiteiten, die rele-
vant zijn voor de diergezondheidszorg
in de tropen, en bevindingen van on-
derzoeksprojecten die de Faculteit
uitvoert in samenwerking met instituten
in de tropen, worden tijdens deze sym-
posia gepresenteerd aan een internatio-
naal gehoor, bestaande uit onderzoe-
kers, beleidmakers, medewerkers van
ontvwkkehngsorganisaties en andere
belangstellenden.

Introductie en toepassing van epide-
miologische modellen

De introductie van quot;epidemiologische
modellenquot; werd verzorgd door Dr. Y.
H. Schukken van de Faculteit Dierge-
neeskunde. Aandacht werd besteed aan
de toepassingsmogelijkheden van recent
ontwikkelde methodieken in de veteri-
naire epidemiologie voor situaties in de
tropen. De nadruk lag hierbij op de
ontwikkeling van modellen en de moge-
lijkheden en beperkingen van deze
methode voor de analyse van grote
databestanden met aanzienlijke aantal-
len (wel tot 100) parameters.
Een praktisch voorbeeld werd gepre-

Het wetenschappelijke programma van
het symposium over quot;Recent develop-
ments in veterinary epidemiologyquot; was
in handen van een organisatie comité
onder voorzitterschap van Prof. Dr. A.
Brand, hoogleraar in de bedrijfsdier-
geneeskunde. De logistiek werd ver-
zorgd door het Bureau Internationale
Contacten (BIC).

Prof. A.A. Dijkhuizen presenteert een
epidemiologisch model voor mond- en
klauwzeerbestrijding (foto: De Gooijer)

senteerd door Prof. Dr. Ir. AA. Dijk-
huizen van de Landbouwuniversiteit
Wageningen, die het model toelichtte
waarmee de economische consequen-
ties van de diverse methoden voor
controle van mond- en klauw zeer in
Nederland kunnen worden geanaly-
seerd.

Dat de epidemiologische modellen ook
in de tropen daadwerkelijk worden
toegepast, bleek uit de presentatie van
Dr. E. Perez, docent aan de dierge-
neeskundige faculteit te Heredia, Costa
Rica. Dr. Perez Hchtte met zijn pre-
sentatie quot;Calfhood morbidity and mor-
tality in Costa-Rican dairy, dual purpo-
se and beef cattlequot; reeds een puntje van
de sluier op van wat hij, over ongeveer
ja£ir, tijdens zijn promotie in Utrecht
als zijn proefschrift zal gaan verdedi-
gen.

Verschillende parameters die van in-
vloed zijn op het voorkomen van diar-
ree en klinische ademhalingsproblemen
en de sterfte die hiervan een gevolg is,
werden geschat op hun relatieve waar-
de. Met name bleken van invloed het
management systeem en het ras. Kalve-
ren van het Jersey ras bleken onder de
heersende lokale omstandigheden in
Costa Rica minder bestand tegen de
onderzochte ziekten dan Holstein kal-
veren. Op de vraag of deze waarnemin-
gen al tot een advies voor het houden
van meer Holsteins had geleid ant-
woordde Perez ontkennend. De econo-
mische consequenties zijn nog onvol-
doende onderbouwd om de boeren te
overtuigen. Kalversterfte is maar een
onderdeel van de produktiviteit van een
ras.

Wat is de waarde van \'surveys\'?
Prof. Dr. K.H. Zessin, die als hoogle-
raar in de epidemiologie verbonden is
aan het Instituut voor Parasitologie en
Tropische Diergeneeskunde van de
Vrije Universiteit van BerUjn, presen-
teerde de conclusies Vcm een uitgebreid
Uteratuuronderzoek (86 publikaties)
naar. de kwaliteit van de in internatio-
nale tijdschriften gepubliceerde resulta-
ten van \'surveys\' naar het voorkomen
van dierziekten in de tropen en de
daaraan verbonden conclusies voor de
bestrijding. Zijn oordeel was dat zeer
veel \'surveys\' technisch onvolkomen
waren, met name voor wat betreft de
planning en de statistische significantie
van de resultaten. Conclusies, bijvoor-
beeld ten aanzien van quot;noodzakelijkequot;
controle-programma\'s waren nog al
eens gebaseerd op tiiet-significante
onderzoeksresultaten.
Wat nodig is zijn onderzoeken die hel
nauwe gebied van de \'survey\' over-
schrijden. Het ziekterisico wordt im-
mers bepaald door de verschillende
typen produktiesystemen en hun ecolo-
gische situaties, en verder beïnvloed
door het managementsysteem en de
beschikbaarheid van diverse hulpbron-
nen. De relatie tussen ziekte en pro-
duktiviteit binnen de belangrijkste pro-
duktiesystemen, zal moeten worden
vastgesteld om eventuele interventies te
rechtvaardigen. Prof. Zessin eindigde
met het schetsen van de ironische situa-
tie waarin het veeteeltktmdig onderzoek
momenteel verkeert: quot;Nu de methodie-
ken ontwikkeld zijn om analyses uit te
voeren voor een economisch verant-
woorde dierziektebestrijding en hervor-
mingen in de dienstverlening ten be-
hoeve van de veeteeltsector in vele
ontwikkelingslanden worden ingevoerd,
blijkt er bij de donoren steeds minder
animo te zijn om de ontwikkeling van
deze sector te steunenquot;.

In 1988 werd met steim van het Af-
ghanistan Comité Nederland het Vete-
rinary Training and Support Centre
(VTCS) in Peshawar, Pakistan gestart,
dat tot doel had een veterinair nood-
programma voor grote delen van het in
oorlog verkerende Afghanistan op te
zetten (zie ook EQUATOR jaargang 3,
no. 1. van januari 1991). Onlangs werd.

in het nog steeds in een burgeroorlog
gewikkelde Afghanistan, een onderzoek
uitgevoerd, waarbij door middel van
vragenhjsten het effect werd bepaald
van 3 jaar veterincdre basiszorg (vacci-
naties tegen de belangrijkste infectie-
ziekten en de behandeling van maag-
darmparasieten en leverbot), verleend
door paraveterinairen die zijn opgeleid
door het VTCS. Drs. B.E.C. Schreuder
van het DLO-Centaal Diergeneeskun-
dig Instituut in Lelystad, presenteeerde
tijdens het Symposium de eerste re-
sultaten van dit onderzoek. Zo bleek de
sterfte bij zowel jonge als volwassen
runderen, schapen en geiten, aanzien-
lijk (25 tot 60%) lager te zijn in de
gebieden waar het project actief was
geweest, in vergehjking tot vergelijkba-
re gebieden waar geen veterinaire steun
werd verleend. De conclusie hjkt ge-
rechtvaardigd dat dit het gevolg was
van de interventies uitgevoerd met
steun van het project.

Dr. AA. Majok, hoofd van de klinische
afdeling van de veterinaire faculteit van
Zimbabwe presenteerde de resultaten
van een onderzoek dat werd uitgevoerd
in delen van de communal areas in
Zimbabwe. Evenals in Afghcinistan
werd ook hier als onderzoeksmethode
de vragenlijst gehanteerd die met be-
hulp van veterinaire assistenten door
200 boeren werd ingevuld. Gegevens
werden verzameld betreffende de mor-
tahteit, samenstelling van de veestapel
en een aantal produktie-parameters.
Opmerkelijk was de lage mortahteit die
werd vastgesteld, te meer daar Zknbab-
we ten tijde van het onderzoek een
zeer droge periode doormaakte. Tij-
dens de discussie bleek dat de resulta-
ten voor meerdere uitleg vatbaar waren
en dat aanvullend onderzoek noodzake-
lijk was om een beter totaal beeld te
krijgen van de kleinschahge veeteeltsec-
tor in deze dichtbevolkte gebieden van
Zimbabwe.

Produkten van dierlijke oorsprong zijn
een belangrijke voedselbron voor mens
en dier, maar ook een potentiële bron
voor infectie. Bereid voedsel kan nog

infectieus virusmateriaal bevatten en de
transmissie van virussen door afvalpro-
dukten van dierlijke oorsprong wordt
onderschat. Met deze stelling begon
Dr. HA.P. Urlings van de Faculteit
Diergeneeskunde zijn presentatie over
virustransmissie door produkten van
dierlijke oorsprong. Het is gebleken dat
meerdere dierpathogene virussen aan-
wezig kunnen zijn in produkten van
dierlijke oorsprong. Als voorbeelden
werden onder andere genoemd: het
Newcastle-disease-virus bij pluimvee,
het varkenspest- en Afrikaanse-varkens-
pestvirus bij varkens en het mond- en
klauwzeer- en bovine-leukose-virus bij
rundvee. Deze ziekten zijn van groot
economisch belang in alle delen van de
wereld. De specifieke bereidingswijzen,
die in bepaalde tropische gebieden
opgang maken, kunnen bijdragen aan
een verdere verspreiding van ziekten.
Tijdens zijn presentatie ging Dr. Ur-
lings dan ook in op de noodzakelijke
maatregelen om mogelijk aanwezige
virussen te inactiveren en op de nood-
zaak om zoveel mogelijk het voeren
van afvalprodukten van dierlijke oor-
sprong tegen tegaan.

Om de deelnemers aan het Symposium
een zo breed mogelijk scala aan quot;epide-
miologischequot; onderwerpen te presente-
ren, was Prof. Dr. L. van der Heide,
van de University of Connecticut (Ver-
enigde Staten) uitgenodigd om zijn
visie te presenteren over de versprei-
ding van pluimveeziekten in de tropen
en om met name de situatie in Thai-
land te schetsen. Uit zijn presentatie
bleek al gauw dat de tijden van de
kleinschalige pluimveehouderij ook in
de tropen zo goed als voorbij zijn. De
problemen waarmee deze sector gecon-
fronteerd wordt zijn geheel van dezelf-
de aard als in Europa of de Verenigde
Staten. Het niveau van het manage-
ment en de hygiënische maatregelen,
S£mien met de introductie van curatieve
en preventieve behandeling heeft geleid
tot een sterke afname van algemeen
voorkomende ziekten zoals coccidiosis,
interne en externe parasieten, coryza,
pasteurellose en histomoniase. Het
voorkomen van Salmonella pullorum is
sterk terug gedfongen door het gebruik
van geïmporteerde pullomm-wxi]e fok-
dieren. Ondanks al deze maatregelen
vinden er overal ter wereld regelmatig
ernstige uitbraken plaats van infektie-
ziekten, dus ook in de tropen. Het
belangrijkst hierbij zijn de organismen
die bijdragen tot het respiratie-syn-
droom zoals de virussen die Newcastle
disease en infecteuse bronchitis veroor-
zaken en Mycoplasma gallisepticum en
M. synoviae. De specifieke klimaatsom-
standigheden in de tropen kunnen wel
bijzondere eisen stellen aan de huisves-
ting van grote aantallen dieren.

Prof Dr. A. Brand, de voorzitter van
het organiserend comité, concludeerde
in zijn epiloog dat een epidemioloog
eigenlijk boven alles prakticus moet
zijn. Hij of zij is te vergelijken met een
detective die oren en ogen open moet
houden voor elk detail binnen de com-
plexe moderne produktiesystemen.

Er zijn nog enkele exemplaren beschik-
baar van het symposiumboek dat onder
andere uitgebreide samenvattingen van
de lezingen bevat.

De boekjes zijn te verkrijgen bij het
Bureau Internationale Contacten van
de Faculteit Diergeneeskunde, Yalelaan
1, kamer 607, Postbus 80.163, 3508 TD
Utrecht. Tel. 3130.532116. Telefax:
3130.531815.

Joep Bolwerk is even in Nederland, net terug uit Nigeria, als de redactie van
EQUATOR hem spreekt over zijn ervaringen in Afrika. Hij neemt deel aan het
symposium Tropical Animal Health and Production aan quot;de Faculteit Dierge-
neeskunde in Utrecht voor hij verder reist naar Berlijn, waar hij de PAO-cursus
Tropische Epidemiologie en Preventieve Ziektekunde gaat volgen. In Nigeria
werkte hij op een groot commercieel pluimveebedrijf. Een Nederlandse dierenarts
dus die nu eens niet in een ontwikkelingssamenwerkingsproject of voor de over-
heid werkt. Merel Langelaar tekende zijn ervaringen op.

Hoe ben je in Nigeria bij een pluimvee-
bedrijf terechtge/comen. Was het tijdens
je studie al een wens om naar Afrika te
gaan?

Tijdens mijn studie had ik al het idee
om niet in Nederland te bhjven, dat
leek me nogal benauwend. Aan Afrika
had ik echter ook niet direct gedacht,
dat leek me eerlijk gezegd een conti-
nent zonder toekomst. Maar nadat ik
een tijdje waargenomen had na mijn
afstuderen in 1987, werd ik opgebeld
door een Nigeriaanse dierenarts die me
vroeg of ik een paar maanden met hem
mee wilde. Daar in Nigeria heb ik toen
twee maanden meegedaan in een prak-
tijk met Ideine huisdieren en paarden
in Ibadan. Voor mij was dat een moge-
lijkheid om met het Nigeriaanse leven
in aanraking te komen en voor hem om
op nieuwe ideeën te komen door sa-
men te werken met een Europese die-
renarts. Daarna ben ik blijven hangen
en bij een pluimveebedrijf gaan werken
als produktiemanager. Toen ik daar na

een jaar genoeg van had en eigenlijk
weer terug wilde gaan naar Nederland,
kreeg ik een baan aangeboden bij een
nieuw pluimveebedrijf.
Bij dat bedrijf heb ik van 1989 tot nu
gewerkt. Het is een Israëliseh-Nigeri-
aanse joint-venture, een commercieel
bedrijf dat niets met ontwikkelingshulp
te maken heeft. Zij hadden mijn werk
als produktiemanager gezien en vroe-
gen mij om die reden. Bij dit bedrijf
werd ik via produktiemanager later
general manager. Ongelukkigerwijs is
de situatie nog steeds zo dat ze voor
die functie blijkbaar geen Nigeriaan
willen hebben.

Het is een bedrijf met meerdere eenhe-
den waar eendagskuikens worden ge-
produceerd via het all-in-all-out sys-
teem. Eerst alleen slachtkuikens, later
ook leghennen, ouderdieren en groot-
ouderdieren, alhoewel dat eigenlijk niet
allemaal op één bedrijf zou moeten. De
kuikens worden door heel Nigeria afge-
leverd.

Het bedrijf heeft ingespeeld op de
grote groei in de pluimveeindustrie die
in Nigeria in het begin van de jaren \'80
werd doorgemaakt. Nigeria verdiende
toen veel geld aan de olie-export, en de
bomen leken tot in de hemel te groei-
en. Inmiddels is de situatie enorm ver-
slechterd, en de pluimvee-industrie is
behoorlijk in elkaar gestort. Veel be-
drijven zijn gesloten, maar dit bedrijf is
gegroeid.

Er is wel degelijk een markt voor de
kuikens die geproduceerd worden. Via
distributiebedrijven gaan de kuikens
naar andere grote bedrijven die het
eindprodukt leveren, diepvrieskuikens.
Die worden verkocht aan supermarkt-
ketens, hotels en fast-foodrestaurants in
de grote steden.

Het bedrijf heeft zich inmiddels meer
toegelegd op slachtkuikens en legdie-
ren. Gebleken is namelijk dat pluim-
veebedrijven toch teveel moeten inves-
teren in ouderdieren; bovendien ont-
breekt veelal de kennis.
Op het bedrijf zelf wordt het voer ge-
maakt, op dit moment zo\'n zestig ton
per week. Op de plaatselijke markt
worden daarvoor de grondstoffen inge-
kocht, zoals maïs, soja, pindaschroot en
afval van de meelindustrie. Sommige vi-
tamines worden geïmporteerd. Medicij-
nen en vaccins zijn over het algemeen
ook goed verkrijgbaar; multinationals
zien namelijk wel een markt in een
groot land als Nigeria, en zij leveren
betrouwbare produkten.

Eigenlijk had ik vooral een manage-
mentfunctie, die in de loop der tijd
steeds meer een administratieve baan
geworden is. Ik had steeds minder tijd
voor het pluimvee. Ik bleef wel betrok-
ken bij de werkvloer, maar werd steeds
afhankelijker van een asjital Nigerianen
voor wat betreft de dagelijkse leiding.
De mensen waar je mee werkt ken je
natuurlijk goed, zij weten wanneer ze je
erbij moeten betrekken als er proble-
men ontstaan.

Ik heb veel ervaring opgedaan, niet
alleen op het gebied van broederijen,
broederij-uitkomsten en dergelijke,
maar ook op het gebied van de produk-
tie van voer en het leiden van een be-
drijf met een eigen wagenpark, eigen

Grote pluimveebedrijven importeren
hybriden uit Europa om te voldoen aan
de vraag van restaurants en supermarkt-
ketens (foto: Bolwerk).

Als je het vergelijict met de Europese
situatie, wat zijn dan specifieice proble-
men die zich voordoen?

Eigenlijk is het niet vergelijkbaar met
een Europese situatie. Om te beginnen
is er het klimaat - bijna tropisch regen-
woud - dat niet bevorderlijk is voor de
diergezondheid en een goede dierlijke
produktie. De kwahteit van de grond-
stoffen voor het voer is lager dan in
Europa. Ondanks een goede training
hebben de werknemers toch een ande-
re toewijding dan hier. Dat is ook niet
zo verwonderlijk, want ze werken voor
niet veel meer dan een hongerloontje.
Er doen zich allerlei onverwachte din-
gen voor. Zo is er wel eens een tijd
geen benzine of diesel verkrijgbaar
geweest, een tijdje geen grondstoffen
voor het voer, in bepaalde perioden in
het jaar is het onmogelijk om ééndags-
kuikens te verkopen. Allemaal dingen
die een normaal produktieproces on-
mogelijk maken. Veel dingen moet je
zelf doen, zelf uitzoeken. Niemand kan
je helpen met specifiek veterinaire pro-
blemen, er zijn geen goede laboratori-
umfaciliteiten. Ik gebruikte serologische
test-kits om te controleren of het vacci-
natieprogramma voor Gumboro, NCD,
bronchitis, goed gelukt was. Grote
problemen zijn me gelukkig bespaard
gebleven.

Je leert ook om op een andere wijze
zaken te doen. Er is veel corruptie en
daar wen je aan, je wordt zelf ook een
beetje corrupt. Dat moet wel, want
sommige dingen kunnen niet zonder
smeergeld geregeld worden, het is een
wijdverbreid fenomeen dat overal, in
alle lagen, is doorgedrongen.

Vormt een dergelijfc bedrijf geen oneigen-
lijJce concurrentie voor de icleine boeren
op het platteland, die hun kippen toch
ooic ergens willen verlcopen?

Nee, het zijn twee markten naast el-
kaar. Tachtig procent van het pluimvee
bevindt zich op het platteland. Dat zijn
lokale rassen, de opfokmethoden zijn
volkomen verschillend, ze hebben te
kampen met hoge sterfte en trage
groei. De produkten worden verkocht

op lokale markten. De overige twintig
procent zijn hybriden, Europese dieren,
op grote bedrijven. Die bedrijven leve-
ren een uniform produkt, waar de res-
taurants en supermarkten in de grote
steden om vragen. Het bedrijf waar ik
werkte leverde de kuikens aan die
bedrijven.

Hoe zit het met de dierenartsen in Nige-
ria, zijn er privé-pralctijlcen, is er een
goede opleiding?

Een jaar of tien a vijftien geleden was
de opleiding redeUjk goed, er was toen
voldoende geld. Nu er geen geld meer
is, en ook binnen de universiteit een
moordende corruptie, is de kwaliteit
van het onderwijs enorm achteruit
gegaan. Je kunt er op dit moment af-
studeren zonder ooit een levend beest
van dichtbij gezien te hebben, laat
staan er een diergeneeskundige hande-
ling bij verricht te hebben.
De dierenarts waar ik in het begin
gewerkt heb, had een goed lopende
kleine-huisdierenpraktijk, zijn klanten
hadden vertrouwen in hem. In de klei-
ne-huisdierensector zijn het natuurlijk
over het cdgemeen de rijkere Nigeria-
nen en de buitenlanders met een huis-
dier die je cliëntèle vormen.
In de agrarische sector is het veel
moeilijker. Er zijn wel dierenartsen,
met name in het Zuiden van het land.
Die werken vooral in de pluimveesec-
tor, want er zijn daar geen koeien en
ook nauwelijks nog varkens nu er voor-
al moslims wonen. Ze leiden een vrij
moeizaam bestaan: Ze hebben een ge-
brekkige kennis; ze moeten vaak besUs-
singen nemen zonder een juiste diagno-
se gesteld te hebben; ze zijn afhankelijk
van de verkoop van medicijnen, de
boeren zijn wantrouwend en er zijn
geen goede laboratoria. Bovendien is
de dierlijke produktie behalve van dier-
gezondheid ook afhankelijk van allerlei
andere factoren als good husbandry,
voeding, huisvesting, klimaat en derge-
lijke, waar de dierenarts niet of nauwe-
hjks vat op heeft.

Veel pas afgestudeerde dierenartsen
willen ook helemaal niet werken als
prakticus, ze willen veel liever een
witte-boordenjob.

De klimaatsomstandigheden in de tro-
pen stellen stellen bijzondere eisen aan
de huisvesting van grote aantallen dieren
(foto: Bolwerk).

Je weriite voor een commercieel bedrijf.
Had je niet het idee dat je op de één of
andere manier iets meer aan \'ontwiic/ce-
lingshulp\'zou moeten doen?

MoeiUjke vraag. Zoals ik het in Nigeria
gezien heb, lonen ontwikkelingsprojec-
ten niet, met name vanwege de moor-
dende corruptie. Elk EG-project loopt
via de overheid en bereikt slechts een
beperkte groep Nigerianen,- die daar op
een ongelofelijke manier van profite-
ren, terwijl het project zelf slecht van
de grond komt en de doelgroep niet
bereikt.

Het is niet zozeer een kwestie van
gebrek aan kennis maar meer gebrek
aan welwillendheid. Als er geld van
buitenelf komt dan wordt dat verteerd
in het enorme ambtenarenapparaat, er
bhjft niets van over om iets op te zet-
ten.

Dat is het óórdeel van een commer-
ciële opzet: er moet geld verdiend
worden. Wat je er ook van vindt, er
wordt werk verschaft aan Nigerianen
en er wordt voor de Nigeriaanse markt
geproduceerd. Het heeft toch wel im-
pact op de plaatselijke agrarische ont-
wikkeling. Zelf heb ik geen moeite met
een commerciële basis. De betrokken-
heid van de mensen is groter. In de
afgelopen jaren is er een aantal
overheidspluimveebedrijven, ondanks
grote investeringen, in elkaar geklapt,
terwijl het bedrijf waar ik werkte juist
gegroeid is. Ik denk dat dat te maken
heeft met het feit dat er op zo\'n over-
heidsbedrijf geen persoonhjke belangen
in het spel zijn.

Je zei dat je Afrika voorheen zag als een
continent zonder toekomst. Is dat idee
veranderd nu je er een tijd geweest bent?

Het is er zeker niet beter op geworden.
Ik zie niet hoe een land als Nigeria uit
de problemen moet komen. Er heerst
een financiële crisis, de produktiekos-
ten zijn hoog, er is een gebrek aan
mitiatief omdat produktief zijn niet
loont en de moordende corruptie is
alleen maar steeds erger geworden,
hele generaties zijn daar inmiddels
door verpest. Hoe draai je dat terug?
De meeste problemen die in Nigeria
spelen zijn waarschijnhjk algemeen
geldend voor de rest van Afrika. Er
zijn zoveel sociale problemen, ruzies
tussen stammen, taalverschillen, ge-
loofsgeschillen, teveel om op te noe-
men. Ik denk dat iedereen pessimis-
tisch zou moeten zijn over Afrika.
De \'donor fatigue\' begint steeds meer
te heersen. Bovendien zijn er twee
groepen mensen: één groep die gelooft
in ontwikkelingssamenwerking en het
onafhankelijk maken van dit soort
landen door de plaatselijke produktie te
stimuleren, maar een andere groep lijkt
daar helemaal geen belang bij te heb-
ben. Zij zien Afrika als een afzetgebied
voor de overproduktie van Europa,
daarmee de lokale economie versto-
rend.

Hoe je er iets aan zou moeten doen
weet ik ook niet. Ik hoor bij die grote
groep mensen die niet één, twee, drie
een oplossing aan kurmen dragen. Ik
denk wel dat er aandacht geschonken
moet worden aan de corruptie, die het
niveau van ontwikkeling van de bevol-
king erg negatief beïnvloedt. Het anal-
fabetisme moet om te beginnen uitge-

roeid worden. Verder moet de rol van
de overheid teruggedrongen worden,
niet zozeer omdat je tegen de overheid
moet zijn, maar omdat die veelal een
verlammende invloed heeft.
In projecten voor deze landen zoals die
nu uitgevoerd worden, heb ik niet zo-
veel vertrouwen, ik heb daar nog geen
blijvend resultaat van gezien. Als je
weet dat de bevolking in Afrika sinds
1970 is gegroeid met tachtig procent,
maar dat in diezelfde periode de agra-
rische produktie is gedaald met twintig
procent, dan vraag je je toch £if waar al
dat geld gebleven is.
Het voordeel van projecten met een
commerciële basis is dat iemand die
investeert meer belangen heeft, hij wil-
geld terug zien.

Omdat ik vind dat je na een aantal
jaren een tunnelvisie krijgt, je ziet je ei-
gen fouten dan niet meer. Dan wordt
het tijd om een nieuwe uitdaging te
zoeken. Juist in de tropen heb je veel
meer uitdagingen dan hier in de prak-
tijk, je weet \'s ochtends niet wat je de
rest van de dag te wachten staat. Maar
als je te lang op een plek blijft dan
wordt het een baan net als alle andere.
Wat ik na die PAO-cursus in Berlijn ga
doen weet ik nog niet, in elk geval wil
ik niet in Nederland blijven. Na het
werk dat ik gedaan heb, in een vrij
gecompliceerde omgeving, met de
verantwoordelijkheid over 150 mensen
en veel afwisseling, zie ik me niet hier
werken en eindeloos varkens enten.

Ik heb er zeker geen spijt van. Ik heb
veel geleerd in Nigeria, de uitdagingen
waren veel groter dan die ik hier in
Nederland als dierenarts mee zou ma-
ken. Ik ben niet per se verknocht ge-
raakt aan Afrika, alhoewel het
zeker wel wat gedaan heeft.

In deze rubriek worden vacatures opgenomen die door de redactie als mogelijk in-
teressant voor Nederlandse dierenartsen worden aangemerkt. Naast vacatures die
zullen worden overgenomen uit: Vacatureblad Internationale Samenwerking, Tijd-
schrift voor Diergeneeskunde, The Veterinary Record, INTRO Vacatures etc. zal
er plaats zijn voor personeelsadvertenties. Voor nadere inlichtingen omtrent de ge-
boden functies dient men zich direct tot de instelling of onderneming te wenden.

PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGAN!- (Vacancy notice: 93/PAHO/30; post
ZATION (PAHO)nbsp;number: 4.3439).

HEALTH / BRASILIA, BRAZIL. - Providing technical collaboration in
subregional integration initiatives in
the cuea of food protection and
bilateral programmes for technical
cooperation in zoonosis control.
Collaborating in the establishment
of technical cooperation strategies
for the Organization, plans of work,
methods of operation, and evalu-
ation of activities in food protection,
control and eradication of zoonoses,
development of biomedical models,
and strengthening of veterinary

-nbsp;Promoting and providing direct
technical cooperations and leaders-
hip in the development of integra-
ted national programmes of food
protection, including planning^ orga-
nization, implementation, monito-
ring, and evaluation.

-nbsp;Developing and maintaining training
programmes in national institutions
to ensure the transfer of food pro-
tection technology to national per-
sonnel in order to support national
programmes; organizing and pro-
viding individual and collective trai-
ning for professionals.

-nbsp;Preparing and/or collaborating in
the preparation of grant proposals
for external funding, in accordance
with programme priorities.

-nbsp;Collaborating in the preparation of
technical reports. Collaborating with
national institutions and universities
in the design, conduct, and evaluati-
on of research in food protection, in
accordance with programme prio-
rities.

-nbsp;Coordinating the work of PAHO
veterinary public health personnel in
Brazil in order to ensure the imple-
mentation of interprogramme acti-
ons with, inter alia, programmes on
environmental sanitation, food and
nutrition, epidemiology, diarrhoeal
diseases and other communicable
diseases, and workers\' health.

-nbsp;Collaborating in the developing and
implementation of the system for
epidemiological surveillance of pre-
valent food-borne diseases and zoo-
noses. Collaborating in the develop-
ment of teaching materials for com-
munity use and strengthening of un-
dergraduate and graduate vetermary
education and related activities.

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or equi-
valent degree in one of the health
sciences with post graduate training to
the Master\'s level m PubUc Health or
areas related to food protection and
zoonoses. In addition, academic trai-
ning should include studies in animal
health and production.
At national level: 7 years of experience
in policy formulation with a national
service involved in food science, zoon-
oses, and administration. Experience
should include responsibility for all
phases of development, implementa-
tion, and evaluation of programmes of
food protection and zoonosis control,
as well as teaching and investigative
experience in modern methods of qua-
lity control of food and in administra-
tion of food laboratories.
At international level: 3 years of inter-
national experience, specifically in trai-
ning and technical cooperation in food
protection.

Very good knowledge of Spanish and-
/or Portuguese and a working know-
ledge of Enghsh.

Salary (tax free) per annum. With
dependants US$45,271 Post adjust-
ment US$11,499 and Hardship/mobility
US$ 2,509.

Without dependants US$ 42,103 Post
adjustment US$ 10,694 and Hardship/-
mobility US$ 2,329.

Additional information:
Division: Communicable Disease Pre-
vention and Control (HPC). Duration:
2 Years, first year probationary period.
Grade: P 4. Smoking is banned on
PAHQ/WHQ premises.

Apphcants should quote the vacancy
notice number and the post number.
AppHcations from women are encou-
raged. Address: PAHQ , 525 23quot;^ Street
N.W., 20037 Washington DC
(Tel.: 1.202.8613192).

Apphcations are invited for the follo-
v^ng vacancies in the School of Veteri-
nary Medicine:

LECTURER/ASSISTANT LECTU-
RER IN VETERINARY PARASITO-
LOGY AND VETERINARY SUR-
GERY

Applicants should have DVM and
higher degree with relevant teaching
and research experience for aU posts.
Experience in tropical veterinary para-
sitology required for posts in that area.

Remuneration:
Annual salary ranges:
professor: TT$ 109,080 - $125,784;
senior lecturer: TT$ 90,660 - $109,080;
lecturer TT$ 71,232 - $79,152 (B) TT$
89,052, assistant lecturer TT$ 62,904 -
66,864, plus institutional allowance ran-
ging from 10% to 30% of basic salary
dependmg on post. Annual regional
allowances: professor TT$ 20,340, seni-
or lecturer TT$ 12,204; lecturers: TT$
4,380 (below bar) or TT$ 7,884 (above
bar).

Apphcations naming three referees and
detaihng quahfications and experience
to the Registrar, University of the West
Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad, as soon
as possible. Further particulars sent to
all apphcants; these particulars are also
available from the Appointments De-
partment, Association of Common-
wealth Universities, 36 Gordon Square,
London WCIH OPF, UK (Tel. 44.-
71.387.8572 ext. 206, telefax: 44.71.-
383.0368).

Panafrican Veterinary Associati-
on Congress in conjunction with the
Regional Commonwealth and
Tanzanian Veterinary Association
Scientific Conference. Theme: quot;Live-
stock production and the African
environmentquot;. Topics: The impact of
livestock husbandry systems on the
environment; Science and technolo-
gy for sustainable livestock develop-
ment in Africa for the 21quot;quot; century;
Nutrition as a constraint to livestock
production in Africa; The impact of
diseases on livestock development in
Africa; The role of private veterina-
ry practice in enhancing livestock
productivity; Improving animal pro-
duction at village level. Information:
Dr. P. Msolla, Chairman, Tanzanian
Veterinary Association, P.O. Box
3021, Morogoro (Tel.: 255.56.-
3511, telefax scientific committee:
255.56.3177/3718/3259).

17 januari - 15 juh 1994.
7quot;^ International course on quot;Dairy
husbandry and milk processingquot;.
Organized by: Dairy Training
Centre Friesland. Programme gene-
ral part (11 weeks): Dairy develop-
ment; animal husbandry; milk pro-
cessing. Followed by specialized
part (15 weeks) which has 3 options.
Option 1 and 2: Dairy production (9
weeks) followed by either 6 weeks:
Training and extension or by 6
weeks: Dairy farm management.
Option 3: Small-scale milk process-
ing. Course fee: Dfl. 4,500. Closing
date for registration: 1 October,
1993. Information and registration:
Director DTC-Friesland, P.O. Box
85, 9062 ZJ Oenkerk, The Nether-
lands (Tel.: 31.5103.1562, telefax:
31.5103.1628).

DIO-avondsymposium: Foot and
mouth, just a third world problem?
Plaats: Collegezaal Vakgroep Ge-
neeskimde van Gezelschapsdieren,
Yalelaan 8, De Uithof-Utrecht.
Aanvang: 20.00 uur.

5 april - 10 juni 1994.
Tropencursus. Keuze-co-assistent-
schap voor studenten van de Facul-
teit Diergeneeskunde van de Uni-
versiteit Utrecht. Georganiseerd
door: Bureau Internationale Contac-
ten van de Faculteit Diergeneeskun-
de. Sluitingsdatum: 28 februari 1994.
Inlichtingen: Dr. R.W. Pahng (Tel.:
030.532116).

13^^ International Pig Veterinary
Society (IPVS) Congress. Organized
by: Faculty of Veterinary Science,
Chulalongkorn University. Informa-
tion and registration: Dr. Annop
Kunavongkrit, Secretary of the 13quot;quot;
IPVS Congress, Faculty of Veterin-
ary Science, Chulalongkorn Univer-
sity, Bangkok 10330 (Tel.: 66.2-
2520738, telefax 66.2.2553910).

International Symposium on
Veterinary Epidemiology and Eco-
nomics. Information: The Interna-
tional Society for Veterinary Epi-
demiology and Economics (ISVEE),
Centre for Disease Control, Mail-
stop G.33, Building 15 SSB 611,
Atianta, GA 30333, U.SA. (Tel.:
1.404.6391050, telefax: 1.404.-
6393296).

29 augustus - 7 Oktober 1994.
International course on: quot;Modern
dairy farm managementquot;. Organized
by: Dairy Training Centre Friesland.
Programme: milk and milking; dairy
cattle feeding; forage production;
calf-rearing; fertility; breeding; ani-
mal health; housing; farm machin-
ery; manpower management; farm
economics and Dutch dairy industry.
Course fee including board and
lodging, excursion and insurance:
Dfl. 4,250. Information and registra-
tion: Director DTC-Friesland, P.O.
Box 85, 9062 ZJ Oenkerk, The
Netherlands (Tel.: 31.5103.1562,
telefax: 31.5103.1628).

September 1994 - juni 1995
International course in biomedical
research development 1994-1995.
Organized by the University of
Amsterdam, Faculty of Medicine
and the Royal Tropical Institute.
Topics:

Module 1: Introduction and review;
Module 2: Design and execution of
research projects; Module 3: Design
and execution of research projects;
Module 4: Advanced methods I:
Laboratory; Module 5: Advanced
methods II: Research methodology
and tools; Module 6: Individual
project. Course fee: Dfl. 24.500.
Final date for submission of the
preliminary apphcation is February
15, 1994. Information: Dr. E.P.
Wright, course coordinator. Faculty
of Medicine, University of Amster-
dam, Meibergdreef 15, 1105 AZ
Amsterdam.