Epizootiologija važnijih zaraznih bolesti životinja u Srbiji i susednim zemljama i procena rizika od pojave novih bolesti koje mogu da ugroze zdravlje životinja na slobodnim pašnjacima

Shearing the same space with man, animals in the Balkan region do not have only an economic value. On the other hand, added value of the animals is not a consequence of the social and sentimental relationship toward one’s dog or some other animal but it is the reflection of the importance of the genetic material of the particular breed of horse, cattle, swine or small ruminant. The growing demand to produce as much milk, meat or some other animal product, to shorten the fattening period, to get as much as possible offspring per mother, and other criteria that focus only on animal productivity, as a result have neglected the biological capacity of certain species. Nowadays, frequently there are reproductive as well as anatomical disorders of domestic animal species that cause them to be more susceptible not only to diseases that are related to enzootic diseases, but to diseases (infective and parasitic) that up to some decades ago were considered as usual and banal. In 2016. we witnessed an epizooty of nodular (Lumpy) dermatitis in the region. After a lag period, there has been a proper response as far as Serbian veterinary service is concerned. As a result, control of the disease took place. Epizootical measures that took place, were approved by international veterinary institutions. However, still there is a question concerning how to protect isolated and valuable populations of, for example, cattle that are not only for milk or meat production. Such isolated populations are there to serve as a valuable genetic stock of the particular species. Mostly, in order to eradicate certain diseases, epidemiological methods mean that the whole stock or population at the location that is at risk has to be killed. That means that great efforts to preserve genetic resources of certain species that are of utmost importance, could be jeopardized.Blue tongue disease as well as Lumpy nodular dermatitis, show that climate change is not a meaningless mantra of the ecologists and “greens” but it is a reality that carries possibilities of catastrophic consequences for animal species. For centuries, epizootias, as well and enzootias, cause diseases such as brucellosis, contagious ectyma, equine infective anemia or classical swine fever. In last decade, new infectious diseases are bluetongue, and nodular (Lumpy) dermatitis. On the other hand, there are diseases threatening the region, mostly because there are new vectors for such diseases. In some cases, vectors are true natural hosts for, for example a virus (African swine fever virus – ASF). In the case of African swine fever, in Africa, the accidental host are swine. Thus, swine are an indicator that the virus is present in the region. In Europe, ASF is an infectious disease has the form of epizootia. At the same time, epizootical pattern of the disease, greatly differs in comparison to the disease occurrence and maintenance in Africa. The virus that causes bluetongue is transmitted by vectors. At the same time the virus replicates in the vectors. However, epizootical characteristics and inter relationships between the vector and susceptible hosts (sheep, cattle), differ in comparison to the ASF. Horse sickness is a disease that shares the same epizootical characteristics with blue tongue. Rift walleye fever is a disease mostly affecting small ruminants but it is an important zoonosis, as well. There is a great risk of introduction of the disease in the Europe, the South regions in particular. One of the possibilities of exotic diseases introduction in the region is by man activities (peste des pettits ruminants and sheep pox). At the same time, there are still pockets of glanders and dourine in some regions of Asia and Africa.