Saving Geronimo

In Summary:

Geronimo was bought by his owner from a bTB negative farm and was imported to the UK by his Owner Helen. Geronimo was tested on a trial testing program by DEFRA (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs) and the BAS (British Alpaca Society). There are multiple elements taking place in this case as it is has received national interest, the personal bond between Geronimo and his owner as well as the validity of the trial.

The Trial of the Enferplex Test:

The problem with the trial. Now the test in itself may have a place in the sector to benefit cattle and alpacas. The issue is that there has been an issue with the test as part of the trial whilst they included various outcomes to rule out particular errors the problem, occurs with the circumstances of Geronimo. Even though he has been isolated and after coming from a TB free county the test conducted is showing a positive result but we should all be aware that this test is only a trial to see if it detects bTB in camelids as it does in cattle as well as the accuracy. The concern would be as with some of the errors currently found with TB testing post mortem is the only conclusive test identifying TB lesions but if Geronimo is healthy this is a senseless waste of life. This also poses a problem for the government and DEFRA as it would be a PR disaster. Now Geronimo has been vaccinated according to his owner which the tests used in the trial Enferplex would not be able to distinguish from him having the disease. This is where the problem lies for a trial the animal should not have been selected to begin with as there is nothing in the protocols to account for this. Now the backup of this type of test is to utilise the much-contested validity of the skin test which is also primarily used in the cattle which in itself has had its sensitivity questioned and found in camelids the accuracy is less than 20%.

Call for the Actiphage Test:

Now a testing method that does not utilise a method for detecting present antibodies and instead identified the presence of the disease itself is a far more sensible solution. The Actiphage test effectively highlights to the tester if the disease is present by giving a clear DNA signature under testing conditions from a blood sample taken from the subject. This would remove the risk that the animal simply has antibodies due to an immune response that has been supported by a vaccine. If the test proves that there is no TB present then what we effectively have is a case for a test that can be used to identify the status of an animal after the introduction of a vaccine. Then if animals test positive under this test they may be vaccinated but could also be reactors as they have the disease present and would effectively be suffering from the disease. This would offer an option to incorporate testing into a vaccine regime for both cattle and camelids as well as a lifeline for Geronimo.

In Conclusion:

The Actiphage test provides a new tool to potentially safeguard vaccinated animals like Geronimo as we move closer to vaccine trials this is invaluable. Whilst also protecting other stock animals as we measure the effectiveness of the test and validity. Geronimo is potentially paving the way to increase the calibre of the testing method applied in the UK and also offer crucial protection from euthanasia which many including myself feel is morally wrong and scientifically dubious without robust testing.

Sources and Further Reading:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9879245/Standoff-Geronimo-continues-alpacas-owner-demands-appropriate-bovine-TB-testing.html

https://www.fwi.co.uk/livestock/health-welfare/livestock-diseases/bovine-tb/farmers-and-vets-hope-alpaca-case-raises-bovine-tb-awareness

https://tbhub.co.uk/tb-in-non-bovine-animals/camelids/

http://apha.defra.gov.uk/external-operations-admin/library/documents/tuberculosis/TN191.pdf

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-58158054

https://1gov.uk/petition-to-save-condemned-alpaca-geronimo-secures-almost-80000-signatures/

https://www.bas-uk.com/british-alpaca-society-calls-for-urgent-talks-with-defra-amidst-fears-for-the-future-of-voluntary-btb-testing-in-the-uk/

https://tbhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Factsheet_gamma_test_TB_hub.pdf

https://tbhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Phage_factsheet_13.02.2020_TB_hub.pdf