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Skunk Surveillance Project 2008 Guidelines for the handling and
submission of skunks
5/9/2008
Dennis Kaan
Area Extension Director (Agriculture and
Business Management)
Colorado State University Extension
Golden Plains
Area |
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The following information is from a memoandum from the Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment (DK):
BACKGROUND:
Skunk rabies may have become reestablished in eastern areas of the state and
potentially is moving west toward the Front Range. The establishment of endemic
rabies in a terrestrial wildlife reservoir, especially in the urban Front
Range, would have enormous public health repercussions. In an effort to
identify rabies activity, CDPHE is conducting a rabies surveillance project for
skunks showing abnormal behavioral signs of rabies or found dead on roadsides
to determine the distribution of skunk rabies in eastern Colorado.
Laboratory-based rabies surveillance is essential for developing rabies
prevention recommendations and control measures.
HANDLING SUSPECTED
CARCASSES: When collecting or handling animals suspected of having rabies,
your personal safety and well- being is the primary concern. DO NOT transport
live wildlife suspected of having rabies.
- Approach animal carefully and
confirm it has expired.
- Do not shoot it in the head.
If the animal has to be euthanized allow animal control police, sheriff or
wildlife officer or a veterinarian to do this for you. Use a body mass
shot.
- Use appropriate protective
equipment to avoid getting the animal fluids onto your clothing, eyes, nose or
mouth. At a minimum this means impervious latex or rubber gloves while handling
the carcass or removing the head in the field. A face shield is recommended if
splash back while removing the head could occur.
- Place the carcass or head
into plastic bag and use a heavy cardboard box and/or cooler to transport to
the contracted veterinarian in your county for head removal and carcass
disposal.
- Keep the animal as cool as
possible during transport by adding ice packs to the cardboard box or cooler.
Do not place ice in the bags with the carcass.
- Clean personal protective
equipment, knives, coolers and other contaminated items with hot, soapy water
or an alcohol or bleach sanitizer. Wash contaminated clothing in a regular hot
wash/dryer cycle.
- WASH hands with sanitizer.
- Contaminated surfaces can be
cleaned with 1:10 bleach/water solution.
SKUNK CRITERIA:
- Dead < 48
hours
- No maggots; if maggots are
present do not collect the specimen.
- Head and skull are
intact
- Strange behavior; out during
daytime, animal exposure, aggressive
- Roadkill
- Do not submit normal
behaving skunks; i.e. late night trash scavengers
SKUNK SPECIMEN
PREPARATION: To insure a valid test an appropriate specimen must be
submitted. For skunks, only the head must be sent. Persons with knowledge and
adequate protective equipment to protect them from rabies virus exposure should
only do removal of heads. Specimens must be refrigerated immediately and held
at 35-40F until shipped. DO NOT FREEZE OR PLACE THE SPECIMEN IN A PRESERVATICE
SUCH AS FORMALIN.
SHIPMENT:
- As this is a surveillance
project and samples are not time critical, specimens can be refrigerated, held
over the weekend or for a couple days to be batched with other samples.
Specimens should be sent within 2-3 days of collection.
- Specimens should be
double-bagged in plastic and sealed in an inner waterproof container with cold
packs (not dry or wet ice) to insure no leakage during shipment.
- Use an outer shipping
container or cardboard box. It is the responsibility of the submitting
agency to insure no leakage occurs during shipment as this causes great concern
for parties handling the package and may result in the loss of delivery
service.
- A
Rabies Diagnostic Laboratory form for
Colorado State University must accompany each specimen. Multiple specimens
in the same shipment each need a separate form and must be clearly identified.
- The package should be labeled
as a "biological specimen."
- Call 1-800-GOFEDEX for
pick-up and overnight delivery. If you do not have a shipping label, inform the
FedEx courier at time of call and he will provide one for you. Use this account
number #187083273 on FedEx shipping label and check bill the recipient.
- Ship specimens by FedEx to
the Colorado State Veterinary Diagnostic Lab. Shipping address: 300 West Drake
Road in Fort Collins, CO 80526.
CDPHE should be advised of
all incoming specimens by faxing a copy of each
CSU Rabies Diagnostic Laboratory form
to Janell Bezdek at 303-782-0338.
TEST RESULTS AND CONSULTATION:
Positive rabies tests are telephoned to CDPHE and the submitting agency
immediately. Negative results are reported by mail. Submitting agencies can
view results in the zoonotic database or by calling CDPHE for results during
regular business hours at (303) 692-2778 or the CSU Diagnostic Lab at (970)
491-1281.
For consultation on rabies exposure, testing, bit follow-up
and reporting, and rabies pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis contact the
Disease Control and Environmental Epidemiology Division at (303) 692-2700
during business hours or (303) 370-9395 for after-hour, weekend and holiday
emergencies.
Rabies Diagnostic Laboratory form for Colorado
State University |
Page Created and Maintained by: Perry D. Brewer, Area
Extension Agent (Technology Education/Youth)
5/12/2008 |
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