Glossary

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Glossary
Anadromous fish Fish species that hatch and live initially in freshwater (as fry), undergo smolt and migrate to seawater (for ‘growout’)and then return to freshwater to spawn. See also Catadromous fish
Aquatic Animal Health Committee A committee comprising representatives of the Australian government, Australian state and territory governments, the major aquaculture, wild capture, aquarium and recreational fishing industries and a CSIRO representative. The committee provides advice to PIMC on aquatic animal health matters, focusing on technical issues and regulatory policy. See also Primary Industries Ministerial Council (PIMC)
Australian Chief Veterinary Officer The nominated senior veterinarian in the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry who manages international animal health commitments and the Australian Government’s response to an animal disease outbreak. See also Chief veterinary officer
AQUAVETPLAN Australian Aquatic Veterinary Emergency Plan. A series of technical response plans that describe the proposed Australian approach to an emergency aquatic animal disease incident. See also AUSVETPLAN
AUSVETPLAN Australian Veterinary Emergency Plan. A series of technical response plans that describe the proposed Australian approach to an emergency animal disease incident. The documents provide guidance based on sound analysis, linking policy, strategies, implementation, coordination and emergency-management plans.
Catadromous fish Fish species that hatch and live initially in seawater (as fry), undergo smolt and migrate to freshwater (for ‘growout’) and then return to seawater to spawn. See also Anadromous fish
Chief veterinary officer (CVO) The senior veterinarian of the animal health authority in each jurisdiction (national, state or territory) who has responsibility for animal disease control in that jurisdiction. See also Australian Chief Veterinary Officer
Compensation The sum of money paid by government to an owner for stock that are destroyed and property that is compulsorily destroyed because of an emergency animal disease.
Control areaa A buffer between the restricted area and areas free of disease. Restrictions on this area will reduce the likelihood of the disease spreading further afield. As the extent of the outbreak is confirmed, the control area may reduce in size. The shape of the area may be modified according to circumstances, eg water flows, catchment limits etc. In most cases, permits will be required to move animals and specified product out of the control area into the free area.
Covert infection Clinically inapparent infection betanodavirus that is transmissible and that may eventually lead to clinical disease.
Dangerous contact animal A susceptible animal that has been designated as being exposed to other infected animals or potentially infectious products following tracing and epidemiological investigation.
Dangerous contact premises or areaa That which has had a direct, and possibly infectious, contact with an infected premises/area. The type of contact will depend on the agent involved in the outbreak but, for example, may involve animal movements or net/equipment movements.
Declared areaa A defined tract of land or water that is subjected to disease control restrictions under emergency animal disease legislation. Types of declared areas include restricted area, control area, infected premises, dangerous contact premises and suspect premises.
Decontamination Includes all stages of cleaning and disinfection.
Disease agent A general term for a transmissible organism or other factor that causes an infectious disease.
Disinfectant A chemical used to destroy disease agents outside a living animal.
Disinfection The application, after thorough cleansing, of procedures intended to destroy the infectious or parasitic agents of animal diseases, including zoonoses; applies to premises, vehicles and different objects that may have been directly or indirectly contaminated.
Disposal Sanitary removal of fish carcases and things by burial, burning or some other process so as to prevent the spread of disease.
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) A serological test designed to detect and measure the presence of antibody or antigen in a sample. The test uses an enzyme reaction with a substrate to produce a colour change when antigen–antibody binding occurs.
Emergency animal disease A disease that is (a) exotic to Australia or (b) a variant of an endemic disease or (c) a serious infectious disease of unknown or uncertain cause or (d) a severe outbreak of a known endemic disease, and that is considered to be of national significance with serious social or trade implications. See also Endemic animal disease, Exotic animal disease
Endemic animal disease A disease affecting animals (which may include humans) that is known to occur in Australia. See also Emergency animal disease, Exotic animal disease
Enterprise See Risk enterprise
Epidemiological investigation An investigation to identify and qualify the risk factors associated with the disease.
Exotic animal disease A disease affecting animals (which may include humans) that does not normally occur in Australia. See also Emergency animal disease, Endemic animal disease
Fish byproducts Products of fish origin destined for industrial use (eg fishmeal).
Fish products Fish meat products and products of fish origin (eg eggs) for human consumption or use in animal feeding.
Fomites Inanimate objects (eg boots, clothing, equipment, instruments, vehicles, crates, packaging) that can carry an infectious disease agent and may spread the disease through mechanical transmission.
Free area An area known to be free of the disease agent.
Infected premises or areaa The area in which the disease has been confirmed. Definition of an ‘infected area’ is more likely to apply to an open system, such as an oceanic lease.
Local disease control centre An emergency operations centre responsible for the command and control of field operations in a defined area.
Mitigation Reduction in severity of a disease to reduce its impact.
Monitoring Routine collection of data for assessing the health status of a population. See also Surveillance
Movement control Restrictions placed on the movement of fish, people and other things to prevent the spread of disease.
Nested RT-PCR A double-stage PCR process where the second round identifies a DNA sequence ‘nested’ within the initial sequence thus increasing the specificity. See Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR)
OIE Aquatic Code OIE International Aquatic Animal Health Code. Published on the internet at: http://www.oie.int/eng/normes/fcode/a_index.htm (Accessed 4 November 2004). See Appendix 2 for further details
OIE Aquatic Manual OIE Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals. Describes standards for laboratory diagnostic tests and the production and control of biological products (principally vaccines). The current edition is published on the internet at: http://www.oie.int/eng/normes/fmanual/A_summry.htm (Accessed 4 November 2004). See Appendix 2 for further details
Operational procedures Detailed instructions for carrying out specific disease control activities, such as disposal, destruction, decontamination and valuation.
Owner Person responsible for a premises (includes an agent of the owner, such as a manager or other controlling officer).
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) A method of amplifying and analysing DNA sequences that can be used to detect the presence of virus DNA. See also Reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) and Nested RTPCR
Premises or area Production sites that may range from an aquarium to an aquaculture lease in the open ocean.
Prevalence The proportion (or percentage) of animals in a particular population affected by a particular disease (or infection or positive antibody titre) at a given point in time.
Primary Industries Ministerial Council The council of Australian national, state and territory and New Zealand ministers of agriculture that sets Australian and New Zealand agricultural policy (formerly the Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand).
Quarantine Legal restrictions imposed on a place, fish, vehicle, or other things, limiting movement.
Restricted areaa The area around an infected premises (or area), likely to be subject to intense surveillance and movement controls. It is likely to be relatively small. It may include some dangerous contact premises (or area) and some suspect premises (or area), as well as enterprises that are not infected or under suspicion. Movement of potential vectors of disease out of the area will, in general, be prohibited. Movement into the restricted area would only be by permit. Multiple restricted areas may exist within one control area.
Reverse transcriptase- PCR (RT-PCR) A highly sensitive technique for the detection and quantitation of mRNA (messenger RNA) by reverse transcription to DNA followed by PCR . See Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Nested RT-PCR
Risk enterprise A defined livestock or related enterprise, which is potentially a major source of infection for many other premises. Includes hatcheries, aquaculture farms, processing plants, packing sheds, fish markets, tourist angling premises, veterinary laboratories, road and rail freight depots and garbage depots.
Sensitivity The proportion of affected individuals in the tested population that are correctly identified as positive by a diagnostic test (true positive rate). See also Specificity
Serotype A subgroup of microorganisms identified by the antigens carried (as determined by a serology test).
Specificity The proportion of nonaffected individuals in the tested population that are correctly identified as negative by a diagnostic test (true negative rate). See also Sensitivity
State or territory disease control headquarters The emergency operations centre that directs the disease control operations to be undertaken in that state or territory.
Surveillance A systematic series of investigations of a given population of fish to detect the occurrence of disease for control purposes, and which may involve testing samples of a population.
Susceptible fish Fish that can be infected with a particular disease.
Suspect fish Fish that may have been exposed to an emergency disease such that its quarantine and intensive surveillance, but not pre-emptive slaughter, is warranted.
or
Fish not known to have been exposed to a disease agent but showing clinical signs requiring differential diagnosis.
Suspect premises or areaa Temporary classification of premises containing suspect fish. After rapid resolution of the status of the suspect fish contained on it, a suspect premises is reclassified either as an infected premises (and appropriate disease-control measures taken) or as free from disease. The reason for the suspicion varies with the agent; however, it may involve clinical signs or increased mortality.
Tracing The process of locating animals, persons or other items that may be implicated in the spread of disease, so that appropriate action can be taken.
Vaccination Inoculation of healthy individuals with weakened or attenuated strains of disease-causing agents to provide protection from disease.
Vaccine Modified strains of disease-causing agents that, when inoculated, stimulate an immune response and provide protection from disease.
Vector A living organism that transmits an infectious agent from one host to another. A biological vector is one in which the infectious agent must develop or multiply before becoming infective to a recipient host. A mechanical vector is one that transmits an infectious agent from one host to another but is not essential to the life cycle of the agent.
Zoning The process of defining disease-free and infected areas.
a= Due to the nature of the aquatic environment and of aquatic animal disease, these areas may bedifficult to define and may need to be revised as further information is obtained about the natureof the agent and the extent of the disease.

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Last reviewed:
28 Oct 2009
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