October 2014
Edited by:
Dennis Scott BVSc
MACVSc
Inside this issue:
Racing welfare under 2
attack
Fipronil resistance urban myth or reality?
3
Disinfecting non crit- 4
ical surfaces
Deep Cleaning
Agents for non critical surfaces
7
Ethical Agents Ltd
54 Hobill Ave Wiri
PO Box 97-110 Manukau City
Manukau 2241
Ph 09-262-1388 Fax 09-262-1411
Freephone 0800 800-624
email [email protected]
website www.ethicalagents.co.nz
In House Biosecurity
In the modern climate of
responsible
antibiotic
usage hospitals are now
even more aware of infection control and hygiene
instead of high reliance
of antibiotics.
Clinic, plus kennel and
cattery, biosecurity is
also as important as surgical hygiene. The levels
of disinfection required
are now well established
and, while we are all cognizant of the high level
disinfection required for
critical areas and equipment, the protocols for
non critical areas are
equally as important.
Cost is a major factor but
using supermarket disinfectants or cheap bleach
can be false economy, as
more than one cattery
has found to their detriment.
Disinfection may not be
the most exciting subject
but it is vitally important
to the modern clinic and
so 21st century disinfection principles comprise
the major part of this
newsletter.
However simple principles of cleaning first then
disinfecting every
day followed by
the
occasional
deep clean with a
different chemical
can make the process
extremely
efficient as well as
very economical.
Canine parvovirus
fewer shopping days until Christmas and equinoxial winds abound.
start of flea season, especially for puppies and
kittens.
In the animal world it is
full on breeding season
for cattle and horses, the
great spring racing carnival in Australia is flexing
its muscles and it is the
Inside we have an article
on fipronil resistance,
which is rapidly becoming an urban myth due to
lack of understanding of
how the chemical works.
Springtime
Spring time is here in all
its glory - plants are
flowering, the weather is
supposed to be getting
warmer and the election
is over at last.
On the converse side
traffic cops are appearing
on the roads, there are
Page 2
EA News
Racing Welfare Under Attack
Racing is certainly under fire from
animal rights activists. A huge 22metre billboard of a dead horse
was strategically situated on CityLink, near the Bolte Bridge in Melbourne alongside a billboard promoting the spring racing carnival.
According to Fairfax media the
group responsible was campaigning for all racehorses to be safely re
-homed, "so that they're not shot
and killed for dog meat, as is currently the case". This really shows
how out of touch with reality they
really are – stop horse racing but
just retire and pay for all the left
over horses!
And it is not just in Australia, recently in the UK the Daily Mirror
published graphic photos of the
putting down of a race horse. The
pictures of Wigmore Hall, showing
him before and after being shot,
were passed to the Mirror by the
animal rights group Animal Aid.
David Muir, the RSPCA’s equine
consultant, suggested there was no
case for the sport
to answer. Green
screens had been
erected between
the horse and the
grandstand as he
was put down
but the unidentified
photographer was on the
other side, of the
horse with an
unimpeded view.
“They could have waited for a second lot of screens to arrive so that
they could put screens all the way
around him,” Muir said, “but all
that would have done is make the
horse’s suffering worse. And the
person who sneaks around the
back with a camera could have
been an issue itself. He could have
distracted the vet.”
The British Horseracing Authority
said it was “appalled” at the Mirror
decision to publish the pictures
and said it could see no public interest in them. Racing professionals expressed similar views
through social media.
The British Horseracing
Authority’s chief veterinary officer Jenny Hall
said: “The sad incident
involving Wigmore Hall
was the only fatality at
Doncaster’s flat racing
course this year from
1,563 runners. The first
The Operation
An older gentleman was on the
table awaiting surgery and he insisted that his son, a renowned
surgeon, perform the operation.
As he was about to get the anaesthesia, he asked to speak to his
son.
"Yes, Dad, what is it?"
"Don't be nervous, son; do your
best, and just remember, if it
doesn't go well, if something happens to me, your mother is going to
come and live with you and your
wife...."
priority in British Racing is always
the welfare of its competitors, both
human and equine.
The team of veterinary surgeons
were [sic] at Wigmore Hall’s side in
moments after the injury. The vets
were able to make an immediate
assessment of the Wigmore Hall’s
condition. In this case the diagnosis was made that the injury was
untreatable and so the correct
course of action for Wigmore Hall’s
welfare was for him to be humanely put down.”
Dr Peter Webbon, Ex chief executive of horseracing regulatory authority states “Racing has a horse
welfare record to be proud of and is
among the best-regulated animal
activities. Racehorses are the best
looked after 2% of horses in the
country.”
Despite all the professionalism the
racing industry, in NZ as well as
overseas, must stay vigilant in its
welfare codes to prevent such attacks from ill-informed splinter
groups in the future.
Ethical Agents Ltd
Ph 09-262-1388
Page 3
Fipronil Resistance - Urban Myth or Reality?
For several years now, there have
been rumors about fleas becoming
resistant to fipronil but is this reality or an urban myth?
Numerous research projects have
examined the susceptibility of fleas
to fipronil and there does not appear to be any research to indicate
that fleas are becoming resistant to
fipronil. The most recent study was
published in the February, 2009
issue of the Journal of Economic
Entomology (Brunet S et al). This
study found no evidence of flea resistance to fipronil.
Many veterinarians and researchers believe that the answer lies in
compliance. They believe that veterinarians have not done a good job
in educating their clients about the
flea life cycle and are often guilty
of encouraging unrealistic expectations in their clients. An example
is this little piece of nonsense published in 2005, “During the past
ten years, topical and oral applications of insecticides such as
fipronil, imidacloprid, lufenuron
and, most recently, selamectin
have revolutionized cat-flea control. Recent studies show that
these therapies eliminate the need
to treat indoor and outdoor environments.” (Rust M K)
Understanding the life cycle of the
flea is crucial and in cases where
flea infestations exist within a
household, fipronil flea and tick
products will eventually bring the
infestation under control, but it
may take several months for this
happen. Flea eggs and larvae preexisting in the environment must
first hatch out and come into contact with the fipronil treated pet in
order for the flea life cycle to be
interrupted and this takes time
(often several months) to occur.
In the meantime, often pet owners
become frustrated with the presence of adult fleas on their dogs
“Thus, a conclusion is incorrectly
reached that the original product
was ineffective”
and cats and come to believe that
the product which they have applied is not working properly. So
the pet owner quite naturally
changes to a different flea control
product after a month or two. Once
switching over to the new flea
product, the flea eggs and flea larvae which had existed in the environment and which have subsequently become adult fleas found
on the pet have been reduced or
eradicated in number and the pet
owner stops seeing live adult fleas
on the pet.
Thus a conclusion is incorrectly
reached that the original product
was ineffective and the new flea
product worked wonderfully; therefore, the fleas must have been resistant to the original product.
Another factor to consider is the
actual mode of action; many insecticides block the GABA receptor
leading to the chlorine gate being
closed, which results in flaccid paralysis then death.
Fipronil also binds to the GABA
receptor but keeps it open. This
results in continuous depolarization, excitation and death, similar-
ly to the way permethrin blocks
sodium channels in nerves leading
to excitation.
Just permethrin sprayed flies go
into excitation mode, buzzing
round the room before dying, so do
fipronil treated fleas have the
nervous system go into overdrive.
The emergence of these overstimulated fleas gives a false impression
of vitality, despite the fact that
they are actually in the act of expiring.
Clearly overuse of any pesticide
will eventually result in resistance
but it is equally clear that fipronil
resistance is not yet a problem.
Perceived inefficacy is more likely
an education problem rather than
a resistance one.
References:
Brunet S et al, Rdl Gene Polymorphism and Sequence Analysis and Relation to In Vivo Fipronil Susceptibility
in Strains of the Cat Flea Journal of
Economic Entomology Feb 2009 pg(s)
366-372
Rust M K, Advances in the control of
Ctenocephalides felis (cat flea) on cats
and dogs Trends in Parasitology Volume 21, Issue 5, May 2005, Pages 232–
236
Elderly Love
An elderly couple had just learned
how to send text messages on their
cell phones. The wife was a romantic type and the husband was more
of a no-nonsense guy.
One afternoon the wife went out to
meet a friend for coffee. She decided to send her husband a romantic
text message and she wrote:
"If you are sleeping, send me your
dreams. If you are laughing, send
me your smile. If you are eating,
send me a bite. If you are drinking,
send me a sip. If you are crying,
send me your tears. I love you."
The husband texted back to her:
"I'm on the toilet. Please advise."
Page 4
EA News
Disinfecting non critical surfaces
It is currently accepted that there
are three levels of disinfection:
1. High-level disinfection - kills all
organisms, except high levels of
bacterial spores, and is effected
with a chemical germicide cleared
for marketing as a sterilant by
FDA.
2. Intermediate-level disinfection kills mycobacterium, most viruses,
and bacteria with a chemical germicide.
3. Low-level disinfection - kills
some viruses and bacteria with a
chemical germicide.
The levels of disinfection recommended for any instance are
judged by the degree of risk for
infection.
More than 30 years ago, Earle H.
Spaulding devised a rational approach to disinfection and sterilization of patient-care items and
equipment. This classification
scheme is so clear and logical that
it has been retained, refined, and
successfully used by infection control professionals and others when
planning methods for disinfection
or sterilization.
Spaulding believed the nature of
disinfection could be understood
readily if instruments and items
for patient care were categorized
as critical, semi critical, and noncritical according to the degree of
risk for infection involved in use of
the items.
Critical items confer a high risk for
infection if they are contaminated
with any microorganism. Thus,
objects that enter sterile tissue or
the vascular system must be sterile
because any microbial contamination could transmit disease.
Semi critical items contact mucous
membranes or non-intact skin and
noncritical items are those that
come in contact with intact skin
but not mucous membranes. Intact skin acts as an effective barrier to most microorganisms. Thus
surfaces would be designated as
non-critical items.
“effective disinfection of surfaces
requires routine cleaning, and a
regime for deep cleaning”
Noncritical environmental surfaces
frequently touched by hand (e.g.,
bedside tables, bed rails) potentially could contribute to secondary
transmission by contaminating
hands of health-care workers or by
contacting medical equipment that
subsequently contacts patients.
Mops and reusable cleaning cloths
are regularly used to achieve lowlevel disinfection on environmental
surfaces.
However, they often are not adequately cleaned and disinfected,
and if the water-disinfectant mixture is not changed regularly (e.g.,
after every three to four rooms, at
no longer than 60-minute intervals), the mopping procedure actually can spread heavy microbial
contamination throughout the
health-care facility. (Source:
Guideline for Disinfection and
Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008).
Therefore it is widely recognised
that effective disinfection of surfaces requires routine cleaning, and a
regime for deep cleaning;
Healthcare facilities are using a
multi-pronged approach to deal
with hospital acquired infections
and recommend different products
(Continued on page 5)
Ethical Agents Ltd
Ph 09-262-1388
Page 5
Disinfecting non critical surfaces
gy, human hospitals also embark
on a ‘deep clean’ process occasionally, using chlorine dioxide.
(Continued from page 4)
for routine and deep cleaning of
surfaces. UK company Tristel has
a range of products specifically produced to meet such varying demands.
In a veterinary clinic situation we
have various different surfaces to
consider. Cages, waiting rooms,
consult tables and surgical environments all need regular cleaning
and disinfection, some more regularly than others but, conversely,
some more rigorously than others.
An analogy can be made with the
difference between the 20 second
minimum hand wash to remove
transient organisms and the two
minute surgical scrub to get into
pores and remove residual bacteria.
Waiting rooms and consult tables
need continual cleaning for aesthetic reasons as well as for microbial control. Due to the frequency
of the cleansing price is a major
factor. This is where 4 Kleen, manufactured by Tristel and using TriGene technology, comes to the fore
as a highly effective very economical disinfecting cleanser.
An analogy is the personal hygiene
of a busy person, hand washing
several times a day, a quick shower at least once a day then occasionally the old ‘hour in the shower’ with conditioner, body wash
and all the bells and whistles. SteriGene is the gold standard for
disinfection with its nanotechnology, rapid kill rates, wide spectrum
and high safety profile.
The use of 4 Kleen and SteriGene
would cover nearly all the disinfection and cleaning needs of the normal practice situation. However,
despite this high quality technolo-
Anistel Swift and Anistel Falcon
are positioned as “deep clean”
products in Tristel’s Veterinary
portfolio.
They work alongside SteriGene as
a once a week procedure, in isolation or in theatre, especially in
busy practices and where there is a
lot of dirty surgery. For smaller vet
practices they may be used once a
month or when they get an outbreak. Due to this sporadic use
price is not a real objection and,
For high level disinfection however
another product manufacture by
Tristel, SteriGene (also known as
TriGene Advance) is the market
leader and not without reason.
(Continued on page 6)
The Threat
A man and woman were married
for many years. Whenever there
was a confrontation, yelling could
be heard deep into the night.
The old man would shout, "When I
die, I will dig my way up and out of
the grave and come back and
haunt you for the rest of your life!"
Neighbours feared him. The old
man liked the fact that he was
feared.
may indeed be able to dig his way
out of the grave and haunt you for
the rest of your life?"
Then one evening, he died when he
was 98.
The wife said, " Let him dig. I had
him buried upside down...and I
know he won't ask for direc-
After the burial some of her neighbours, concerned for her safety,
asked, "Aren't you afraid that he
tions."
Page 6
EA News
Disinfecting non critical surfaces
(Continued from page 5)
when it is broken down to price per
dose, as seen below, it is not a factor at all.
Tristel’s chlorine dioxide based disinfectants comprise a base solution
containing citric acid and an activator solution containing sodium
NaClO2
Sodium
chlorite
+
dioxide.
rapid death.
The resulting chemical reaction
liberates chlorine dioxide with water and sodium chloride, as byproducts of the reaction
The potency of chlorine dioxide is
attributable to the simultaneous,
oxidative attack on many proteins
thereby preventing the cells from
The basic chemical reaction for the
generation of chlorine dioxide in
“Sodium chlorite, mischievously
C6H8O7 =
ClO2
Citric
acid
Chlorine
dioxide
chlorite. Sodium chlorite is an oxidising solution used for the generation of chlorine dioxide.
Sodium chlorite, mischievously
marketed in some circles as
’stabilised chlorine dioxide’ (there
can be no such thing) has some
biocidal properties in applications
such as mouthwashes, toothpastes,
mouth sprays and as a preservative in eye drops.
Citric acid is a naturally occurring,
weak organic acid found in a large
variety of fruits and vegetables,
most notably citrus fruits – lemons
and limes.
The citric acid in Tristel’s products
is used for the acidification of sodium chlorite to generate chlorine
+
NaCl
+
Sodium
chloride
H2O
Water
this way is as follows:
Chlorine dioxide exists as a gas in
its natural state but is highly soluble in water, having about 10 times
the solubility of chlorine.
Chlorine dioxide acts as an oxidizing agent and reacts with several
cellular constituents, including the
cell membrane of microorganisms.
By “stealing” electrons from the
cell membrane, a process known as
oxidation, it breaks the molecular
bonds in the cell resulting in the
death of the organism.
Since chlorine dioxide alters the
proteins involved in the structure
of microorganisms through oxidation, the enzymatic function of the
organism is destroyed causing very
marketed in some circles as
’stabilised chlorine dioxide’ (there
can be no such thing”
mutating to a resistant form.
Additionally, because of the lower
reactivity of chlorine dioxide compared to that of chlorine, its antimicrobial action is retained longer
in the presence of organic matter.
InSummary
The Spaulding system categorizes
equipment for disinfection as critical
(enters sterile tissues or blood), semi
critical (mucous membranes and non
intact skin) and non critical (touches
intact skin).
For non critical surfaces cleaning
(e.g.4 Kleen) followed by disinfection
(SteriGene) daily is recommended.
Then deep cleaning (Anistel Swift or
Anistel Falcon) once a week for larger clinics and surgeries or once a
Telecom Contract
Telecom needed to hire a team of
telephone pole installers for a new
highway and the boss had to
choose between a local team and a
team of Tony and Nagy.
Both teams headed right out. At
end of the shift the two local guys
came back and the boss asked
them how many poles they had
installed.
So the boss met both teams and
said "Here's what we'll do. Each
team will be installing poles out on
the new road for a day. The team
that installs the most poles gets
the job."
They said that it was tough going,
but they'd put in twelve.
Forty-five minutes later Tony and
Nagy came back in and they were
totally exhausted.
The boss asked, "Well, how many
poles did you guys install?"
Tony, the team leader, wiped his
brow and sighed, "Nagy and me,
we got three in.”
The boss gasped, "Three? Those
two other guys put in twelve!"
"Yeah," said Nagy, "but you should
see how much they left sticking out
of the ground!”
Ethical Agents Ltd
Ph 09-262-1388
Page 7
Deep Cleaning Agents for non critical surfaces
AnistelSwift
is a highly effective chlorine dioxide solution that is designed for the
rapid disinfection of large hard
surfaces within animal healthcare
environments. Swift is effective
against all organisms of concern at
one dilution in one short contact
time of 5 minutes.
When used as part of a daily or
weekly deep clean regime, Swift is
an excellent preventative method
The cost per litre of disinfectant is
well under one dollar and, as each
sachet makes up 5 litres of disinfection which can be used within a
single clinic day, large surfaces can
be sterilized in an extremely economic manner.
AnistelFalcon
is a highly effective chlorine dioxide spray. It is designed for the
rapid disinfection of small hard
surfaces within animal healthcare
environments. Falcon’s reusable
trigger spray head enables chlorine
dioxide to be generated at point of
use and at one concentration that
kills all organisms.
“Tristel Falcon is sporicidal in a
mind blowing 30 seconds”
The cost per shot of disinfectant is
under 10 cents so blitz treating
small surfaces at less than 10
cents per square metre is a highly
economical process.
Again it is very easy-to-use, safe
and effective; one concentration
kills all and again no rinsing is
required. Tristel Falcon is sporicidal in a mind blowing 30 seconds.
Falcon for surfaces comes in a
chemistry pack with a trigger and
the Falcon trigger is reusable.
for outbreaks. It is sporicidal, mycobactericidal, virucidal and fungicidal in 5 minutes
It is easy-to-use with no varying
concentration or dilution rates no
rinsing requires and one sachet
produces five litres working solution.
The trigger draws a dose of base
and activator from separated sides
of the chemistry pack and combines to activate before an aliquot
of gel is dispensed. Each pack contains 500 shots of gel and each shot
of gel covers a wide 1 square metre
and is applied with a dry wipe.
The Explanation
The mother-in-law arrives home
from shopping to find her son-inlaw Percy in a steaming rage and
hurriedly packing his suitcase.
"What happened Percy ?" she asks
anxiously.
"What happened!! I'll tell you what
happened. I sent an email to my
wife - your daughter, telling her I
was coming home today from my
fishing trip. I get home... and
guess what I found? Yes, your
daughter, my wife, naked with the
next door neighbour in our marital
bed! This is unforgivable, the end
of our marriage. I'm done. I'm leaving forever!"
"Ah now, calm down, calm down
Percy!" says his mother-in-law.
"There is something very odd going
on here.
My daughter would never do such
a thing! There must be a simple
explanation. I'll go speak to her
immediately and find out what
happened."
Moments later, the mother-in-law
comes back with a big smile.
"Percy. I told you there must be a
simple explanation ....She never
got your E-mail!"
The Wedding
Arthur, age 92 and Emily, age 89,
are excited about their decision to
get married. They go for a stroll to
discuss the wedding and on the
way they pass a Chemist. Arthur
suggests they go in.
Arthur addresses the man behind
the counter: "Are you the Owner?"
The Pharmacist answers: "Yes."
Arthur: "We're about to get married. Do you sell Heart Medication?"
Pharmacist: "Of course we do."
Arthur: "How about Medicine for
Circulation?"
Pharmacist: "All kinds."
Arthur: "Medicine for Rheumatism, Scoliosis?"
Pharmacist: "Definitely."
Arthur:
"Medicine
for
Memory
Problems, Arthritis, Jaundices?"
thing I can help you with?"
Pharmacist: "Yes, a large variety .....the works!"
Arthur says to the Pharmacist:
"We'd like to nominate your store
as our Bridal Gift Shop."
Arthur: "What about Vitamins,
Sleeping Pills, Antidotes for Parkinson's Disease?"
Pharmacist: "Absolutely."
Arthur: "You sell Wheelchairs and
Walkers?"
Pharmacist: "All speeds and sizes.
Why do you ask? Is there some-