Luzia Rast

Veterinary Science

Dr Luzia Rast

BVSc (Zürich); MVPHMgt, PhD (Syd); MANZCVS (Vet Epidemiology)

Lecturer in Ruminant (Sheep) Health and Production
Wagga Wagga
Building 229 Room 227

Luzia joined the CSU SAVS production animal group in May 2013.

Luzia graduated from the University of Zürich in Switzerland and has a practical background as a field veterinarian. She became interested in livestock herd health and productivity and national and international health issues of livestock while working as an associate in mixed practice, especially being involved in the cattle tuberculosis eradication program in northern Australia and as a district veterinarian with the NSW Rural Lands Protection Board system (later known as Livestock Health and Pest Authority and now Local Land Services) and then as senior regional animal health manager with the NSW Department of Primary Industries in southern NSW.

While working as a district veterinarian she completed a master degree in veterinary public health and management. In recent years she was a member of the Farm Animal & Veterinary Public Health group of the University of Sydney to coordinate two research projects funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research in Laos and Cambodia for improving productivity and profitability of large ruminants kept by smallholder farmers. As part of the Lao project Luzia completed a PhD on the clinical and financial impact of internal parasites in cattle and buffalo in Laos. Her interests include veterinary public health and especially farm level knowledge, practices and attitudes on livestock health and disease surveillance.

Interests

Knowledge and practices about animal health among livestock producers and their impact on productivity, market access ,public health and food security

Current projects

Mineral and vitamin supplement use by NSW sheep producers and impact on production

Emergency animal disease knowledge and biosecurity practices of commercial sheep and beef producers (co-investigator)

Young JR, Suon S, Windsor PA, Rast L and Bush RD, (2014). Benefit-Cost Analysis of Foot and Mouth Disease Control in Large Ruminants in Cambodia. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, DOI: 10.1111/tbed.12292

Rast L, Toribio J-ALML, Dhand NK, Khounsy S and Windsor PA (2014). 'Why are simple accessible control options for Toxocara vitulorum not being implemented by smallholder cattle and buffalo smallholder farmers in South-East Asia?', Preventative Veterinary Medicine, vol. 113(2014) 211-218

Rast L, Lee S, Nampanya S, Toribio J-ALML, Khounsy S and Windsor PA (2013). 'Prevalence and clinical impact of Toxocara vitulorum in cattle and buffalo calves in northern Lao PDR', Tropical Animal Health and Production, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 1224-1241.

Rast L, Nampanya S, Khounsy S, Toribio J-A and Windsor P (2013). 'Liver Fluke in large ruminants in northern Lao PDR', Cattle health, production and trade in Cambodia:ACIAR proceedings 138, eds JR Young, L Rast, S Suon & PA Windsor, ACIAR Canberra, ACT, Australia, pp. 60-66.

Young JR, Rast L, Suon S, Bush RD, Henry LA and Windsor PA (2013). 'The impact of best practice health and husbandry interventions on smallholder cattle productivity in southern Cambodia', Animal Production Science,

Khounsy S, Nampanya S, Inthavong P, Yang M, Khamboungheung B, Avery M, Bush R, Rast L and Windsor PA (2012). 'Significant mortality of large ruminants due to hypothermia in northern and central Lao PDR', Tropical Animal Health and Production, vol. 44, pp. 835-842.

Nampanya S, Suon S, Rast L and Windsor PA (2012). 'Improvement in Smallholder Farmer Knowledge of Cattle Production, Health and Biosecurity in Southern Cambodia between 2008 and 2010', Transboundary and Emerging Diseases , vol. 59, no. 2, pp. 117-127.

Nampanya S, Richards J, Khounsy S, Rast L and Windsor PA (2013). 'Investigation of Foot and Mouth Disease hotspots in northern Lao PDR', Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, vol. 60, no. 4, pp. 315-329.

Rast L, Windsor PA and Khounsy S (2010) 'Limiting the Impacts of Foot and Mouth Disease in Large Ruminants in Northern Lao PDR by Vaccination: A Case Study', Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, vol. 57, pp. 147-153.

Nampanya S, Rast L, Khounsy S and Windsor PA (2010). 'Assessment of Farmer Knowledge of Large Ruminant Health and Production in Developing Village-Level Biosecurity in Northern Lao PDR', Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, vol. 57, pp. 420–429.

Hernandez-Jover M, Rast L, Higgins V and Bryant M (2014). Farm biosecurity practices and the management of emergency animal diseases among beef producers World Buiatrics Congress, Cairns, Australia, NSW District Veterinarian Annual Conference , Deniliquin NSW and SAVS seminar CSU Wagga.

Rast L, Toribio JA, Khounsy S & Windsor, PA (2013). 'Treatment and control of Toxocara vitulorum in smallholder cattle and buffalo farming system in South-East Asia' poster and short oral session, 24th International Conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology, Perth, Australia.

Rast L, Toribio JA, Khounsy S & Windsor PA (2013). 'The challenges of parasite control in smallholder farming systems in SE-Asia; T.vitulorum and F.gigantica in cattle & buffalo: a case study from Laos', oral presentation, 24th International Conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology, Perth, Australia.

Luzia Rast, Jenny-Ann Toribio, Sonevilay Nampanya, Syseng Khounsy, Peter A. Windsor (2012). 'Toxocara vitulorum and Fasciola gigantica in cattle and buffalo in northern Laos', World Buiatrics Congress, Lisbon, Portugal

Rast L, Toribio JA, Khounsy S, Nampanya S & Windsor, P (2011). 'Prevalence and clinical impact of Toxocara vitulorum in cattle and buffalo calves in northern Laos, Poster and short oral presentation, Annual Conference of Australian Veterinary Parasitology Society, Cairns, Australia.

Rast L, Toribio JA, Lee S, Ambler V, Nampanya S, Khounsy S & Windsor, P (2011 and 2012). 'Clinical and financial impact of Toxocara vitulorum and Fasciola gigantica in large ruminants in northern Laos', oral presentation, Annual Post Graduate Conference of the Veterinary Faculty, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Reports

Luzia Rast, Sonevilay Nampanya, Syseng Khounsy, Peter Windsor, Final Project 'Best Practice Health and Husbandry of Cattle and Buffalo, Lao PDR, ACIAR, Canberra, May 2013, 123pp