A revolutionary new delivery system means baiting programs can be targeted at feral pigs – one of Australia’s worst invasive pests, causing major damage to our economy and environment and spreading disease. PIGOUT® Feral Pig Bait is the first product for the Invasive Animal CRC (IA CRC) – the result of several years’ collaborative research and development effort by the CRC and Animal control Technologies Australia (ACTA) in partnership with many state and territory government agencies concerned about feral pig management. Meat and Livestock Australia and the National Feral Animal Control Program of the Bureau of Rural Sciences (DAFF) provided significant support to the project.
Monthly Archives: March 2008
Porcine circovirus type 2?associated disease: Update on current terminology, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and intervention strategies
Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2)-associated disease (PCVAD) continues to be an important differential diagnosis on pig farms in the United States and worldwide. Case trend analyses indicate that the incidence of PCVAD is on the rise in the United States. Accurate diagnosis is important in order to implement appropriate intervention strategies. PCVAD can manifest as a systemic disease, as part of the respiratory disease complex, as an enteric disease, as porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome, or as reproductive problems. PCVAD may be only a sporadic individual animal diagnosis; however, PCVAD may also manifest as a severe herd problem accelerated and enhanced by concurrent virus or bacterial infections. This article is intended to discuss the most common disease manifestations, pathogenesis, diagnostic approaches, and intervention strategies associated with PCVAD in North America.
A human health risk assessment for macrolide-resistant Campylobacter associated with the use of macrolides in Danish pig production
In 2006, macrolides were withdrawn from the list of antibiotics recommended for veterinary treatment of diarrhea in Danish pigs. The motive was to lower the antibiotic consumption in general and to mitigate the risk related to human infection with macrolide-resistant (Mres) Campylobacter. We subsequently conducted a risk assessment following international guidelines to address the risk for human health associated with usage of macrolides in Danish pigs. Data originated from surveillance programs, published papers, reports and statistics. Furthermore, an exposure model was built in @Risk. Mres Campylobacter is the hazard of interest. Data from different EU countries show that beef contains a very low prevalence (typically 0.1-1.1%) of Campylobacter; moreover, Mres is uncommon in Campylobacter isolates from cattle (between 0% and 6%). Beef was therefore left out of further analysis. For pork at retail, a high variation in the prevalence of Campylobacter has been reported within EU; but generally the prevalence is
Position Announcement: APHIS Veterinary Medical Officer, Swine Health Programs
USDA APHIS VS is looking for a Veterinary Medical Officer to join the Swine Health Programs Team. The primary role of this incumbent will be to serve as a member of the Swine Team on the Aquaculture, Swine, Equine and Poultry (ASEP) Health Programs Staff administering the Swine Health Protection Act, Swine Surveillance Programs, and Pseudorabies and Swine Brucellosis Eradication Programs. Incumbent advises field veterinary managers (State and Federal) on cooperative program disease surveillance and eradication procedures, work levels, and program priorities. Incumbent will establish new or clarify existing surveillance and eradication procedures relative to routine and task force operations. Incumbent will evaluate and interpret scientific and diagnostic reports pertaining to domestic animal diseases and recommend actions to be taken in existing or newly established programs. Incumbent will evaluate States to determine compliance with standards and other requirements in attaining and maintaining program diseases eradication status. Position involves participation in program reviews and evaluations at national field level and in field stations for compliance with laws and regulations. Incumbent will maintain up-to-date directives by writing new and revising current VS Notices, Memorandums and other guidelines. The incumbent will facilitate ASEP Swine Team activity on new initiatives identified through strategic planning processes.
PCVAD Call For Research Proposals and Updates
Although the swine is fortunate to have a number of effective vaccines to address the issue of Porcine Circovirus Associated Disease (PCVAD), further research is needed to better understand the intricacies of this syndrome. In order to prioritize the research needed, a group of scientific researchers, veterinarians, allied industry representatives and producers met to discuss and vote on PCVAD research priorities for the Pork Checkoff. A summary of the meeting and ranked research priorities were published in the Journal of Swine Health and Production (JSHAP, 15.1, 47-51). The information gathered during this meeting was used to develop the 2008 PCVAD call for proposals.
Burger King system achieves 2007 animal welfare goals
Burger King announced today that the company met its calendar 2007 stretch objectives for U.S. system purchases of eggs from chickens raised in a cage free environment. The company also announced that it achieved its objectives for the U.S. system’s purchase of pork products from gestation stall free operations.
Hello, student members of AASV
My name is Lynda Gould and I am the 2008 Student Delegate to the AASV Board of Directors. At the recent Annual Meeting in San Diego, it became apparent to me that student members of AASV don’t always know about all the opportunities that are afforded them with their membership. I thought a reminder would be a benefit to all of us (I didn’t even know about some of these opportunities as the current Student Rep!). Most of this information can be found at the “student” section of the AASV website: http://www.aasv.org/students. Please take a moment to find out what you’re missing!
AASV Annual Business Breakfast
The AASV’s Annual Business Breakfast was conducted on March 11 during the association’s 2008 Annual Meeting in San Diego. Dr. Daryl Olsen reported on the association’s membership and activities. He stated that there are 1242 members and 199 student members. He provided the annual meeting statistics, noting that total attendance was 932, representing 28 countries. He stated that 27.5% of registrants were from outside the United States. One hundred thirty-two veterinary students were in attendance, as well.
Position Announcement: Staff Veterinarian
TriOak Foods, Inc. is seeking a full time swine veterinarian to serve as the system veterinarian for its Southeast Iowa and Western Illinois farrow to finish operations. Candidates must be eligible for licensure and federal accreditation in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri.
Foodborne zoonoses due to meat: a quantitative approach for a comparative risk assessment applied to pig slaughtering in Europe
Foodborne zoonoses have a major health impact in industrialized countries. New European food safety regulations were issued to apply risk analysis to the food chain. The severity of foodborne zoonoses and the exposure of humans to biological hazards transmitted by food must be assessed. For meat, inspection at the slaughterhouse is historically the main means of control to protect consumers. However, the levels of detection of biological hazards during meat inspection have not been established in quantitative terms yet. Pork is the most frequently consumed meat in Europe. The aim of this study was to provide elements for quantifying levels of risk for pork consumers and lack of detection by meat inspection. Information concerning hazard identification and characterization was obtained by the compilation and statistical analysis of data from 440 literature references. The incidence and severity of human cases due to pork consumption in Europe were assessed in order to calculate risk scores. A ratio of non-control was calculated for each biological hazard identified as currently established in Europe, i.e. the incidence of human cases divided by the prevalence of hazards on pork. Salmonella enterica, Yersinia enterocolitica and Campylobacter spp. were characterized by high incidence rates. Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium botulinum and Mycobacterium spp. showed the highest severity scores. The three main high risk hazards involved in foodborne infections, Y. enterocolitica, S. enterica and Campylobacter spp. are characterized by high non-control ratios and cannot be detected by macroscopic examination of carcasses. New means of hazard control are needed to complement the classical macroscopic examination.