The Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine is seeking applicants to fill a fixed-term faculty position in Swine Health Extension. The successful candidate will become part of a team that is committed to world-class research and training to meet the needs of the food animal industry. Full position description and application details are available https://jobs.msu.edu posting #5712.
Monthly Archives: January 2012
AASV Foundation Research Proposals Due February 1
As part of its planned annual schedule, the American Association of Swine Veterinarians Foundation seeks research proposals for funding in 2012. Proposals are due February 1, 2012, and may request a maximum of $6000 per project. The selection and announcement of projects for funding will take place in March.
SMEC Student Summer Project
The Swine Medicine Education Center (SMEC) is accepting veterinary student applications for two summer scholar research positions. The SMEC will have at least two, twelve week long summer projects led by veterinary students. These projects will be based in Ames or Audubon, IA and housing at the SMEC student housing dorm is provided free for the successful applicant. This is an excellent opportunity for students to interact with faculty and the SMEC, including work in production facilities at AMVC in Audubon, Iowa. These projects will be focused on developing evidence for clinical medicine methodologies placing students in the position of pioneering new approaches to clinical swine medicine.
New Swine Information Library Content Available
If you are an AASV member and you renewed your membership for 2012, you have access to NEW content in the Swine Information Library (http://www.aasv.org/library/swineinfo/). If you haven’t renewed your membership, now is the time to do so at http://ecom.aasv.org/membership.
OMS Training to be Offered at AASV Annual Meeting
In 2011, AASV partnered with National Pork Board (NPB) to train veterinarians and students as Operation Main Street (OMS) speakers in order to get speakers to all vet schools with messages about the swine industry and hot topics such as animal welfare. In March, 17 AASV members were trained as OMS speakers and have been travelling to vet schools to give talks to student groups. We need to ensure that all veterinarians, regardless of career path, have some exposure to what really happens in the swine industry. The current response from veterinary schools to host speakers has been great and we are reaching a large audience. With this current success, we intend to continue and expand this project.
Hogg Scholarship Applications Due February 1
The American Association of Swine Veterinarians Foundation is pleased to offer the Hogg Scholarship, established to honor the memory of longtime AASV member and swine industry leader Dr. Alex Hogg. Applications for the $10,000 scholarship will be accepted until February 1, 2012, and the scholarship recipient will be announced on March 11 during the Foundation Luncheon at the AASV 2012 Annual Meeting in Denver.
Position Announcement: JSHAP Executive Editor
Applicants are sought for the role of Executive Editor of the Journal of Swine Health and Production. The successful candidate will be an AASV member with an MS, PhD or equivalent, preferably with several years of veterinary experience. Applicants must have demonstrated strong skills in statistics, study design, and English. The editor must be organized and committed to regular and timely communication, and must be a team player willing to work with staff located in different countries. Details of the job are described in the Executive Editorâs editorial in the January 2012 issue of JSHAP. For further information, you may contact Cate Dewey at 519-824-4120 ext 54070. To apply, please forward a letter of interest and your curriculum vitae to Dr Tom Burkgren at burkgren@aasv.org. Interviews will be conducted during the AASV annual meeting.
Position Announcement: Wean-to-Market Herd Veterinarian
The Maschhoffs, LLC (TheMaschhoffs.com), one of the largest independent pork producers in the US, is adding a Wean to Market Herd Veterinarian. As a family-owned business, we have over 100 years of experience in pork production and are one of the nationâs largest independent, family-owned swine production operations, with approximately 192,000 sows and associated market hog production in nine states. Our focus is on creating environmentally and economically sustainable pork production systems by networking with more than 320 other independent farm operations. The Maschhoffs are able to provide enough pork for more than 10 million consumers annually.
IPVS 2012: Registration and Abstract Submission Now Open
On behalf of the Organizing Committee of the 22nd International Pig Veterinary Society Congress (IPVS 2012), it is our great pleasure to extend to you the warmest welcome to Jeju, Korea. The Congress will be held in the Jeju International Convention Center from June 10 to 13, 2012.
In-Feed Antibiotic Effect on the Swine Intestinal Microbiome
Antibiotics have been administered to agricultural animals for disease treatment, disease prevention, and growth promotion for over 50 y. The impact of such antibiotic use on the treatment of human diseases is hotly debated. We raised pigs in a highly controlled environment, with one portion of the littermates receiving a diet containing performance-enhancing antibiotics [chlortetracycline, sulfamethazine, and penicillin (known as ASP250)] and the other portion receiving the same diet but without the antibiotics. We used phylogenetic, metagenomic, and quantitative PCR-based approaches to address the impact of antibiotics on the swine gut microbiota. Bacterial phylotypes shifted after 14 d of antibiotic treatment, with the medicated pigs showing an increase in Proteobacteria (1â11%) compared with nonmedicated pigs at the same time point. This shift was driven by an increase in Escherichia coli populations. Analysis of the metagenomes showed that microbial functional genes relating to energy production and conversion were increased in the antibiotic-fed pigs. The results also indicate that antibiotic resistance genes increased in abundance and diversity in the medicated swine microbiome despite a high background of resistance genes in nonmedicated swine. Some enriched genes, such as aminoglycoside O-phosphotransferases, confer resistance to antibiotics that were not administered in this study, demonstrating the potential for indirect selection of resistance to classes of antibiotics not fed. The collateral effects of feeding subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics to agricultural animals are apparent and must be considered in cost-benefit analyses.