We hope you’ve already made your lodging arrangements for the AASV 2016 Annual Meeting – now it’s time to register for the conference itself! Online registration is now open for the meeting, to be held February 27 – March 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana, where presentations will address the theme, “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Collaboration and Teamwork.” Conference details, including registration, lodging, and the scientific program are available at www.aasv.org/annmtg. It pays to register early: after February 5, the member registration rate takes a BIG jump – so don’t wait! Printed registration materials are being mailed to all AASV members, and should arrive in most members’ mailboxes within the next couple of weeks (they’re included with JSHAP for international and student members who receive mailed journals). See you in New Orleans!
Monthly Archives: December 2015
Nominate AASV Director Candidates in Districts 3 and 8
Have you ever considered serving the AASV in a governing role? Nominations for the office of AASV District Director are now underway in two AASV districts. Nomination cards have been mailed to all eligible voters in districts 3 (Arkansas, Kentucky, and Missouri), and 8 (Nebraska and South Dakota). Potential candidates must be Active (veterinarian) AASV members residing in the district to be represented (Affiliate, Associate, and Student Members are not eligible to hold office or vote). In each district, the two nominees receiving the most nominations will be placed on the ballot, subject to their consent to serve.
Veterinary Programs Fare Well in Fiscal 2016 Spending Package
The AVMAâs priorities were well represented in the $1.15 trillion fiscal 2016 omnibus bill that Congress finally agreed upon and will vote on this week. The bill combines all 12 annual spending measures into one large bill, funding federal agencies and programs important to veterinary medicine through Sept. 30. [Editorâs note: The omnibus bill was ultimately signed into law on December 19.] [Source: AVMA@Work, December 17, 2015 by Gina Luke]
A Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Outbreak in One Geographic Region of the United States: Descriptive Epidemiology and Investigation of the Possibility of Airborne Virus Spread
This study describes a spring 2013 outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv), using data from 222 swine sites in 14 counties area in 4 contiguous states in the United States. During the outbreak, the premises-level incidence of PEDv was 40.5 percent (90/222 sites). One of the three companies from which data were collected had a lower incidence (19.5 percent) than the other two companies (41.1 and 47.2 percent). Sow sites had the highest incidence of PEDv during the outbreak (80.0 percent). Spatial analysis showed that PEDv was clustered rather than randomly distributed, which suggested that sites near a positive site had increased risk of acquiring PEDv infection. Meteorological data were used to investigate the hypothesis that PEDv was spread by air. If airborne dissemination played a role in this outbreak, we would expect the direction of disease spread to correlate with the predominant wind direction. Two methods were used to determine the direction of disease spread-linear direction mean analysis in ArcGIS and the direction test in ClusterSeer. The former method indicated PEDv spread was south to slightly southwest, and the latter indicated spread was to the southeast. The predominant wind direction during the month of the outbreak was toward the south, with some southeast and southwest winds; the strongest wind gusts were toward the southwest. These findings support the hypothesis that PEDv was spread by air. The results, however, should be interpreted cautiously because we did not have information on direct and indirect contacts between sites, such as movement of trucks, feed, pigs or people. These types of contacts should be evaluated before pathogen spread is attributed to airborne mechanisms. Although this study did not provide a definitive assessment of airborne spread of PEDv, we believe the findings justify additional research to investigate this potential mechanism of transmission. Beam A, Goede D, Fox A, McCool MJ, Wall G, Haley C, Morrison R; A Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Outbreak in One Geographic Region of the United States: Descriptive Epidemiology and Investigation of the Possibility of Airborne Virus Spread; PLoS One. 2015 Dec 28;10(12):e0144818. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144818. PMID: 26709512
Nasal Wipes for Influenza A Virus Detection and Isolation from Swine
Surveillance for influenza A viruses in swine is critical to human and animal health because influenza A virus rapidly evolves in swine populations and new strains are continually emerging. Swine are able to be infected by diverse lineages of influenza A virus making them important hosts for the emergence and maintenance of novel influenza A virus strains. Sampling pigs in diverse settings such as commercial swine farms, agricultural fairs, and live animal markets is important to provide a comprehensive view of currently circulating IAV strains. The current gold-standard ante-mortem sampling technique (i.e. collection of nasal swabs) is labor intensive because it requires physical restraint of the pigs. Nasal wipes involve rubbing a piece of fabric across the snout of the pig with minimal to no restraint of the animal. The nasal wipe procedure is simple to perform and does not require personnel with professional veterinary or animal handling training. While slightly less sensitive than nasal swabs, virus detection and isolation rates are adequate to make nasal wipes a viable alternative for sampling individual pigs when low stress sampling methods are required. The proceeding protocol outlines the steps needed to collect a viable nasal wipe from an individual pig. Nolting JM, Szablewski CM, Edwards JL, Nelson SW, Bowman AS; Nasal Wipes for Influenza A Virus Detection and Isolation from Swine; J Vis Exp. 2015 Dec 4;(106). doi: 10.3791/53313. PMID: 26709840
Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Introduction into the United States: Root Cause Investigation
Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) was identified in the United States in the spring of 2013, and professionals from many parts of the U.S. swine industry responded rapidly to understand and control the newly emerging disease. In less than two months, the disease had spread to more than 200 herds in thirteen states. Experts from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) engaged in laboratory diagnostics, analytic support, epidemiology expertise, and data management to facilitate the effort. By 2014, a great deal had been learned about the disease; however, the question of how it entered the United States remained unanswered. In 2014, USDA formed an investigative group to address the question and leverage current knowledge with resources and partnerships not readily available to non-federal investigators. The group formed collaborations with other government and non-government organizations and individuals, and followed many avenues of inquiry; ultimately arriving at a small number of scenarios that describe possible mechanisms for PED introduction. For a scenario to be plausible, it had to explain: contamination of a person or product in the source country, its transit and entry to the United States, rapid dispersal across a wide geographic area, and exposure/infection of pigs. It had to be compatible with findings of swine herd investigations and research studies. Potential products had to have been imported legally during the time prior to the beginning of the epidemic, or delivered to the United States through prohibited channels. Follow-up studies were initiated to gather more evidence for the most plausible scenarios. Of the scenarios, flexible intermediate bulk containers (“feed totes”) used to transport bulk feed serving as fomites for movement of PED virus provided the simplest explanation for the accumulated findings of the investigation. Scott A, McCluskey B, Brown-Reid M, Grear D, Pitcher P, Ramos G, Spencer D, Singrey A; Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Introduction into the United States: Root Cause Investigation; Prev Vet Med. 2015 Dec 7. pii: S0167-5877(15)30082-9. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2015.11.013. [Epub ahead of print]PMID: 26711302
Input Sought on Swine Care Handbook
The Swine Care Handbook from the National Pork Board is a science-driven summary of swine care and husbandry practices. It serves as a resource for the industryâs certification programs and education materials, on-farm standard operating procedures and for industry positions on animal care and well-being. For the next two months, the producer association is seeking your feedback on the draft content of the revised handbook.
PRRS Research Award – Call for Proposals
Applications are now being accepted for the 2016 âAwards for Advancing Research in Respiratory Diseaseâ (formerly PRRS Research Awards).
Position Announcement: Allen Leman Chair in Swine Health and Productivity
The University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM),Veterinary Population Medicine Department announces the recruitment of candidates for the prestigious Allen D. Leman Chair in Swine Health and Productivity. We are seeking an individual with an established record as a leader in swine health and productivity. This non-tenure track faculty position has an initial appointment of up to five years and is thereafter annually renewable. The appointment is at the rank of assistant, associate or full professor, dependent upon qualifications and experience consistent with collegiate and University policy.
Position Announcement: Swine Veterinarian
Iowa Select Farms is looking to expand their team in Iowa Falls, Iowa with the addition of a staff veterinarian. In this role, the selected candidate will increase throughput at ISF production sites through effective herd health monitoring, the development and implementation of herd health protocols, and swine caretaker training. Collect, process, and disseminate herd health information in a timely and effective manner. Assist in the further development, implementation, and dissemination of the Select Care tenants.