The AASV Annual Meeting Podcast series of speaker interviews conducted by student members is now available as a subscription. Just go to https://www.aasv.org/podcast/ and copy your personal subscription URL into your favorite “podcatcher” software such as iTunes. The series started way back in 2007 and more than 260 interviews later, we’re only just getting started on 2017!
Monthly Archives: March 2017
SHIC: Evaluate Our Swine Disease Matrix Update
The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) Swine Disease Matrix, developed last year to evaluate transboundary and emerging diseases, was recently reviewed and updated by the SHIC Monitoring and Analysis Working Group. The objective of the Matrix review is to facilitate a swine health reporting and communication network among the international contacts of the Working Group.
USDA Announces $11 million to Support Antimicrobial Resistance Research
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced $11 million in available funding for projects that mitigate antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a growing public health issue that affects more than 2 million people annually. Funding is made through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. [Source: NIFA, March 21, 2017]
Scope of New Flu Virus in Pigs Expands
The scope of a new strain of flu in pigs has shown signs of expanding. The primary influenza season typically runs from late October, early November until about early April. Dr. Susan Detmer, a veterinary pathologist with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, says over the last three years we’ve been seeing three different types of flu viruses in pigs in western Canada. [Source: farmscape.ca, March 22, 2017 by Bruce Cochrane]
Porcine Rotaviruses: Epidemiology, Immune Responses and Control Strategies
Rotaviruses (RVs) are a major cause of acute viral gastroenteritis in young animals and children worldwide. Immunocompetent adults of different species become resistant to clinical disease due to post-infection immunity, immune system maturation and gut physiological changes. Of the 9 RV genogroups (A-I), RV A, B, and C (RVA, RVB, and RVC, respectively) are associated with diarrhea in piglets. Although discovered decades ago, porcine genogroup E RVs (RVE) are uncommon and their pathogenesis is not studied well. The presence of porcine RV H (RVH), a newly defined distinct genogroup, was recently confirmed in diarrheic pigs in Japan, Brazil, and the US. The complex epidemiology, pathogenicity and high genetic diversity of porcine RVAs are widely recognized and well-studied. More recent data show a significant genetic diversity based on the VP7 gene analysis of RVB and C strains in pigs. In this review, we will summarize previous and recent research to provide insights on historic and current prevalence and genetic diversity of porcine RVs in different geographic regions and production systems. We will also provide a brief overview of immune responses to porcine RVs, available control strategies and zoonotic potential of different RV genotypes. An improved understanding of the above parameters may lead to the development of more optimal strategies to manage RV diarrheal disease in swine and humans. Vlasova AN, Amimo JO, Saif LJ; Porcine Rotaviruses: Epidemiology, Immune Responses and Control Strategies; Viruses. 2017 Mar 18;9(3). pii: E48. doi: 10.3390/v9030048. PMID: 28335454 DOI: 10.3390/v9030048
NPPC Farm Bill Priority: FMD Vaccine Bank
The U.S. pork industry’s top priority for the next Farm Bill is establishing a Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine bank, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) told a House Agriculture subcommittee in testimony today. [Source: NPPC, March 21, 2017]
FDA, USDA and CDC Map Out 5-Year Foodborne Illness Plan
Last week, a new Strategic Plan for 2017-2021 was unveiled by The Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC)–a partnership that consists of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). [Source: FoodSafety Magazine, March 27, 2017]
AASV Installs 2017 Officers
Dr. Alex Ramirez was installed as the President of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians on February 28, 2017 during the association’s 48th Annual Meeting in Denver, CO. He succeeds Dr. George Charbonneau who is now immediate Past President. Dr. Scanlon Daniels has ascended to President-Elect. The newly elected Vice President is Dr. Nathan Winkelman.
PEDV Survivability in Manure-Amended Soil and Evaluation of Lime as a Biosecurity Measure
Principal Researcher: Dr. Amy Schmidt, University of Nebraska Key Points:Soil or manure pH of 7.5 or greater is sufficient to inactivate the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). If the soil pH is lower than 7.5, adding lime to the soil is recommended to prevent PEDV survival.Adding lime to manure-pit storage is not recommended; adding lime to a manure-tank wagon prior to transporting to land application is preferred.Summary:This project was conducted to determine the PEDV transmission risk in stored manure and manure-amended soil. Specific objectives were to: 1) determine PEDV survivability over time in two common soils at two moisture regimes treated with PEDV-positive swine slurry and held at temperatures representing three climates; and 2) determine the impact of lime application to manure on PEDV survivability. Multiple experiments were conducted. The manure+soil incubation experiment investigated how PEDV survived in silty clay loam and loamy fine sand at 10 percent and 30 percent water-holding capacity, under three winter climate conditions. PEDV-positive manure slurry was divided into samples to which variations of quick lime were added to test different pH levels and time exposures. PEDV survivability was evaluated. Results revealed that PEDV RNA decreased immediately following manure addition to soil, regardless of whether the manure was limed or un-limed. No differences were observed based on soil type, initial soil moisture, or incubation condition. Next, three separate manure slurry studies were conducted to determine whether adding quick lime could impact pH levels and PEDV survivability in slurry. The study also looked at lime addition levels and exposure timelines required to inactivate PEDV. Worth noting, adding lime to manure in a storage pit is not recommended due to significant precipitation of solids that result, which can result in a thick sludge that’s difficult to remove. Likewise, ammonia volatilizes more rapidly as pH increases so liming of stored manure can create significant odor and a potentially harmful concentration of ammonia gas. Liming of manure in a tank wagon prior to transporting to land application is the recommended alternative. To learn more about this study, click here. To search for additional Pork Checkoff-funded research studies, click here.
Biosecurity Research Institute accepting applications for Transboundary Animal Disease Fellowship Positions
The Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI) is accepting applications for five research fellowship positions in the Transboundary Animal Disease Workforce Development program. The fellowship is designed to foster the development of research scientists to safely plan and execute research on transboundary animal diseases (TAD) in BSL-3, BSL-3Ag, and BSL-4 environments. This opportunity will leverage the expertise and resources of the BRI and the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory (NEIDL) to train next generation PhD, DVM, and post-doctoral researchers to work in high and maximum-containment environments on TADs. The experience gained through this program will help address the critical need for a skilled workforce that will be required when the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) opens in Manhattan, Kansas.