The 2018 Iowa State University Animal Industry Report is now available online. The annual report, now in its 15th year, features a variety of animal industry-related research done at Iowa State that is supported by the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. The report is coordinated through the animal science department.
Monthly Archives: April 2018
People on the Move: Dr. Silvia Zimmerman
IDEXX Laboratories is pleased to announce that Silvia Zimmerman, DVM, MBA, has been promoted as Sr. Business and Marketing Manager for Swine and Poultry for the United States, Canada and Latin America. Dr. Zimmerman and her team will work on a continuous training program, offering customers innovative diagnostic and monitoring programs that allow the expression of health potential of their animals. Current contact information for Dr. Zimmerman is available at www.aasv.org/members/only/directory.php. Are you on the move? If so, let us know at aasv@aasv.org.
Secretary Perdue To Allow Modified FMD Virus Onto U.S. Mainland Under Specific Conditions for Vaccine Development
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has authorized the movement of a modified, non-infectious version of the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) virus from the Plum Island Animal Disease Center to the U.S. mainland for the purposes of continued vaccine development and study. While modified FMD virus is unable to cause disease and presents no risk of transmitting the disease, it is still live FMD virus, and Federal law requires the Secretary’s approval for this movement. [Source: USDA Press Release, April 26, 2018]
AASV Adopts IT Position
On January 3, 2018, an ad hoc group of representatives from the National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council, Swine Health Information Center, and American Association of Swine Veterinarians met to discuss swine health and the role of information technology (IT). Invitees included: Lisa Becton (NPB), Tom Burkgren (AASV), Maryn Ptaschinski (practitioners/producers), Harry Snelson (AASV), Paul Sundberg (SHIC), Liz Wagstrom (NPPC) and Patrick Webb (NPB). The group discussed the swine health concerns facing the constituents of each organization represented and the potential impact of improved IT.
Doc Tales
Overheard at a recent dinner meeting, “I’m all about poop!” Swine producers say the strangest things. I was told this statement would stand on its own without any further context. We’ll see.
AASV to Hold Session at World Pork Expo
The AASV will hold a members-only session again this year at the World Pork Expo. This year’s session will be chaired by AASV Vice president Jeff Harker. The discussion topic will be the pros and cons of live virus inoculation for PRRS and PED. The session will be held on Thursday June 7th 1:00 – 4:00pm in the Elwell Family Food Center at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. There is no pre-registration or fee to attend the session. The meeting is open to AASV members only.
AVMA, AAVMC form Veterinary Futures Commission
A Veterinary Futures Commission has been established by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC). [Source: AVMA Press Release, April 3, 2018]
Online Course: Excellence in Exhibition: Preventing Disease in Animals and People
The Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH) at Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Public Health and with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists created an online course to teach youth about zoonotic diseases, “Excellence in Exhibition: Preventing Disease in Animals and People”. The course is meant to encourage showmanship and animal involvement while keeping both animals and humans safe and healthy. The course is available to anyone free of charge through at http://www.BlueNotFlu.org.
FDA Answers VFD Audit Questions in Upcoming Webinar
With implementation of the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) changes now over a year underway, the FDA inspection process is expected to happen more frequently in the coming months.
Bat-Origin Coronaviruses Expand Their Host Range to Pigs
Infections with bat-origin coronaviruses have caused severe illness in humans by ‘host jump’. Recently, novel bat-origin coronaviruses were found in pigs. The large number of mutations on the receptor-binding domain allowed the viruses to infect the new host, posing a potential threat to both agriculture and public health. Wang L, Su S, Bi Y, Wong G, Gao GF; Bat-Origin Coronaviruses Expand Their Host Range to Pigs; Trends Microbiol. 2018 Apr 18. pii: S0966-842X(18)30060-X. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2018.03.001. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 29680361 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2018.03.001