Dr. Paul Armbrecht recently visited his soon to be 99 years young father and shared the following tidbits of wisdom his father bestowed upon him: “Your fences need to be horse high, pig tight, and bull strong!!” and “Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t botherin’ you none!!”
Monthly Archives: May 2018
Calling All AASV Packrats …
If you’ve been an AASP/V member for 25-plus years and are one of those folks who never throws anything away, it’s your time to shine! Please look under the bed, in the closet, on your library shelf, or wherever it is that you keep all that stuff, and let us know if you have any of the following you’d be willing to share on a permanent or temporary basis with AASV:
Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Formaldehyde and Crystalline Amino Acids on Gut Microbial Composition of Nursery Pigs
Formaldehyde-based feed additives are approved in the US for Salmonella control and reducing bacterial contamination in animal feed. However, we hypothesize formaldehyde inclusion in swine diets may influence gut microbial composition due to its antimicrobial properties which might negatively influence microbial populations and pig growth performance. Also, formaldehyde inclusion in diets is known to reduce the dietary availability of amino acids. Therefore, our study was conducted to characterize if the effects of feed formaldehyde-treatment are due to influences on microbial population or diet amino acid (AA) sources. Dietary treatments were arranged in a (2 × 2) + 1 factorial with formaldehyde treatment (none vs. 1000 ppm formaldehyde) and crystalline AA inclusion (low vs. high) with deficient AA content plus a positive control diet to contain adequate AA content without dietary formaldehyde. Treating diets with formaldehyde reduced growth rate (P = 0.001) while the AA inclusion had no evidence of impact. Formaldehyde reduced feed bacterial content and altered fecal microbial communities (P
OIE General Session: Three New Steps in the Fight against Antimicrobial Resistance
At the occasion of the 86th General Session of the OIE, the 181 OIE Member Countries discussed several revisions of OIE international Standards and guidelines resulting in a stronger veterinary supervision of the use of antimicrobials in animals worldwide. Definitions of veterinary medical (i.e. treatment, control and prevention) and non-veterinary medical use were adopted, as well as a definition of growth promotion use. Guidance for surveillance national systems was also on the agenda of OIE Delegates, as well as the revision of the OIE list of antimicrobial agents of veterinary importance with new recommendations regarding phasing out use for growth promotion. Click here for a complete update of the General Session activities. [Source: OIE Press Release, May 25, 2018]
Authors Address Concerns with Elemental Impurities in Injectable Iron Study
[Editor’s note: As a result of concerns expressed regarding the interpretation of the findings in the study entitled “Elemental impurities in injectable iron products for swine” published in the May/June issue of the Journal of Swine Health and Production, the study authors provided the following statement for inclusion in the AASV e-Letter.] “In response to the recently published article “Elemental impurities in injectable iron products for swine” in the Journal of Swine Health and Production, concern has been raised regarding product and food safety. To clarify any misconceptions, the article does not state that any of the products available in the United States were or are considered unsafe for use in swine by any regulatory authority in the United States. The objective was to evaluate a number of different parenteral/injectable veterinary iron products for the presence of impurities with the hope that the findings would be used to potentially improve the already stringent quality production standards implemented by manufacturers. While the study clearly revealed new information concerning differences in the levels of detectable impurities (e.g., arsenic, chromium, and lead) amongst the injectable iron products evaluated, the quantities of such impurities (measured in micrograms per 200 mg dose of iron) need to be kept in context to their use as a one-time dose or two-half doses to a neonatal pig. Detection of these elements does not indicate that the products are unsafe and should not be used. All products available in the United States have maintained an adequate safety record according to FDA adverse event reporting records for the duration of their availability as FDA approved products. Thus, caution should be used in interpreting data from this publication to avoid over interpretation about the safety of injectable iron products. The data reported in the article is scientific in nature and should not be used to conclude that there is a food safety issue with pork or pork products. Please do not hesitate to contact us directly with any further questions.” Steve EnsleyKansas State Universitysensley01@vet.k-state.eduScott RadkeIowa State Universityslradke@iastate.eduChris OlsenPharmacosmos Inc.chris.olsen@pharmacosmos.com
Swine Health Information Sharing Improves Disease Response
The early sharing of swine health information is helping swine producers and veterinarians in western Canada improve their response to emerging swine disease issues. The Canada-West Swine Health Intelligence Network, a western Canadian swine disease surveillance system, was created to help swine veterinarians share information on clinical disease in swine herds in the four western provinces. Dr. Jette Christensen, who was named manager of the Network in April, explains CWSHIN serves swine producers and swine practitioners by helping detect emerging swine health issues as early as possible. [Source: Farmscape.ca, May 14, 2018 by Bruce Cochrane]
North American Domestic Pigs are Susceptible to Experimental Infection with Japanese Encephalitis Virus
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that is capable of causing encephalitic diseases in children. While humans can succumb to severe disease, the transmission cycle is maintained by viremic birds and pigs in endemic regions. Although JEV is regarded as a significant threat to the United States (U.S.), the susceptibility of domestic swine to JEV infection has not been evaluated. In this study, domestic pigs from North America were intravenously challenged with JEV to characterize the pathological outcomes. Systemic infection followed by the development of neutralizing antibodies were observed in all challenged animals. While most clinical signs were limited to nonspecific symptoms, virus dissemination and neuroinvasion was observed at the acute phase of infection. Detection of infectious viruses in nasal secretions suggest infected animals are likely to promote the vector-free transmission of JEV. Viral RNA present in tonsils at 28 days post infection demonstrates the likelihood of persistent infection. In summary, our findings indicate that domestic pigs can potentially become amplification hosts in the event of an introduction of JEV into the U.S. Vector-free transmission to immunologically naïve vertebrate hosts is also likely through nasal shedding of infectious viruses. Park SL, Huang YS, Lyons AC, Ayers VB, Hettenbach SM, McVey DS, Burton KR, Higgs S, Vanlandingham DL; North American Domestic Pigs are Susceptible to Experimental Infection with Japanese Encephalitis Virus; Sci Rep. 2018 May 21;8(1):7951. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-26208-8. PMID: 29784969 [PubMed – in process] PMID: 29784969 PMCID: PMC5962597 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26208-8 Full article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-26208-8
AASV to Publish New Directory; Review/Update Your Listing Now
In keeping with its traditional every-other-year schedule, the AASV is preparing to publish the 2018 Membership Directory for distribution to members. Please take a few moments to verify your directory listing. In particular, please distinguish your business/office phone (identified with “B”) from your mobile phone (identified with “M”). Likewise, if the home number (“H”) listed for you is your mobile phone, please identify it as mobile (“M”), since AASV will no longer list home or fax numbers in the directory.To verify or update your listing, go to www.aasv.org/members/only/directory.php. The contact information currently on file for you will appear automatically when you enter your username and password, and you will see a response box enabling you to send any additions or corrections to the AASV office. Directory entries will include the member name, mailing address (2 lines plus city, state/province, postal code and country), business phone, mobile phone, and one email address. The directory does not list multiple email addresses. Print copies of the directory will be shipped to AASV members in late summer.
Dr. Rebecca Robbins to Receive 2018 Allen D. Leman Science in Practice Award
The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine has named Rebecca Robbins, DVM, PhD, as the 2018 recipient of the Allen D. Leman Science in Practice award. Robbins is the senior production veterinarian for Seaboard Foods, one of the nation’s leading pork producers and processors.
Microbial Shifts in the Swine Nasal Microbiota in Response to Parenteral Antimicrobial Administration
HighlightsParenteral antimicrobial administration shifts the nasal microbiota in growing piglets. The changes in nasal microbiota structure were antimicrobial-dependent. Rationalization of injectable antibiotic treatments in growing piglets is needed. The continuous administration of antimicrobials in swine production has been widely criticized with the increase of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and dysbiosis of the beneficial microbial communities. While an increasing number of studies investigate the effects of antimicrobial administration on swine gastrointestinal microbiota biodiversity, the impact of their use on the composition and diversity of nasal microbial communities has not been widely explored. The objective of this study was to characterize the short-term impact of different parenteral antibiotics administration on the composition and diversity of nasal microbial communities in growing pigs. Five antimicrobial treatment groups, each consisting of four, eight-week old piglets, were administered one of the antimicrobials; Ceftiofur Crystalline free acid (CCFA), Ceftiofur hydrochloride (CHC), Tulathromycin (TUL), Oxytetracycline (OTC), and Procaine Penicillin G (PPG) at label dose and route. Individual deep nasal swabs were collected immediately before antimicrobial administration (controlâ¯=â¯day 0), and again on days 1, 3, 7, and 14 after dosing. The nasal microbiota across all the samples were dominated by Firmicutes, proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. While, the predominant bacterial genera were Moraxella, Clostridium and Streptococcus. Linear discriminant analysis, showed a pronounced, antimicrobial-dependent microbial shift in the composition of nasal microbiota and over time from day 0. By day 14, the nasal microbial compositions of the groups receiving CCFA and OTC had returned to a distribution that closely resembled that observed on day 0. In contrast, pigs that received CHC, TUL and PPG appeared to deviate away from the day 0 composition by day 14. Based on our results, it appears that the impact of parenteral antibiotics on the swine nasal microbiota is variable and has a considerable impact in modulating the nasal microbiota structure. Our results will aid in developing alternative strategies for antibiotics to improve swine health and consequently production. Zeineldin M, Aldridge B, Blair B, Kancer K, Lowe J; Microbial shifts in the swine nasal microbiota in response to parenteral antimicrobial administration; Microb Pathog. 2018 May 24. pii: S0882-4010(18)30317-6. doi: 10.1016/j.micpath.2018.05.028. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 29803848