During the AASV Annual Meeting, 29 veterinary students interviewed conference speakers to gain additional information about their presentation topic. The next of these MP3 audio interviews is now available to members on the AASV website at https://www.aasv.org/podcast/. Student member Katrina M. Troppy interviewed Dr. Montse Torremorell who presented “Air filtration testing: Understanding filter efficacy and leakage ” in the “Biosecurity” Pre-Conference Seminar. Watch for additional podcast interviews in the coming weeks!
Monthly Archives: June 2018
2018 Podcast Series: Tyler Te Grotenhuis
During the AASV Annual Meeting, 29 veterinary students interviewed conference speakers to gain additional information about their presentation topic. The next of these MP3 audio interviews is now available to members on the AASV website at https://www.aasv.org/podcast/. Student member Megan A. Hood interviewed Dr. Tyler Te Grotenhuis who presented “Developing a culture of biosecurity” in the “Biosecurity” Pre-Conference Seminar. Watch for additional podcast interviews in the coming weeks!
2018 Podcast Series: Neal Benjamin
During the AASV Annual Meeting, 29 veterinary students interviewed conference speakers to gain additional information about their presentation topic. The next of these MP3 audio interviews is now available to members on the AASV website at https://www.aasv.org/podcast/. Student member Rachel Stika interviewed Dr. Neal Benjamin who presented “You ain’t from around here: Training employees from diverse and non-ag backgrounds” in the AASV’s Got Talent pre-conference seminar. Watch for additional podcast interviews in the coming weeks!
USDA is Requesting Proposals for Research on Banked Swine Sera from Previous NAHMS Studies
The National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) conducts national studies to be representative of the U.S. pork industry, generally focusing on operations with 100 or more swine in the top swine-producing States. Studies conducted in 2000, 2006, and 2012 collected cross-sectional data on animal health, management, and productivity. On a subset of the production sites, sera were collected from late finishing pigs and/or breeding females. Sera have been maintained frozen at the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL). Aliquots from the serum bank and linked data from the related NAHMS study are available for research purposes to benefit the U.S. pork industry.
African and Classical Swine Fever: Similarities, Differences and Epidemiological Consequences
For the global pig industry, classical (CSF) and African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks are a constantly feared threat. Except for Sardinia, ASF was eradicated in Europe in the late 1990s, which led to a research focus on CSF because this disease continued to be present. However, ASF remerged in eastern Europe in 2007 and the interest in the disease, its control and epidemiology increased tremendously. The similar names and the same susceptible species suggest a similarity of the two viral diseases, a related biological behaviour and, correspondingly, similar epidemiological features. However, there are several essential differences between both diseases, which need to be considered for the design of control or preventive measures. In the present review, we aimed to collate differences and similarities of the two diseases that impact epidemiology and thus the necessary control actions. Our objective was to discuss critically, if and to which extent the current knowledge can be transferred from one disease to the other and where new findings should lead to a critical review of measures relating to the prevention, control and surveillance of ASF and CSF. Another intention was to identify research gaps, which need to be closed to increase the chances of a successful eradication of ASF and therefore for a decrease of the economic threat for pig holdings and the international trade. Schulz K, Staubach C, Blome S; African and Classical Swine Fever: Similarities, Differences and Epidemiological Consequences; Vet Res. 2017 Nov 28;48(1):84. doi: 10.1186/s13567-017-0490-x. PMID: 29183365 PMCID: PMC5706370 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-017-0490-x Free PMC Article
Analyses of Body Weight Patterns in Growing Pigs: A New View on Body Weight in Pigs for Frequent Monitoring
Frequent BW monitoring of growing pigs can be useful for identifying production (e.g. feeding), health and welfare problems. However, in order to construct a tool which will properly recognize abnormalities in pigs’ growth a precise description of the growth process should be used. In this study we proposed a new model of pig growth accounting for daily fluctuations in BW. Body weight measurements of 1710 pigs (865 gilts and 843 barrows) originating from five consecutive batches from a Danish commercial farm were collected. Pigs were inserted into a large pen (maximum capacity=400) between November 2014 and September 2015. On average, each pig was observed for 42 days and weighed 3.6 times a day when passing from the resting to feeding area. Altogether, 243,160 BW measurements were recorded. A multilevel model of pig growth was constructed and fitted to available data. The BW of pigs was modeled as a quadratic function of time. A diurnal pattern was incorporated into the model by a cosine wave with known length (24 h). The model included pig effect which was defined as a random autoregressive process with exponential correlation. Variance of within-pigs error was assumed to increase with time. Because only five batches were observed, it was not possible to obtain the random effect for batch. However, in order to account for the batch effect the model included interactions between batch and fixed parameters: intercept, time, square value of time and cosine wave. The gender effect was not significant and was removed from the final model. For all batches, morning and afternoon peaks in the frequency of visits to the feeding area could be distinguished. According to results, pigs were lighter in the morning and heavier in the evening (minimum BW was reached around 1000 h and maximum around 2200 h). However, the exact time of obtaining maximum and minimum BW during the day differed between batches. Pigs had access to natural light and, therefore, existing differences could be explained by varying daylight level during observations periods. Because the diurnal amplitude for pig growth varied between batches from 0.9 to 1.4 kg, BW monitoring tools based on frequent measurements should account for diurnal variation in BW of pigs. This proposed description of growth will be built into a monitoring tool (a dynamic linear model) and applied to farm data in future studies. H. Stygar, K. A. Dolecheck, and A. R. Kristensen; Analyses of Body Weight Patterns in Growing Pigs: A New View on Body Weight in Pigs for Frequent Monitoring; Volume 12, Issue 2 February 2018 , pp. 295-302 Full article: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/animal/article/analyses-of-body-weight-patterns-in-growing-pigs-a-new-view-on-body-weight-in-pigs-for-frequent-monitoring/809DE2807615C96B9A23D003E80E10F5/core-reader
SHIC Collaborates on Minimum Infectious Dose of FMD in Feed and Mitigation Strategies
The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) will collaborate directly with USDA Ag Research Service on Plum Island, USDA-APHIS, National Pork Board, and other key researchers to determine the minimum infectious dose (MID) of foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus needed to infect pigs via feed ingredients using normal feeding behaviors. Simultaneously, this project will look at the effectiveness of possible mitigants being added to the feed to help neutralize the virus. To date, no study has looked at the dose needed to infect a pig via feed, using normal feeding behaviors. And the collaborations will enable the direct use of FMD instead of having to use a surrogate. Successful completion of the project will provide critical knowledge pertaining to the risk of introduction of FMD into the US pig production system by imported feed components as well as potential mitigation of that risk.
SHIC Contributes to JEV Investigation and Development of Convenient Test
While Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is endemic in Asia and the Pacific, many countries like the United States don’t have and don’t want this disease. If JEV infects a naïve herd, the mortality rate of infected piglets is close to 100 percent and 50 to 70 percent of sows experience reproductive failure. According to the World Health Organization, every year close to 68,000 humans are infected with JEV via mosquito vectors in affected Asian countries. The resulting viral encephalitis causes a 30 percent mortality rate in infected humans and 30 to 50 percent of those infected have permanent neurologic or psychiatric sequelae. Partially funded by the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), researchers at the Kansas State Biosecurity Research Institute (KSBRI) asked if the virus would be sustainable and detectable in the North American pork industry.
2018 Golf Outing: Best Ever? All We Need is Good Weather – and You!
The AASV Foundation is heading to Landsmeer Golf Club in Orange City, Iowa for its 2018 Golf Outing fundraiser, scheduled for Thursday, August 23. Thanks to strong support from sponsors, the event promises to be one of the best ever, both for golfers and the foundation! Golfers will enjoy beverages provided by Zoetis, lunches supplied by APC, and the concluding awards dinner sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health. In addition, twelve of the eighteen golf holes will offer giveaways, contests, and prizes provided by golf hole sponsors Aurora Pharmaceutical, Cambridge Technologies, Ceva Animal Health, Elanco Animal Health, GlobalVetLINK, Hog Slat, Huvepharma, Insight Wealth Group, Merck Animal Health, National Pork Producers Council, Pharmgate Animal Health, and Topigs Norsvin. AASV members and industry supporters are invited to register a team (or individuals) and enjoy a day of fun and golf in support of the AASV Foundation!
Call for Abstracts: 2019 AASV Student Seminar
The American Association of Swine Veterinarians announces an opportunity for veterinary students to make a scientific presentation at the AASV Annual Meeting in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Sunday, March 10, 2019. Interested students are invited to submit a one-page abstract of a research paper, clinical case study, or literature review for consideration. The submitting student must be a current (2018-19) student member of the AASV at the time of submission, and must not have graduated from veterinary school prior to March 10, 2019. Submissions are limited to one (1) abstract per student. Please take note: the procedure for submitting abstracts has changed!