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1. USDA Confirms Highly Pathogenic H5N2 Avian Influenza in Jefferson County, Wisconsin [corrected]
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Bulletin
April 13, 2015
WASHINGTON -- The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial layer flock in Jefferson County, Wisconsin. The flock of 200,000 chickens is located within the Mississippi flyway where this strain of avian influenza has previously been identified. CDC considers the risk to people from these HPAI H5 infections in wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial poultry, to be low. No human infections with the virus have been detected at this time.
Samples from the chicken flock, which experienced increased mortality, were tested at the Missouri Department of Agriculture Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa confirmed the findings.
Full text:
http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/fea678
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2. Researchers create tool to predict avian flu outbreaks [Canada - edited]
Feedstuffs
April 10, 2015
A simple and effective portable tool to predict avian influenza outbreaks on farms has been created by University of Guelph researchers.
The researchers devised a real-time way to analyze chickens and other farm birds for the avian flu virus. The tool uses a small blood sample and relies on a simple chemical color change to see not only whether a chicken has avian flu but also what viral strain is involved.
Current tests require samples to be sent to a lab, where it can take eight hours to a couple of days to yield results. That's too long, said Suresh Neethirajan with the University of Guelph School of Engineering.
"This test only needs two to three minutes to incubate, and then you get the results immediately. Not only that, but it is more cost-effective. Conventional techniques are time-consuming and labor-intensive, and require special facilities and expensive laboratory instruments," he said.
The new nanobiosensor can detect the strains of H5N1 and H1N1. The most recent outbreak was from H5N2, which is similar to H5N1, Neethirajan said. With some architecture modifications, the developed biosensing technique has the potential to detect the H5N2 strain as well.
Full text:
http://feedstuffs.com/story-researchers-create-tool-predict-avian-flu-outbreaks-45-126327
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3. FDA Clarifies Draft Guidance for Safety of Animal Feed on the Farm
FDA Ctr. for Veterinary Medicine
April 13, 2015
On March 19, 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a draft guidance, Guidance For Industry (GFI) #203, to help animal producers take steps to help keep animal feed safe on the farm. The draft guidance outlines steps animal producers can take to identify feed contaminants that are sometimes present in the farm production environment and to prevent them from jeopardizing the health of farm animals and the safety of human food derived from the animals.
Draft guidance GFI #203 is intended to help animal producers identify:
Important animal feed safety issues that typically are not covered by regulations (e.g., unexpected changes in animal feed consumption patterns that could indicate the presence of contaminants in the feed; or contaminants that may be present in bedding or fencing materials that animals might eat)
A comprehensive approach to feed safety at the farm, beginning with acquisition of safe feed and maintenance of its safety until the feed is offered to animals. "Farm" means animal production units (e.g., integrated poultry grower operations, swine finishing units, cattle feedlots)
The draft guidance does not address the manufacture of feed on farms.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/ksccess
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4. Merck releases new cattle handling video
Beef Magazine
April 9, 2015
In an effort to help cattle producers better understand cattle behavior and become better and more efficient cattle handlers, Merck Animal Health launched its CreatingConnections website recently. Now, Merck has updated the site with an educational video about cattle shipping and transportation.
The CreatingConnections program is designed to help producers better understand cattle behavior and use that knowledge to help reduce stress, improve reproduction and foster stronger immune responses. The first video in the series presents a practical look at low-stress handling techniques that capitalize on beef cattle's natural behaviors. It also illustrates how to move cattle calmly from the feedyard pens, through the chute, onto the trailer and unloading at the packing plant - utilizing a philosophy based on communication with the animals.
"The CreatingConnections program and this video in particular are designed to expand the understanding of how human and cattle interactions affect animal health and well-being," said Paulo Loureiro, DVM, Merck Animal Health. "Through calm, confident movements, a handler creates a positive experience for the cattle, which builds trust. As a result, the cattle are easier to handle, diagnose and manage, which makes interactions safer for the animal and the handler."
Full text:
http://beefmagazine.com/merck-releases-new-cattle-handling-video
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5. Update on Swine Enteric Coronavirus Disease in US
ThePigSite.com
April 13, 2015
US - The number of pig farm samples that are confirmed positive for porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) in the last week was 48, one premises was confirmed with porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) but none had the dual infection (PEDV and PDCoV).
For the latest week - 29 March to 4 April - there were 48 new confirmed positive premises for PEDV and one presumed positive, according to the latest report from USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and made available by the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV).
For the same period, one premises was confirmed and none presumed positive for PDCoV; none was confirmed or presumed positive with the dual infection.
The total numbers of premises with confirmed positive status for the current week are 1,138, 52 and 45 for PEDV, PDCoV and the dual infection, respectively.
Since 5 June, for PEDV, there have been 1,217 confirmed positive premises, 416 presumed positive and 66 previously positive premises that have attained negative status.
For PDCoV, the total for the same period are 58, 28 and five, respectively. For the dual infection, the totals are 47, 27 and one, respectively.
Source:
http://www.thepigsite.com/swinenews/39391/update-on-swine-enteric-coronavirus-disease-in-us/
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6. Bacteria on Bats May Help Fight White-Nose Syndrome
By Richard Farrell
Discovery.com
April 9, 2015
Could a bacteria that grows naturally on the skin of some bats become a valuable weapon against a deadly fungus that continues to decimate bat populations?
That's the hope springing from a paper published April 8 in the journal PLOS ONE by researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
The researchers, led by graduate student Joseph Hoyt, tested bacteria from the skin of four bat species to see to what degree they could suppress white-nose syndrome, a death-dealing fungus first seen in New York State in 2006 that has wiped out more than 90 percent of bat populations in some regions.
The scientists reported that six of the bacteria they isolated were able to significantly inhibit the growth of the fungus in petri dishes, while two were particularly successful at suppressing it for more than 35 days.
"What's promising is that the bacteria that can inhibit the fungus naturally occur on the skin of bats," said Hoyt in a press release. "These bacteria may just be at too low a level to have an effect on the disease, but augmenting them to higher abundances may provide a beneficial effect."
Full text:
http://news.discovery.com/animals/bacteria-on-bats-may-help-fight-white-nose-syndrome-150409.htm
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7. Secretary's Advisory Committee on Animal Health; Meeting [edited]
Federal Register Volume 80, Number 71 (Tuesday, April 14, 2015)
Notices
Page 19956
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FR Doc No: 2015-08603
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service[Docket No. APHIS-2015-0025
Secretary's Advisory Committee on Animal Health; Meeting
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
SUMMARY: This is a notice to inform the public of an upcoming meeting of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Animal Health. The meeting is being organized by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to discuss matters of animal health.
DATES: The meeting will be held on April 28 and 29, 2015, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Bethesda Marriott, 5151 Pooks Hill Road, Bethesda, MD 20814.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. R.J. Cabrera, Designated Federal Officer, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 34, Riverdale, MD 20737; phone (301) 851-3478, email SACAH.Management@aphis.usda.gov.
Tentative topics for discussion at the meeting include:
Follow-on discussion of antimicrobial resistance, mitigations, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) action plan,
Comprehensive discussion on porcine epidemic diarrhea,
Follow-on discussion on foot-and-mouth disease,
USDA draft framework for emerging diseases,
Proposed national list of reportable animal diseases,
Avian influenza, and
Bovine tuberculosis program--understanding the disease.
A final agenda will be posted on the Committee Web site by April 13, 2015.
Full text:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-04-14/html/2015-08603.htm
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