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1. Developing disease-resistant poultry may be solution for multiple virus issues
By Charlene Betourney
UGA Today
June 29, 2015
Athens, Ga. - Poultry disease is an international issue, especially when there is an outbreak close to home. However, it's a particularly costly problem in developing countries.
Developing animals resistant to disease may be one of the long-term solutions. University of Georgia researchers in the Regenerative Bioscience Center have spent the last four years gathering data that could make the process a reality.
The team, which includes Steven Stice and Franklin West in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Claudio Afonso at the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, used a technology platform called shRNA-single strands of RNA that fold back on themselves-to selectively stop the production of nucleic acids that cause disease, such as the Newcastle disease virus.
Newcastle disease is a worldwide problem and is caused by one of the most deadly of all viruses that spreads between birds. Exotic Newcastle virus, the most devastating form of the virus, has been eradicated in the U.S. and Canada. The milder forms of Newcastle are kept under control using vaccines.
The research team's tooling process for enhancing disease resistance, published recently in the Journal of the International Alliance for Biological Standardization, is potentially a much better way of disease protection than vaccination, because it introduces permanent genetic resistance that is transmittable to a bird's offspring, the researchers said. In contrast, many vaccines provide protection for a given period of time and must be re-administered periodically.
Full text:
http://news.uga.edu/releases/article/developing-disease-resistant-poultry-0615/
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2. Avian Flu Outbreaks Likely Over, For Now [IA]
By Sarah Boden
IowaPublicRadio.org
June 30, 2015
It's been more than two weeks since the last reported outbreak of avian influenza in Iowa. For now, it appears the virus's spread has stopped.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture says all flocks hit by the disease have been completely euthanized. Efforts are focusing on composting, disinfecting and preventing future outbreaks.
"Even as soon as this week we expect all the layer barns to be disposed of. Then we really move into the next phase from the egg industry standpoint, which is cleaning and disinfecting," says Randy Olson, executive director of the Iowa Poultry Association.
In total more than 48 million chickens and turkeys across 15 states have confirmed outbreaks of the virus, which presents low risk to human health. Two-thirds of the infected poultry were in Iowa, the nation's leading egg producer.
It is not a surprise that the rash of avian flu outbreaks trickled to a stop in June. The United States Department of Agriculture and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both anticipated the drop off since direct sunlight and warm, dry weather kills the virus.
Full text:
http://iowapublicradio.org/post/avian-flu-outbreaks-likely-over-now#stream/0
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3. Gov. Branstad extends disaster proclamation for bird flu through July 31 [IA]
AgriNews.com
June 29, 2015
DES MOINES - Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad announced June 30 that he is extending the State of Disaster Emergency in response to the avian flu outbreak through July 31. This is the second extension the governor has made to the original disaster proclamation. The governor's original disaster declaration was set to expire May 31, but he extended it until July 1. The latest disaster proclamation can be read at: https://governor.iowa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Gov%20Proc_HPAI%20Proclamation_2nd%20Extension%20-.pdf
The extension comes less than two weeks after Branstad requested a Presidential Disaster Designation for four Iowa counties hit by the virus. In bipartisan fashion, members of Iowa's Congressional Delegation wrote a letter to President Obama encouraging him to grant the governor's request on June 19.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/q52b6jp
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4. Spanish Egg Producers Willing to Make Up US Shortfall
ThePoultrySite.com
June 29, 2015
US - In response to the avian influenza outbreak in the US and the subsequent demand for eggs in the US market, Spanish egg producers are angling to export eggs to the country.
Due to avian influenza in the US, domestic production is unable to meet the demand especially by the US processed foods sector.
The United States, a leading supplier of eggs in the world, has gone from a production surplus of 4 per cent to a shortage of around 10 per cent.
The US Food industry is pressuring the government to allow egg imports from the EU. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the USDA has received numerous inquiries regarding the requirements to import shell eggs and other egg products into the United States.
The government already approved the purchase of egg products from the Netherlands and started the paperwork to endorse the imports of shell eggs from Spain.
Full text:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultrynews/35336/spanish-egg-producers-willing-to-make-up-us-shortfall/
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5. FWP kills 2 bighorn rams found with domestic sheep [MT]
By Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
KTVQ.com
June 29, 2015
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks removed two young bighorn rams found commingling with domestic sheep last week. The bighorns were 28 miles south of Malta, well away from their normal habitat. The meat was donated to local families, and the horns will be used for educational purposes.
The two rams were found on private land along Beaver Creek in southern Phillips County. They were 22 miles from established populations in hunting district 622 in the Missouri River Breaks, and 25 miles from populations in the Little Rockies in hunting district 620. Neighbors alerted FWP about the rams after observing them in close proximity to domestic sheep, including within an enclosed pen. With landowner permission to access the property, FWP's Malta area Wildlife Biologist Scott Thompson removed the bighorns on June 24.
"Bighorn sheep are managed pretty intensively," said Thompson. "To keep a healthy population of bighorn sheep, more aggressive management may be used at times. Sometimes, that can mean removing bighorns that pose a health risk to the rest of the population."
Pneumonia and other respiratory diseases in wild sheep are known to sometimes be transmitted by bacteria carried and tolerated by domestic sheep. There are currently no domestic sheep near established bighorn sheep populations in Region 6. "It is not out of the question for young rams to wander outside their typical habitat, as they did here, and come in contact with domestic sheep," Thompson said. "This scenario is more likely when bighorn sheep populations are at higher levels, as is currently the case with some Missouri Breaks bighorn sheep herds."
Full text:
http://www.ktvq.com/story/29434558/fwp-kills-2-bighorn-rams-to-found-with-domestic-sheep
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6. Phase II of NAHMS Equine 2015 Study Postponed
By Erica Larson, News Editor
TheHorse.com
June 30, 2015
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced that Phase II of the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Equine 2015 study will be postponed due to a large-scale highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak.
"This event is now the largest animal-health emergency ever faced by APHIS; to date more than 50 million birds have been depopulated," said Bruce Wagner, PhD, director of APHIS' Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health, in a memorandum to industry stakeholders. "The emergency response to the HPAI outbreak, particularly the amount of resources involved, has forced ... NAHMS to postpone Phase II of its Equine 2015 study until spring/summer 2015."
The Equine 2015 study is designed to provide participants, industry members, and animal health officials with information on the nation's equine population that will serve as a basis for education, service, and research related to equine health and management. The survey is also designed to provide new and valuable information regarding industry trends for 1998, 2005, and 2015.
Full text:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/36009/phase-ii-of-nahms-equine-2015-study-postponed
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7. Animal Diseases Could Be Weaponized by Terrorists: Health Experts
NewsMax.com
June 30, 2015
The World Health Organization, animal health and national defense officers called on Tuesday for wider international cooperation to avoid the spread of animal diseases that could be used as biological weapons.
Sixty percent of human diseases come from animal agents and 80 percent of the agents that could be used for bio terrorism are of animal origin, said Bernard Vallat, director general of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
"History has shown that animal diseases have often been used as weapons before. Advances in genetics can now make them even more harmful. So we are calling for further investment to be made at national level on bio security," Vallat told reporters at a conference on biological threat reduction.
Diseases have spread from animals to humans for millennia, with latest examples including the bird flu virus that has killed hundreds of people around the globe.
The OIE and the WHO warned that animal disease agents could escape naturally, accidentally but also intentionally from laboratories, to be used as bio weapons.
Full text:
http://www.newsmax.com/Health/Health-News/animal-disease-biological-weapons/2015/06/30/id/652901/
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