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1. The many faces of mycoplasma
By Maureen Hanson
DairyHerd.com
November 4, 2015
The following article appears in print and digital versions of the November 2015 issue of Dairy Herd Management.
The first experience Colorado veterinarian Greg Goodell had with mycoplasma mastitis was literally a case of "baptism by fire." "About 15 years ago, like a lot of people, I thought mycoplasma mastitis was mostly a 'California problem,'" said Goodell, owner of The Dairy Authority LLC, Greeley, Colo. "That is, until one of my clients experienced a severe outbreak of mycoplasma mastitis."
In that case, a Colorado dairy expanding from 2,500 to 5,000 cows was able to identify and cull about 20 mycoplasma-positive animals and rein in the outbreak.
For Goodell, the lesson was any dairy could become infected with mycoplasma mastitis, highlighting the critical importance of herd surveillance.
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2. Chronic Wasting Disease Detected at Devils Tower [WY]
National Park Service Press Release
BasinRadio.com
November 4, 2015
National Park Service (NPS) veterinarians recently confirmed the presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a buck white-tailed deer at Devils Tower National Monument. CWD is endemic to free-ranging deer populations throughout much of eastern Wyoming, and although this is the first animal to test positive for CWD at Devils Tower, it is not the first case in Crook County. That case was detected only a few miles away, in 2008.
Although hunting is not permitted at Devils Tower, this is the first deer tested from surrounding Hunt Area 1 that has tested positive for CWD. Deer Hunt Area 1 is bordered on three sides by other CWD positive deer Hunt Areas: 2, 3, and 18.
"We will continue to work with our state partners as we monitor deer populations at Devils Tower, and will have suspect animal carcasses tested for CWD. Park visitors are encouraged to report any sick or dead animals to park staff," said Superintendent Tim Reid.
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3. Multi-state outbreaks of foodborne illnesses more deadly, CDC finds
By Tony Pugh
McClatchyDC
November 3, 2015
Multi-state outbreaks of foodborne diseases accounted for just 3 percent of all such outbreaks in the U.S. between 2010-2014, but caused 56 percent of deaths from the infections, the federal government reported Tuesday.
Three germs - Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria - caused 91 percent of the 120 multi-state outbreaks analyzed in a new report released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those 120 outbreaks, an average of 24 per year, accounted for just 11 percent of all such foodborne outbreaks and 34 percent of resulting hospitalizations.
But researchers believe more people are dying in the multi-state outbreaks because the infections are deadlier.
Scientists at CDC compared data on mult-istate outbreaks over a five-year period with data from single-state infections. They found Salmonella caused the three largest outbreaks with the most illnesses and hospitalizations.
Listeria was the most deadly, due mainly to a 2011 outbreak in which contaminated cantaloupe killed 33 people. Imported food, mainly from Mexico and Turkey, accounted for 18 multi-state outbreaks.
The report spotlights the need for food manufacturers to improve safety practices in the growing, processing and transportation of food and for them to keep more detailed records that help trace contaminated foods faster.
The report also recommends that health agencies at all levels of government work with the food industry to address and fix problems that can lead to food contamination.
"Americans should not have to worry about getting sick from the food they eat," said a statement from CDC Director Tom Frieden. "Top-notch epidemiology and new gene sequencing tools are helping us quickly track down the source of foodborne outbreaks - and together with our national partners we are working with the food industry to prevent them from happening in the first place."
One in six people get sick each year from eating contaminated food, Frieden said, adding that for every case of Salmonella reported, 29 cases go unreported, For a common strain of E. coli, it's 26 unreported cases for each reported case, Frieden said.
But disease detectives are finding more outbreaks because DNA fingerprinting, which is used to find foods implicated in outbreaks.
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4. House Agriculture Committee Examines the Relationship Between Agriculture and National Security
Press Release
November 4, 2015
Today, the House Agriculture Committee held its first in a new series of hearings to examine the relationship between agriculture and national security. In the opening hearing, members and witnesses examined the threats and vulnerabilities to agricultural security as well as the economic significance associated with such threats.
Members of the Agriculture Committee recognize the challenges faced by American agriculture and the need to build a stronger coalition among rural and urban interests that not only support agriculture policy, but also understand the role U.S. agriculture plays in maintaining a strong U.S. economy and stability around the world. With fewer and fewer Americans connected to production agriculture, many in Congress fail to recognize the importance of sound farm policy to our national security.
"The bottom line is that a nation that can feed and provide for itself is inherently safer than a nation that cannot. The United States is blessed with an abundant and safe food supply thanks to more than 2 million farmers and ranchers who dutifully tend to their fields and pastures. Many countries around the globe periodically, or constantly, face the threat of food instability that leads to hunger and starvation. By surveying these global issues, as well as domestic threats like pests, disease, and economic threats, it's easy to see the interconnectedness of a stable food supply and national security. I want to thank our distinguished panelists for sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience and for giving us an enhanced global perspective of the importance of maintaining and protecting a safe food supply," said Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway.
Written testimony provided by the witnesses from today's hearing is linked below. Click here* for more information, including Chairman Conaway's opening statement, and the archived webcast.
Witness List:
Panel I
Ambassador John Negroponte, Vice Chairman, McLarty Associates, Washington, DC
Dr. Tammy R. Beckham, Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
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5. Vilsack: TPP text to be released 'very, very soon'
By Daniel Enoch
Agri-Pulse.com
November 4, 2015
WASHINGTON -- USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement will be released "very, very soon" and that the document will prove to be "very beneficial" to agriculture.
Vilsack said a delay in releasing the text of the agreement, reached Oct. 5, was understandable. He told reporters on a conference call to promote the TPP that lawyers from the U.S. and the 11 other Pacific Rim nations involved have been going over the text with a "fine-tooth comb" and that it also had to be reviewed by the new Labor government in Canada.
We are a marketing, branding & digital agency with an uncommon expertise in agriculture. Once released, Vilsack said Congress will have "plenty of time" to study the agreement before voting. He said he expects TPP to be approved.
"We're very excited about TPP here at USDA," Vilsack said, as he recited a litany of statistics to demonstrate the "extraordinary opportunity" the agreement presents for U.S. farmers and ranchers.
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