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1. New Recordkeeping Requirements for Indiana Poultry Purchases, Sales
Indiana State Board of Animal Health News Release
January 27, 2016
INDIANAPOLIS - Last October, in response to the highly pathogenic avian influenza findings throughout the Upper Midwest, Indiana adopted new recordkeeping requirements for Hoosier poultry owners buying and selling birds. At the time, members of the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) did not foresee the discovery of the avian influenza H7N8 virus in Dubois County in January-which reinforces the need for good recordkeeping.
Recordkeeping Requirements
Under the new law, all sellers and buyers of poultry in Indiana must maintain records of flock additions and removals for 3 years. Records must include: names and addresses of buyer and seller, sale date, breed, sex, number of animals and reason for movement. This state requirement applies to all retail, swap meet, flea market, auction and private sales, including barters or trades.
"The finding of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Southern Indiana reinforces the need for the new recordkeeping rule," said Indiana State Veterinarian Bret D. Marsh, DVM. "In a disease event of this magnitude, the Board of Animal Health needs the ability to trace bird movements to ensure the disease has not spread. That is why we added poultry to Indiana's Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) rule."
Poultry Entering Indiana
For those who purchase birds from out-of-state sources, BOAH reminds buyers that all poultry entering Indiana must have either a certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI) or a National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) form VS 9-3. If chicks are purchased from an NPIP-certified hatchery, then the chicks can enter Indiana with a copy of the NPIP form VS 9-3.
Information about Indiana's poultry entry and recordkeeping requirements is available on BOAH's website at: www.in.gov/boah/2721.htm.
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2. Accreditation marks milestone as lab prepares for avian disease outbreaks [SC]
By Tom Hallman, Media Relations
The Newsstand
January 27, 2016
COLUMBIA - A new accreditation for the Clemson University Veterinary Diagnostic Center is another step in preparation for the possibility of an outbreak of avian influenza or other animal diseases.
The laboratory, which is charged with identifying strains of animal disease, has earned ISO 17025:2005 accreditation from the International Organization for Standardization, a level which certifies that the lab meets all international standards for testing, sampling and calibration.
"This is the first time the diagnostic center has achieved this accreditation and it speaks to the level of preparedness we have to address health emergencies," said Boyd Parr, state veterinarian and director of Clemson Livestock Poultry Health, the state regulatory agency of which the diagnostic center is a part. "ISO 17025 accreditation is internationally recognized and is held in very high regard. Director Joe Hill and his staff worked very hard to achieve this milestone."
The distinction comes as the agency is monitoring the state for HPAI, or highly pathogenic avian influenza. The disease is not currently a threat to people, but it can be lethal to poultry, having caused an estimated $1.2 billion in damage in 2015 just in Iowa alone. The U.S. Department of Agriculture spent $1 billion combatting the virus so far last year in states as far-flung as Arkansas and Oregon.
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3. PRRS, PEDV control proposal carries weight
By Kevin Schulz
National Hog Farmer Blog
January 25, 2016
Hog farmers are continually striving to keep disease from entering their farms. Knowing what diseases are out there is part of the problem, and Minnesota pork producers are trying to get a better handle on that. They are particularly interested in the movement of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.
Minnesota producers finish 15 million hogs a year. According to the state Board of Animal Health, 5.9 million pigs come into Minnesota from other states and another million come in from Canada.
Certificates of Veterinary Inspection are required for hogs coming into Minnesota, and the state's Pork Producers Association is proposing to partner with the state BAH to start gathering information on the origin herd status relative to PRRS and PEDV for pigs entering the state. If this proposal is adopted by the MPPA board, the BAH would be asked to request that CVIs include a statement disclosing the PRRS and PEDV status of the original herd of pigs coming into the state.
The key word there is request. Wisconsin, Minnesota's neighbor to the east, requires that PRRS and PEDV status be included on CVIs. Hogs coming into Wisconsin that are PEDV-positive will not be allowed to enter the state. Hogs coming into Wisconsin from PRRS- or PEDV-positive herds will not be restricted in movement.
Conversely, the Minnesota proposal, if adopted, would not restrict movement of any hogs, regardless if they come in with a PRRS- or PEDV-positive declaration on the CVI.
David Wright, a veterinarian with Wright Veterinary Services at Buffalo, Minn., presented the proposal during an open forum at the recent Minnesota Pork Congress. Bill Hartmann, state veterinarian with the Minnesota BAH, helped with the presentation.
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4. Dangerous pneumonia strain infects Arizona desert bighorn sheep population
By Ben Margiott
Cronkite News
January 27, 2016
KINGMAN - A dangerous strain of pneumonia that recently killed off significant portions of the bighorn sheep population in California and Nevada has made its way to Arizona, according to Arizona Game and Fish Department officials.
Area hunters first alerted officials to the disease when they witnessed sheep coughing in the first week of bighorn sheep hunting season, in early December.
"Most likely (the pneumonia) had to cross the Colorado River at some point and then the disease spread from that north side of Nevada down through Arizona and the Black Mountains," said AZGFD wildlife manager Justin Winter.
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5. What's killing Minnesota moose?
By Sam Cook
Grand Forks Herald
January 27, 2016
Minnesota wildlife researchers say they are getting a better understanding of what's killing the state's moose and causing a major population decline.
After three years of monitoring live adult moose via satellite, retrieving them as soon after death as possible and carefully examining their remains, wildlife biologists can identify specific causes of death, reported Glenn DelGiudice, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources moose project leader.
Preliminary results from 47 of the adult moose captured and collared during the past three years show that two-thirds died from health-related causes including brainworm, winter ticks, bacterial infections, liver flukes and severe undernutrition, DelGiudice reported. Wolves killed one-third of those moose but sickness in 25 percent of those animals made them easy prey, he said.
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6. Thirteen Land-Grant Institutions Advance Fight Against Mycobacterial Diseases
Mycobacterial diseases cost livestock producers millions of dollars each year
AgIsAmerica.org
January 27, 2016
WASHINGTON, DC- Thirteen land-grant institutions and partner organizations are working across state lines to develop and enhance tools needed to limit the spread of Johne's disease (JD) and bovine tuberculosis complex (TB) in livestock. JD and TB are two of the most widespread mycobacterial diseases in the US. JD alone costs the dairy industry in excess of $200 million per year. In 2012, researchers formed the Multistate Research Project NE-1201to fill knowledge gaps, improve diagnostics and vaccines, and strengthen outreach programs for both diseases.
"Collaboration among our diverse team of researchers and partners helps ensure that livestock producers and veterinarians have access to accurate, up-to date information and research about JD and TB," said Gary A. Thompson, administrative advisor of NE-1201 and director of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station.
JD and TB cause significant harm to the livestock industry through production losses and trade restrictions. Both infections are chronic, and symptoms occur only in advanced stages of disease, making it difficult to detect early. JD-infected cattle suffer from diarrhea, rapid weight loss, and decreased milk production while the symptoms of TB include lethargy, weakness and chronic respiratory issues. Before the development of pasteurization, TB could contaminate an animal's milk and pose a serious risk to human health.
NE-1201 is conducting critical research to help producers prevent future disease outbreaks and reduce economic losses. With a repository of over 10,000 bovine blood, milk and fecal samples, NE-1201 researchers contribute to the development of new tests and vaccines that will lessen the incidence and impact of TB and JD. NE-1201 has also established educational programs to help livestock veterinarians and producers take advantage of the latest advances.
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7. New way to detect human-animal diseases tested in lemurs
Source: Duke University
(e) ScienceNews.com
January 27, 2016
Advances in genetic sequencing are uncovering emerging diseases in wildlife that other diagnostic tests can't detect. In a study led by Duke University, researchers used a technique called whole-transcriptome sequencing to screen for blood-borne diseases in wild lemurs, distant primate cousins to humans.
The animals were found to carry several strains or species of parasites similar to those that cause Lyme disease and other infections in humans.
This is the first time these parasites have been reported in lemurs or in Madagascar, the only place on Earth where lemurs live in the wild outside of zoos and sanctuaries, the researchers report in the Jan. 27, 2016 issue of Biology Letters.
The approach could pave the way for earlier, more accurate detection of future outbreaks of zoonotic diseases that move between animals and people.
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