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1. U study: Farming may have aided Minnesota bird flu outbreak
MPR News Staff
January 28, 2016
Farmers who actively tilled fields near turkey barns in the early days of Minnesota's avian influenza outbreak last year may have unwittingly helped spread the virus, a new University of Minnesota study says.
Soil in those fields may have been contaminated with droppings from migrating birds believed to be a source of the highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza. The virus can survive cold temperatures in soil and the tilling may have created "airborne particles that could carry the virus," the university's Center for Animal Health and Food Safety said in the report posted Thursday.
The outbreak devastated more than 100 Minnesota turkey farms in 15 counties last spring, creating economic damage estimated at more than $647 million, including $172 million in lost wages, salaries, and benefits, according to a University of Minnesota Extension study.
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2. Penn Vet monitoring program reduces illnesses on Pa. pig farms
By Katherine Unger Baillie
Penn Current
January 27, 2016
Infectious disease can take a major toll on swine farms. Two diseases in particular have hit Pennsylvania hard over the last decade: porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome (PRRS) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PED). But thanks to a monitoring effort headquartered at Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine, the impact of these illnesses has been significantly reduced.
swine disease control
With funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Penn Vet's New Bolton Center created a regional control program for swine disease in 2007. The effort is currently funded by the Pennsylvania Pork Producers Council. Though entirely voluntary, the program's database now includes about 90 percent of the pigs in the state-1.3 million animals.
The program relies on transparency by its participants to avoid the spread of disease. To be included, swine producers share the addresses of each of their barns and allow their veterinarians to submit a report to the program if PRRS or PED is diagnosed in one of their animals. That report is then shared with every producer in the state by email or, in the case of some Mennonite swine farmers, by fax, and Amish swine farmers by quarterly mailings.
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3. Cattle producers under the microscope; good antibiotic stewardship is a must
By Larry Stalcup
Beef Magazine
January 28, 2016
A good quality control program should include proper animal ID, good treatment records, established written protocols, trained employees, the following of label instructions and avoiding extra-label drug use.
A cattle operation's goal of good antibiotic stewardship is to minimize negative consequences of their usage, but there's no cookie cutter model to fit every cow-calf, stocker or feeding operation, said Brian Lubbers, Kansas State University microbiologist.
Lubbers was one of many instructors at the annual Cattlemen's College presented Wednesday, Jan. 27, during the Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in San Diego, Calif. Animal health was a key part of the learning sessions and pressure against some of the beef industry's usage of antibiotics brought the subject to the forefront.
The use of antibiotics in cattle involves pre-treatment to keep animals from getting sick, Lubbers said, and continues with identifying the root cause of antibiotic need for treatment and post-treatment.
"Use antibiotics that are proven for treating and controlling the disease in the manner for which they are approved," he added. "Then, evaluate the effectiveness of the antibiotics used."
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4. Utah horse owners advised about Equine Herpes virus case
Daily Herald
January 28, 2016
SALT LAKE CITY-- Utah horse owners are advised to not accept shipments of equine, nor send their equine, to Dona Ana County, NM, according to a Utah Department of Agriculture press release.
A race track near Las Cruces, NM has three barns quarantined following the finding of one horse with a clinical neurologic disease. Sampling to confirm Equine Herpes Virus is underway on the deceased horse. There are two more horses that are showing mild clinical signs of EHV at the quarantine facility. The facilities and animals on premise have all been quarantined and careful monitoring of all other animals is currently underway. New Mexico state authorities are in route to assess the facility biosecurity/quarantine, animal welfare, diagnostic procedures, and animal monitor.
All equine owners and veterinarians in Utah should be aware of the current situation and maintain close contact with current findings before moving horses into or out of Dona Ana County, New Mexico, that is currently experiencing a potential Equine Herpes Virus outbreak.
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5. Local stable works to protect horses from equine herpesvirus found in Sunland
By Courtney Schoenemann
KFOXtv.com
January 27, 2016
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. - Another day marks yet another new total in the number of horses at the Sunland Park racetrack which are infected with the equine herpesvirus.
KFOX14 has learned 23 horses which are either currently quarantined at the Sunland Park Racetrack or have recently raced there have contracted the equine herpesvirus.
The Sunland Park Breeding and training center is right across the street from the racetrack. Assistant trainer Rogelio Rodriguez told KFOX14 as soon as the virus was detected, animal control said they were not allowed to move horses to the racetrack and vice versa.
"A sanitary barrier was formed to prevent more horses from being contaminated. It was prohibited for horses to be coming in or out from where the problem was detected," Said Rodriguez.
He doesn't work for the racetrack, but said horses from their center frequently go over there to train.
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6. USPOULTRY Pushes Avian Flu Research
By Lizzy Schultz
Animal.AgWired.com
January 28, 2016
Last year, the poultry industry saw the largest outbreak of avian influenza in history, with the disease eliciting nationwide concern from producers, consumers, and government officials alike. Dr. John Glisson, of the US Poultry and Egg Association (USPOULTRY), was on hand during the 2016 International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE) to discuss the current state of the outbreak, and how the industry is moving forward.
While all traces of last year's initial outbreak were gone by June, concerns have already been raised in 2016 as a second outbreak swept through ten farms in southern Indiana earlier this month. The impact of the second influenza outbreak, however, didn't hold nearly the impact of the first.
"All of the affected farms were found very quickly, the birds were euthanized quickly and the farms cleaned up very quickly, so as we speak today, we have no influenza in the country," said Glisson. "We learned a lot from the big outbreak last year: how to respond faster, more efficiently, more thoroughly, and all of those lessons were applied in southern Indiana, and i'm happy to report that it worked like a charm. So yeah, we took it on the chin last year, but we learned a lot of lessons from it, and those lessons are really helping us and our response."
The industry has made significant investments into researching the disease, as well as management practices to avoid, recognize, and respond to any future outbreaks that may occur. The biosecurity advancements made by the poultry industry throughout the year are undoubtedly some of the most advanced and efficient in history.
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7. Veterinary Biologics Training Program, May 16-20, 2016
Center for Food Security and Public Health News Release
January 28, 2016
The 21st Veterinary Biologics Training Program will be held May 16-20, 2016 in Ames, Iowa. The Program provides an overview of the USDA regulatory process for assuring the purity, safety, potency and efficacy of veterinary biologics. It is designed for professionals working in the veterinary vaccine and diagnostic industries and for regulatory personnel from the U.S. and abroad.
Course instructors from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS) Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) will review the requirements and processes for licensing/registration and testing of veterinary biological products. The inspection and compliance process for production, release and post-marketing surveillance of veterinary biological products covered under the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act is also included.
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