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1. APHIS Administrator Officially Names Dr. Jack Shere as Chief Veterinary Officer and Veterinary Services Deputy Administrator
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Bulletin
April 4, 2016
Dear Stakeholders:
Almost two month ago, I announced Dr. Jack Shere, as USDA's acting Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) and Deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services (VS). Today, I'm pleased to announce his appointment is permanent. Dr. Shere replaces Dr. John Clifford, who served as Deputy Administrator for 12 years, and is now the Chief Trade Advisor for VS' National Import Export Services. Dr. Shere will lead the program's many employees in protecting and improving the health, quality and marketability of U.S. livestock, animal products and veterinary biologics. He will also oversee VS' national and international reference laboratory network. For more information, I'm including a link to my original announcement.
February 8, 2016 Announcement:
Sincerely,
Kevin Shea
APHIS Administrator
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2. Two Barns at Pennsylvania Track Quarantined for EHV-1
By Erica Larson, News Editor
TheHorse.com
April 4, 2016
The Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) has reported that a horse previously stabled at Parx Racing, in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, tested positive for equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1, also known as equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy or EHM).
The EDCC's April 2 statement said the horse "with clinical signs of EHM" was being treated in isolation at a New Jersey equine veterinary hospital before testing positive for the neuropathogenic strain of EHV-1. The affected horse was subsequently euthanized.
"Two barns at Parx with exposed horses are currently under quarantine," the EDCC statement said. "Updates will be posted as they become available."
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3. Forty Four horses released from quarantine at Pa. stable
By Lillian Shupe
NJ.com
April 3, 2016
Doylestown, Pa. -A quarantine of 44 horses at a Bucks County boarding facility has been lifted.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) placed the stable under quarantine after four horses that tested positive for equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) were euthanized in December, according to a Jan. 8 press release.
Quarantines for EHV-1 remain in effect for at least three weeks after the last clinical signs are noted.
According to an April 2 post by the Equine Disease Communications Center: no new clinical signs of EHV-1 have been seen in any horse at the stable since Feb. 10 with negative RRT-PCR tests on whole blood and nasal swab samples for all 44 horses. Previously positive horses tested negative twice at least a week apart. Three clinically recovered horses remain in quarantine in an isolated area of the property.
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4. Vets: Need for New AHS Vaccines 'Urgent'
By Christa Lest�-Lasserre, MA
TheHorse.com
April 3, 2016
As African horse sickness (AHS) threatens to spread outside Africa due to global warming and increased international horse movement, the need for an effective vaccine is becoming urgent, experts from around the world agree.
The disease has up to a 90% mortality rate in unvaccinated horses, which often die within days of exposure. Currently the only vaccines licensed for AHS control are attenuated live virus vaccines, which can "revert to virulence" (meaning they can cause active viruses in the horse), said Jos�-Manuel Sanchez-Vizcaino, DVM, PhD, professor at Complutense University, in Madrid, Spain.
The virus exists in nine serotypes (distinguishable strains), and current vaccines are "polyvalent," meaning they result in antibodies against most or all the serotypes, he said. However, vaccination with an attenuated live virus can cause just enough viremia (activation of the virus in the horse) to become infectious. For instance, if a midge-the natural vector of transmission of AHS-bites a recently vaccinated horse, it can transport that vaccine-introduced virus to other unvaccinated horses. Those horses will then become subclinically (not showing signs) infected, and midges can spread their disease to more horses, maintaining the virus circulation rather than eliminating it.
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5. The Little-Known Threat to Wild Turkeys
Posted by Mike Bodenchuk, Texas State Director, APHIS Wildlife Services
USDA Blog post
April 4, 2016
Spring brings new life to the fields and forests and wild turkeys are one of the most interesting spectacles this time of year. Male turkeys gobble and strut to attract the attention of hen turkeys. Hens, in turn, go off and lay their eggs- one egg each day until the clutch is complete and the hens then begin incubation.
Unfortunately, this spring more than ever, wild turkeys across the U.S. are facing an increasing threat from a new and rapidly expanding population of nest predators...feral swine. Feral swine, also known as wild pigs, feral hogs, and wild boars, are not native to North America and are the descendants of domestic swine which either escaped or were liberated. In some cases, feral swine are intentionally released to create new hunting opportunities. But these opportunities come at the expense of other wildlife, including ground nesting birds such as the wild turkey. Feral swine are highly adaptable and can learn to seek out turkey nests even before the hen starts incubation, consuming the eggs when left unprotected. When a partially completed clutch is depredated, the hen is forced to start over, depleting vital reserves within herself as well as risking lower nest success and chick survival.
The USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services' program in Texas recently completed a project to estimate the extent of feral swine depredation on turkey nests. Researchers established artificial nests the way a turkey would- one egg per day at each nest site for 12 days. Twenty-two nests were monitored for the 12 days it took to establish a full clutch and for three days following the placement of the last egg. Trail cameras were used to determine the fate of the eggs as well as which predators visited the site.
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6. FDA Approves Treatment for Inhalation Anthrax
By IDSE News Staff
Infectious Disease Special Edition
April 4, 2016
The FDA approved obiltoxaximab (Anthim, Elusys Therapeutics) injection to treat inhalation anthrax in combination with appropriate antibacterial drugs. Obiltoxaximab also is approved to prevent inhalation anthrax when alternative therapies are not available or not appropriate.
Inhalation anthrax is a rare disease that can occur after exposure to infected animals or contaminated animal products, or as a result of an intentional release of anthrax spores. It is caused by breathing in the spores of the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. When inhaled, B. anthracis replicates in the body, producing toxins that can cause massive and irreversible tissue injury and death. Anthrax is a potential bioterrorism threat because the spores are resistant to destruction and can be spread by release in the air.
"As preparedness is a cornerstone of any bioterrorism response, we are pleased to see continued efforts to develop treatments for anthrax," said Edward Cox, MD, MPH, the director of the Office of Antimicrobial Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Obiltoxaximab is a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes toxins produced by B. anthracis, which was approved under the FDA's Animal Rule that allows efficacy findings from adequate and well-controlled animal studies to support its approval when it is not feasible or ethical to conduct efficacy trials in humans.
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