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1. Cattle Blood Holds Clues to Prion Infection, Study Suggests
Genome Web staff reporter
GenomeWeb.com
April 15, 2016
NEW YORK - Gene expression patterns in cattle blood samples may help in identifying atypical forms of bovine spongiform encephalopathy before physical symptoms appear, according to a study published online this week in PLOS One.
Researchers from Italy and the US performed array-based transcriptomic profiling on whole blood samples from 10 cattle with or without atypical BSE - forms of the disease that are suspected of occurring spontaneously in some older cattle rather than through exposure to prion-infected feed.
The team uncovered nearly three-dozen genes that were differentially expressed in the BSE-infected cattle, both before and after the infection became obvious. Another 22-gene expression signature appeared to be specific to the pre-clinical stage, hinting that it may be possible to develop blood-based methods to detect the neurodegenerative disease and isolate affected animals before symptoms appear.
"Our findings suggest the intriguing possibility to take advantage of whole blood RNA transcriptional profiling for the pre-clinical identification of prion infection," senior author Giuseppe Legname, a functional and structural genomics researcher at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, and his co-authors wrote.
(registration required)
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2. Senate Homeland Security Committee hears testimony on biodefense preparedness
By HPN News Desk
Homeland Preparedness News
April 14, 2016
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) chaired a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday to address the federal perspective on the state of U.S. biodefense preparedness.
"Today, we look forward to learning the perspective of federal agencies on the state of our nation's biodefenses," Johnson said in his opening statement at the hearing. "We hope to learn how key federal agencies are fulfilling their responsibilities in this area, and what steps they are taking to improve preparedness and response."
Johnson said that because biodefense encompasses numerous threats, including natural outbreaks of infectious diseases, accidental releases of high-risk pathogens, and purposeful attacks, the U.S. must identify and close gaps in its preparedness and response.
"Ebola certainly caught the nation off-guard," Johnson said. "In terms of animal health, last spring's spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza through the Midwest, including Wisconsin, revealed significant gaps in preparedness."
Kevin Shea, administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), told the hearing that safeguards against significant plant and animal pests and diseases are vital to the protection of industry, producers, export markets and consumers, as well as for ensuring that the U.S. has a safe and secure food supply.
"The impact of pests and diseases on the U.S. economy can be staggering," Shea said. "The outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza last year - which was the largest animal disease outbreak in U.S. history - cost U.S. taxpayers nearly $1 billion just in response, clean up and indemnity costs. That didn't include lost export markets, temporary shortages or price increases for certain poultry and their products."
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3. Improving U.S. dairy cattle welfare
By American Dairy Science Association
DairyHerd.com
April 14, 2016
As we move further into spring season in May 2016, it's good to reflect on where we were in year's past. "Strategies for Improving U.S. Dairy Cattle Welfare" was the theme of the 27th annual American Dairy Science Association's Discover Conference. The purpose of this gathering was to engage the U.S. dairy industry in a conversation about the growing importance of key welfare concerns.
The conference (held May 27-30 in Itasca, Ill.) had the following goals:
Define animal welfare for dairy cattle within the context of the impact of other issues on other industries and of welfare issues in other food animal industries.
Describe key findings from a number of successful lines of research defining animal welfare and addressing practical problems in the care and housing of dairy cattle.
Create opportunities for open discussion of contentious animal welfare issues among industry professionals and scientists working in the dairy industry.
Encourage conference participants to act as information multipliers, thus facilitating proactive adoption of science-based practices that result in improved dairy cattle welfare.
The conference was organized to appeal to academic and industry representatives of many aspects of dairy husbandry including facility, equipment and technology design; animal ethology; veterinary health, immunology and pharmaceutical business; nutrition; and genetics, among other topics.
Now, looking forward to future conferences, we encourage you to visit their site to learn about their next upcoming meeting in November 2016. This conference will cover dairy data management.
For more information visit http://www.adsa.org/Meetings/DiscoverConferences/31stDiscoverConference.aspx
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4. Monmouth Park announces equine vaccination requirements [NJ]
By Staff - NJ Advance Media
NJ.com
April 15, 2016
Oceanport, N.J. - Monmouth Park sent the following notice to horsemen and the racing public on April 14.
"In the wake of a number of cases of equine herpes at nearby Parx, Monmouth Park Racetrack has announced a new protocol for all horses shipping to the Jersey Shore track for its 2016 season.
On April 14 another horse tested positive for the virus at Parx. Four horses in a different barn have died at the Bensalem, Pa. track, according to the Equine Disease Communication Center.
All horsemen with horses shipping to the Monmouth Park stable area must meet the following requirements:
All horses, including ponies, must be vaccinated for the EHV-1 herpes virus no less than seven days and no more than 90 days before arriving. Documentation must accompany the horse upon arrival.
A 72-hour health certificate must accompany the horse upon arrival.
Temperatures must be taken on all horses prior to loading on vans and must be documented.
All horse vans should be properly disinfected prior to loading horses.
All horsemen should follow proper bio-security procedures."
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5. Distiller's Grains May Expose Pigs & Poultry to Mycotoxins
Lancaster Farming
April 16, 2016
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Since the release of Alltech's 2015 North America Harvest Analysis, some pork and poultry producers have found a new source for mycotoxin contamination, this time during the process of renewable fuel production.
A byproduct of ethanol production, distiller's dried grains have become increasingly popular with livestock and poultry producers.
During ethanol production, yeast turns the highly digestible starch materials into ethanol. Afterward, the remaining protein and fiber provide an excellent feedstuff for animals.
"The problem with DDGs is that any component that is not used for ethanol will be concentrated just like the fiber and the protein, and this includes mycotoxins," said Max Hawkins, Alltech's mycotoxin management team nutritionist. "In fact, mycotoxins concentrate up to three times more in DDGs than in grains."
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6. Increased Use of Type of Diagnostic Test Poses Challenge to Tracking of Foodborne Illness
Infection Control Today
April 15, 2016
Changes in the tests that diagnose foodborne illness are helping identify infections faster but could soon pose challenges to finding outbreaks and monitoring progress toward preventing foodborne disease, according to a report published yesterday in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Week Report.
Culture-independent diagnostic tests (CIDTs) help doctors diagnose infections quickly because they provide results in hours instead of the days needed for traditional culture methods, which require growing bacteria to determine the cause of illness. But without a bacterial culture, public health officials cannot get the detailed information about the bacteria needed to help find outbreaks, check for antibiotic resistance, and track foodborne disease trends.
In 2015, the percentage of foodborne infections diagnosed only by CIDT was about double compared with the percentage in 2012-2014.
"Foodborne infections continue to be an important public health problem in the United States," said Robert Tauxe, MD, MPH, director of CDC's Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases. "We are working with partners to make sure we still get important information about harmful bacteria despite the increasing use of diagnostic tests that don't require a culture."
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7. Secretary's Advisory Committee on Animal Health; Meeting
Federal Register Volume 81, Number 73 (Friday, April 15, 2016)
Notices
Page 22208
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08651]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Docket No. APHIS-2016-0029
Secretary's Advisory Committee on Animal Health; Meeting
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
SUMMARY: This is a notice to inform the public of the next meetings of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Animal Health. The meetings are being organized by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to
discuss matters of animal health.
DATES: The meetings will be held May 2, 2016, and June 16, 2016, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. eastern standard time.
ADDRESSES: The meetings will be conducted as multisite teleconferences. Opportunities for public attendance are described in the Supplementary Information section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. R.J. Cabrera, Designated Federal Officer, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 34, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-3478; email: SACAH.Management@aphis.usda.gov.
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