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1. Parx EHV-1: Sixth Horse Tests Positive
By Erica Larson, News Editor
TheHorse.com
April 22, 2016
The Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) reported April 22 that a sixth horse residing at Parx Casino and Racing, in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, has tested positive for neurologic equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1).
The EDCC reported that the horse, which was located in a quarantined barn, presented with a fever. Horses residing in quarantined barns continued to be monitored closely, the EDCC said.
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2. Fonner Park horse tested negative for EHM [2nd horse - NE]
By Robert Pore
The Grand Island Independent
April 23, 2016
The horse that was suspected to have had EHM on Friday has tested negative for the disease, according to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture Saturday morning after receiving test results back from the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.
"The Nebraska Department of Agriculture has lifted the racing restriction put in place on the second barn at Fonner Park which will enable those horses to be raced," said said Christin Kamm, the department's public information officer.
She said the horses in the first barn (the Red Barn) continue to remain under race restrictions at this time.
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3. MDC finds new CWD cases during past-season testing [MO]
Missouri Department of Conservation News Release
April 22, 2016
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) received final results from its 2015-2016 fall and winter testing of nearly 7,700 free-ranging deer for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Seven were confirmed to be positive for the fatal deer-disease. Three were from Adair County, two from Macon County, one from Linn County, and one from Franklin County (reported earlier in the year).
The new cases bring the total number of Missouri free-ranging deer that have tested positive for CWD to 33 since the disease was first discovered in the state in 2010. Of the 33 cases, 21 have been found in Macon County, 9 in Adair, one in Cole, one in Franklin, and one in Linn.
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4. Once-exotic antelope blamed for spread of cattle fever tick [TX]
By Lynn Brezosky, San Antonio Express-News
Houston Chronicle
April 22, 2016
SAN ANTONIO - The nilgai, a once-exotic antelope imported from Asia for zoos and let loose for trophy hunts on Texas ranches, are now being blamed for spreading the potentially devastating cattle fever tick the farthest into the U.S. interior in decades, possibly since it was declared eradicated in 1943.
The Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in lower Cameron County, about 2 miles north of the Mexican border at the southernmost tip of Texas, is being called ground zero for infested nilgai and white-tailed deer, which also are hosts. The park came under quarantine after the tick was found on the carcasses of hunted game in 2014.
While the U.S. has strict rules requiring infected animals to be quarantined and treated to keep the ticks from spreading, Mexico does not. And the nilgai, cattle and other hosts for the nefarious fever tick roam unchecked across the border. The situation is especially grave because the animals are free-ranging and compromise ongoing eradication efforts such as systematic treatment or moving cattle out of infested pastures. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an extended tick outbreak could cost U.S. ranchers and the broader economy more than $1.2 billion in extermination expenses and lost revenue from diseased animals.
It's estimated that 70 percent of white-tailed deer and nearly 70 percent of nilgai on the refuge are infested, prompting officials to require that animals killed by hunters be tested and skinned on site, freezing the heads that are kept for mounting for 24 hours to kill the ticks. In the last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has contracted with helicopters and sharp shooters for aerial attacks that have so far killed about 200 of the nilgai.
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5. Bacterial disease threatens fish throughout the Great Lakes
By Eric Freedman
Great Lakes Echo
April 21, 2016
A bacterial disease in both captively raised and wild fish is imperiling popular salmon species in the Great Lakes Basin, a new study shows.
The findings are based on testing lake, brook, brown and rainbow trout and Coho, Atlantic, chinook and steelhead salmon from the Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior watersheds, as well as fish used for breeding at state hatcheries in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula.
Bacterial coldwater disease "threatens wild and propagated members of the salmon family worldwide" and can cause substantial economic damage, according to the study by scientists at Michigan State University.
It's the first comprehensive examination of the prevalence of the bacterium in the Great Lakes Basin.
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6. When it comes to health, we must look at the bigger picture
By Brooks Jackson
MinnPost.com
April 22, 2016
Avian influenza specialists are examining how the pathogen is transmitted and assisting poultry farmers with ways to enhance biosecurity measures and lower their risk.
The one constant when it comes to health care today is change. Whether it's scientific discoveries that promise new treatments and cures for disease, or team approaches that provide better, more personalized care to patients, we know innovation is the key to the future.
At the University of Minnesota, we are uniquely equipped to lead these efforts through our collaborative approach across all health sciences units. In our world, we're focused on One Health: examining health at the intersection of humans, animals and the environment. This approach is vital not only for research efforts, but also for keeping people healthy. When we study how diseases spread, we do so with a multidisciplinary approach and a "One Health" lens.
Recently, Sen. Al Franken introduced legislation that would establish a coordinated national plan to fight diseases that come from animals. The landmark One Health Act of 2016* calls for a coordinated worldwide effort among animal health and human health officials to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the threat of viruses and to prevent their spread. When the Ebola virus threatened the U.S. in 2014, Franken immediately began working with Minnesota health agencies and national groups to coordinate a statewide response to the disease.
[* See: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/s2634 ]
Emerging diseases such as Zika and Ebola require a One Health approach. In fact, it's estimated that 75 percent of infectious diseases originate with animals.
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7. Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
Federal Register Volume 81, Number 79 (Monday, April 25, 2016)
Notices
Pages 24053-24054
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-09516]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Docket No. FSIS-2016-0013
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
AGENCY: Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.
SUMMARY: The Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is sponsoring a public meeting on June 10, 2016. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) positions to be discussed at the 39th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) taking place in Rome, Italy, June 27-July 1, 2016. The Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety recognizes the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 39th Session of the CAC and to address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Friday, June 10, 2016, from 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
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