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1. Rabies and Vampire Bats
Posted by Gail Keirn, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA, APHIS
USDA Blog
May 4, 2016
All this month we will be taking a look at what a changing climate means to Agriculture. For APHIS, changes in environmental conditions will increase the likelihood of shifts in the distribution and nature of current domestic diseases, invasive species and agricultural pests. These changes will likely influence the dynamics of invasion and establishment of these diseases and pests, and therefore much of APHIS' work. Understanding and adapting to these changes is therefore critical to meeting our mission.
Vampire bats rank high on the list of animals that scare us the most. Spooky Halloween tales of their blood-sucking, nocturnal, and secretive habits have likely led to their bad reputation. The fact that some also carry and spread the deadly rabies virus doesn't help.
The common vampire bat feeds on the blood of Central and South American wildlife and livestock. They also sometimes bite and feed on the blood of people. Recently, vampire bats have been documented within 35 miles of the Texas border. This has caused concern and speculation about the potential movement of vampire bats to areas within the United States as a result of rising global temperatures. To gain a better understanding of the likelihood of such movement, USDA-APHIS geneticist Dr. Toni Piaggio with the Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center partnered with U.S. Geological Survey scientist Dr. Mark Hayes to analyze and map the potential distribution of vampire bats under various climate scenarios.
"Because there are relatively high numbers of cattle and other livestock in northeastern Mexico and southern Texas, wildlife managers and ranchers are concerned that vampire bats could survive in these areas and spread disease," states Piaggio. "This could have serious economic impacts to livestock producers since vampire bat bites are known to weaken cattle, reduce milk production, cause secondary infections and sometimes death, especially if cattle contract rabies."
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2. Salmonella outbreak in Michigan linked to baby poultry
By Steve Carmody
MichiganRadio.org
May 2, 2016
State health officials are warning of a growing outbreak of salmonella in Michigan.
Since the beginning of March, there have been 20 cases of salmonella in Michigan directly tied to people handling baby chicks and ducklings. Six people ended up in the hospital.
According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, symptoms of salmonellosis include diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and abdominal cramps.
"While raising baby chicks and having fresh eggs can be fun and educational, poultry owners should be aware that chickens and other birds can carry germs that can impact human health," said Dr. Eden Wells, MDHHS chief medical executive.
Some of the cases have been linked to feed and farm stores where people purchased baby poultry.
"Live baby poultry can carry Salmonella and still look healthy. Poultry do not get sick like people do from the bacteria," said Dr. James Averill, state veterinarian, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
State officials expect the number of cases will rise.
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3. Nanotechnology may save poultry
By Lynn Grooms
AgriView.com
May 4, 2016
Adel Talaat, professor of microbiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, will lead a team focused on developing a poultry vaccine using nanotechnology. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural and Food Research Initiative recently awarded a total of $5.2 million in funding to this project, as well as nanotechnology projects at 10 other universities around the United States.
The project at UW - "Next Generation Polyanhydride Nanovaccine Platform Technology for Poultry" - has been awarded $476,000 from the USDA. Led by Talaat, the research team also includes Balaji Narasimhan, Iowa State University professor of chemistry and biological engineering; and Mark Cook, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of animal science.
The team will develop nanovaccines as a platform technology for more efficient poultry vaccination. Polyanhydride nanoparticles have been shown to be safe for use in many food animals and humans, and will provide a better immunization strategy than commercial live attenuated vaccines, according to the researchers' grant proposal. The team will initially test the new technology in a model system with infectious bronchitis virus, which causes infectious bronchitis disease.
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4. Lorin Warnick named dean of veterinary college [Cornell - edited]
By Krishna Ramanujan
Cornell Chronicle
May 4, 2016
Dr. Lorin D. Warnick, Ph.D. '94, interim dean of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, has been named the Austin O. Hooey Dean of Veterinary Medicine, effective May 6. His appointment was approved this week by the Executive Committee of the Cornell University Board of Trustees and ratified by the Board of Trustees for the State University of New York.
"Lorin is the ideal choice to lead the College of Veterinary Medicine as dean," said Cornell Provost Michael Kotlikoff, in announcing the appointment. "He is a proven leader who has managed the college effectively and with great thoughtfulness since taking over as interim dean last year, and has a distinguished record of service to the college and university. He will keep the college on the cutting edge of best practices in animal and public health, as well as fundamental research."
In his role as dean, Warnick said his overall vision is "to excel in our core missions of research, veterinary education, graduate education and service to the public."
A professor of ambulatory and production medicine, Warnick's research focuses on enteric bacteria that can cross species and lead to illness in humans. His work emphasizes Salmonella in dairy cattle. "We look at the Salmonella bacteria that are transferred from cattle to people, and try to determine to what extent the pathogens found in people came from livestock sources," he said.
Another of his main research areas includes the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria and how much these microbes are shared between different host populations. Warnick said with the help of his lab team he plans to continue with research while serving as dean.
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5. New Real-time PCR Kit Accurately Detects African Swine Fever
ThePigSite.com
May 3, 2016
GLOBAL - Recent outbreaks of African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) in Eastern Europe have led to the growing need for more accurate diagnostics to help identify and monitor the highly contagious pathogen for which no treatment or vaccine currently exists. Scientists from Thermo Fisher Scientific have presented research data from a new duplex real-time PCR kit that demonstrates the ability to accurately detect the virus with high sensitivity and specificity in animal samples.
Results of the Applied Biosystems LSI VetMAX African Swine Fever Virus Detection Kit showed 100 percent sensitivity in all tested sample materials, including blood, serum and tissues, and 100 percent specificity.
No cross reaction was found with other pathogens, and a serial dilution of the ASFV target sequence led to a limit of detection (LOD) of 16 genome copies per PCR reaction.
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6. Florida Now Ready To Test Mosquitoes For Zika Virus
By The Associated Press
WGCU.org
May 4, 2016
The Florida Department of Agriculture will begin testing mosquitoes for the Zika virus.
Commissioner Adam Putnam announced Tuesday that a department laboratory in Kissimmee is now equipped to test for the virus.
The same laboratory is used to test for animal diseases. The department is working with mosquito control districts to distribute traps and train them on how to submit samples.
Department spokeswoman Jennifer Meale said testing would begin within two weeks.
Florida leads the nation with 102 confirmed cases of the disease.
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7. Symposium to focus on animal welfare [IN]
AgriNews
May 2, 2016
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Animal welfare scientists and other members of the scientific community will have an opportunity to hear from experts and industry professionals during the second annual Center for Animal Welfare Science symposium at Purdue University.
The symposium will be from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 18 in Stewart Center, Room 302, 128 Memorial Mall, West Lafayette.
Speakers are:
* Ed Pajor, professor of animal behavior and welfare at the University of Calgary: "Improving Animal Welfare - Future Drivers."
* Natalie Bratcher, global animal welfare coordinator at AbbVie Research and Development: "Laboratory Animal Welfare - Challenges, Priorities and the Need for More Research."
* Stephanie Cottee, Cargill Animal Welfare team member: "Animal Welfare - Corporate Challenges and Global Perspectives."
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