YOUR MONTHLY NEWS & UPDATES
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Laboratory Diagnosticians' News Matters
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ANNOUNCEMENT FROM USAHA AND AAVLD
REGARDING THE 2020 ANNUAL MEETING IN NASHVILLE
JUNE 16, 2020
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USAHA and AAVLD Executive Leadership wish to affirm that we are moving forward with planning for the 2020 annual meeting in Nashville as scheduled
.
The joint boards have been following closely the evolution of the COVID19 pandemic in America and to the best of their abilities have analyzed its impact on our planned annual meeting October 15 – 21 in Nashville. We certainly recognize that the pandemic continues to create some uncertainty since most states are only about 6 weeks into their reopening plans. Conversations with our conference hotel (The Gaylord Opryland Hotel) have been positive and the hotel has implemented a comprehensive plan to make conference events safe and successful – the hotel is hosting numerous conferences in August and September, and is booked full in October.
We realize that there are also significant institutional budget issues that must be managed, including travel budgets. In addition, each of our individual members have varying degrees of personal risk tolerance and health considerations. We are making this announcement now so that our members will have time to plan and advocate for their travel budgets. We hope that most of you will be able to attend and we encourage your timely registration per normal beginning July 1
st
.
Undoubtedly, the practicality of the meeting may look different than what everyone is accustomed to, however we are committed to making it a success. We are in the process of determining meeting modifications, including limiting contact, distancing, and feasibility of remote/recording of sessions. In light of the changing times and to help us plan for these
we request that you complete a short survey
regarding the upcoming meeting.
We appreciate your continued commitment to the work of USAHA and AAVLD. The irony of the situation is that there has rarely been a time when the need to meet has been so high - to collaborate and discuss issues, in spite of the barriers. We hope to see you in Nashville and thank you for providing input to us via the survey.
Sincerely,
U. S. Animal Health Association Executive Committee
American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians Executive Board
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Dear AAVLD members:
Looking back at the past few months, everyone’s life has changed with the pandemic. Although, all AAVLD laboratories have remained open throughout this pandemic, getting back to full normalcy is going to take some time, effort and a lot of planning. I am however encouraged to see we all are moving in the right direction.
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Challenges brought by COVID with impact on morbidity and mortality are quantifiable, but the scars left on the economy and our general wellbeing are not easily quantified. The current events have stalled normal life and made us all adjust while moving forward albeit slowly. Many of our agricultural stakeholders have been heavily impacted, as they were unable to find markets to sell their animals or products. Given all this, it has been rather surprising that testing volumes in most laboratories remained stable. Many agricultural fairs and shows are also cancelled for now, which usually brings a spurt in testing around this time and generates excitement among young 4H members and the farming community and we hope those activities will start in late fall. Let’s also hope that the demand for animal health monitoring continues to grow. Surely, one thing we all learned from this pandemic is how important surveillance systems are for recognizing new disease introductions and their spread. Therefore, I firmly believe now and, in the future the veterinary diagnostic labs will continue to play a critical role in such efforts.
During these difficult times I appreciate that our compass within this tightly knit lab community has been pointing in the right direction. For its success, AAVLD relies and thrives on quality, diversity, inclusion and equality among all its members. No doubt these are challenging times, but by working together we can try and change the world for the betterment of animals, humans and our environment while also embodying the AAVLD mission of One Health!
Stay healthy and safe,
Deepanker Tewari BVSC, PhD, DACVM
President 2020
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Veterinary Diagnostic Labs Continue to Play
Role in COVID Testing
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Editor’s Note: In our April and May AAVLD Newsletters, we shared several stories on this topic. Here are more stories kindly shared from various sources. DHZ
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COVID-19
Here's some of the information you'll find to help the veterinary community and animal owners meet the challenges posed by COVID-19. View the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on veterinary professionals. Move the slider across the map to see the...
Read more
www.avma.org
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UNH Veterinary Diagnostic Lab Safeguarding Animal and Public Health in State, Region
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May 12, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. EDT The Washington Post
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The lab provides timely diagnosis of animal diseases and remains on constant lookout for emerging and foreign animal diseases that could further threaten agriculture or public health.
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As the world continues to focus on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, New Hampshire should not let its guard down about additional diseases of potential importance to the state and nation. Pathologists and personnel at the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire continue to safeguard animal and public health by delivering essential services to the state and region. The lab provides timely diagnosis of animal diseases and remains on constant lookout for emerging and foreign animal diseases that could further threaten agriculture or public health.
As part of the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station in the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory serves the state of New Hampshire as a key partner with the New Hampshire Commissioner of Agriculture and State Veterinarian in their efforts to monitor and respond to outbreaks of existing and emerging infectious diseases in animals.
The lab also provides critical diagnostic services to hundreds of veterinarians from New Hampshire and New England who use the lab’s histopathology, microbiology, serology, and necropsy services for the diagnosis of animal diseases in pets, farm animals, wildlife, zoo, and marine animals.
“Accurately and rapidly identifying infectious agents is critical in safeguarding public health. Most infectious diseases in people are zoonotic, which means they can be transferred from animals to humans. Our ability to diagnose contagious and reportable diseases has a significant impact on treatment and outbreak response,” said Robert Gibson, managing director of the lab.
Despite the lack of 16 UNH student technicians who usually work at the lab, it is operating and offering all testing services at full capacity. To ensure staff safety, the lab is following physical distancing recommendations by rotating staff and schedules, creating new shifts on weekends and evenings, wearing face masks, increasing disinfection protocols, and implementing more stringent biosecurity. The building remains locked so that clients and package delivery services must leave samples in a foyer without entering the main building.
“The COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t lessen the threat from other animal diseases,” Gibson said. “Helping to ensure healthy animals, public health and a secure food supply requires continuous testing.” Those wanting to utilize the lab’s services should visit
https://nhvdl.unh.edu/
.
In recent years, the lab has diagnosed numerous new and emerging diseases detected for the first time in the state and region, some of which are zoonotic. This past November the lab diagnosed a New Delhi Carbapenem Resistant (CRE) E. coli in a dog. This antibiotic resistant ‘superbug’ is relatively new to the United States, and this was the first animal case reported in New England.
“Whether it be a new adenovirus in Chimney Swifts, respiratory diphtheria in a horse, a new strain of distemper virus in wildlife, or Valley Fever in a rescue dog from Arizona, there are numerous examples of bacterial, viral and fungal diseases diagnosed at the lab. These infectious agents may be novel discoveries, new for an animal species, or previously unknown in our region of the world,” Gibson said.
In addition to its diagnostic services, the lab serves as a critical research and educational resource for UNH students who will be part of the next generations of pathologists, diagnostic technicians, and veterinary personnel. The lab and faculty provide extensive hands-on research experience and relevant animal courses for prospective veterinary medical school applicants, giving them an advantage over graduates from other pre-veterinary programs. UNH students who apply to veterinary medical school are regularly admitted at rates well above the national average of 50 percent.
The lab serves the state of New Hampshire by providing accessible, timely, and accurate diagnostic services for the
New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets, & Food
,
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
,
New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
, state and local law enforcement agencies, veterinarians, farmers, and other relevant state, regional, and federal agencies. It is co-funded and co-managed by the
New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food
and the
UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture
. The NHVDL has served the state and the university since 1970, working at the junction of animal health, public health, environmental health, and economic health.
Founded in 1887, the
NH Agricultural Experiment Station
at the
UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture
is UNH’s original research center and an elemental component of New Hampshire's land-grant university heritage and mission. We steward federal and state funding, including support from the
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
, to provide unbiased and objective research concerning diverse aspects of sustainable agriculture and foods, aquaculture, forest management, and related wildlife, natural resources and rural community topics. We maintain the Woodman and Kingman agronomy and horticultural research farms, the Macfarlane Research Greenhouses, the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center, and the Organic Dairy Research Farm. Additional properties also provide forage, forests and woodlands in direct support to research, teaching, and outreach.
Lori Wright, PhD, NH Agricultural Experiment Station
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Purdue starts limited COVID-19 testing in diagnostic lab; goal to expand state’s capacity in serving patients
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Angie Chan is the supervisor of the Molecular Diagnostic Section of the Animal Diagnostic and Disease Laboratory, which performs the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests on samples received in the lab. (John Underwood/Purdue University photo)
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University is continuing to lend expertise and resources to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic through increasing Indiana’s testing capacity for the virus thanks to a partnership with the Indiana State Department of Health and Indiana hospitals.
The
Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
(ADDL) – located in Purdue’s
College of Veterinary Medicine
– is working with Fort Wayne-based Parkview Health to start conducting COVID-19 tests for human patients. Testing began after the lab received Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments certification to conduct human diagnostic testing, with Parkview agreeing to provide clinical oversight.
Testing will be expanded in collaboration with other hospitals, with all samples sent directly from partner hospitals to the ADDL. To avoid a testing backlog, hospitals interested in working with the ADDL are required to complete the “Partnership Inquiry”
form
.
The goal is to turn around results the same day that samples are received in the lab.
The lab was certified in a matter of days after Purdue leaders suggested using the ADDL to conduct tests and address the state’s limited testing capacity and need for resources. State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG, said in a recent daily briefing with Gov. Eric Holcomb that resources are still limited for COVID-19 testing in Indiana as the number of cases continues to rise.
“The College of Veterinary Medicine has a long history of providing services to protect animal and human health,” said
Willie Reed
, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Providing COVID-19 testing is yet another way to support the citizens of Indiana during this unprecedented public health crisis. The project was shepherded by David Broecker of the
Purdue Research Foundation
and involves several partners including the foundation, the Indiana State Department of Health, Parkview Hospital, the Purdue community.”
Broecker is the chief innovation and collaboration officer for the Purdue Research Foundation.
Dr. Kenitra Hendrix
, director of the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, says the ADDL had a unique opportunity to assist with COVID-19 testing in Indiana because of the lab’s expertise in providing infectious disease testing and immunity surveillance for animals across the state.
“The ADDL is uniquely positioned to contribute skills and expertise in the detection of pathogens to the fight against COVID-19, while maintaining our diagnostic support of animal health and the safety of the food supply,” Hendrix said.
Hendrix says the samples are being tested using a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing method that the ADDL uses regularly for animal specimens. The ADDL team, working with state health authorities, adjusted its intake and sample processing procedures to gain the necessary certification to use the PCR testing capability on human specimens.
“Our team has worked diligently to prepare to perform this testing,” Hendrix said. “It is rewarding to be able to take on this role in support of the citizens of our state.”
The project is a cross-disciplinary, collaborative effort with the Indiana State Department of Health, the Purdue Research Foundation and the Purdue community.
“Indiana continues to increase our capabilities and preparedness for rapidly testing patients to support our front-line health care workers,” Box said. “We are grateful to Purdue and the ADDL for helping to make testing more available for Hoosiers who are helping others during this pandemic.”
Parkview Health provided clinical expertise on obtaining a CLIA license and setting up the lab for human testing.
“It still takes several days to get results that are sent out to central labs across the country,” said Dr. Michael J. Mirro, chief academic research officer at Parkview Health. “Even the new tests are limited by supply constraints. What Purdue has done is fantastic and shows the ingenuity associated with creative problem solving. Paired with the significant amount of time invested by the Parkview lab team, we believe this will have a positive impact on the state’s testing capacity.”
The ADDL is a Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) facility accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD). BSL-2 laboratories are used to study moderate-risk infectious agents or toxins.
Hendrix says that additional partnerships with other hospitals across the state are possible. More information and a form for potential partners are available at
https://purdue.vet/covid19testing
.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 6 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at
purdue.edu
.
About the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine
The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine seeks to advance global animal and human health and well-being through excellence in learning, discovery and engagement while serving as a major referral center for the diagnosis and treatment of animal diseases. Faculty research both animal and human health, with an emphasis on animal welfare science and the human-animal bond; infectious diseases and immunology; cancer; neuroscience; and musculoskeletal biology and orthopedics. The college also is one of only a few nationally that educate all members of the veterinary team, offering the doctor of veterinary medicine degree as well as bachelor's and associates degrees in veterinary nursing, post-graduate internships and residencies for veterinarians seeking specialty training, and graduate degrees in the departments of Basic Medical Sciences, Comparative Pathobiology, and Veterinary Clinical Sciences. For more information visit
www.vet.purdue.edu
.
Note to Journalists:
A Google drive folder with broadcast-quality b-roll and photos of the Indiana Animal Disease and Diagnostic Laboratory is available at
https://purdue.university/3abGFnF
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Colorado State University to lead COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic health care workers, nursing home residents
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May 20, 20
Contact for reporters:
Mary Guiden
(206) 854-3786
State of Colorado
COVID-19 MEDIA LINE: 303-900-2849 (Please leave a message)
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As part of the state’s plan to expand testing in long-term care facilities, researchers from Colorado State University (CSU) will start conducting COVID-19 surveillance testing of workers and residents in up to 30 skilled nursing facilities in Colorado by September. The tests will provide an early warning system for public health officials and managers at long-term care facilities. This will help prevent outbreaks, monitor the risk of exposure for residents, and help recovered workers return to work.
This project, an agreement between CSU and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), is an initiative of the COVID-19 Residential Care Task Force. The Colorado Unified Command Center (UCC) launched the task force in an effort to reduce the spread of illness and number of deaths in high-density, group-living settings, like nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
“This is an exciting partnership,” said Dr. Eric France, chief medical officer for CDPHE. “Because some cases of COVID-19 are without symptoms, this type of testing approach is going to be essential in preventing outbreaks. We are grateful for CSU’s support in helping us to protect Coloradans from the spread of COVID-19.”
“We’re incredibly proud of our state for prioritizing this kind of testing in skilled nursing facilities and we’re proud that CSU can support that effort,” said Dr. Nicole Ehrhart, director of the Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging at CSU.
CSU will receive $4.2 million as part of this agreement. A majority of the funding will go to the testing of asymptomatic workers, with their consent, using nasopharyngeal swabs. CSU will work with state officials to identify the facilities with highest priority for surveillance testing. The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at CSU
will process the human COVID-19 tests
.
In April, the lab received Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification for laboratory testing performed on humans by partnering with colleagues at CSU’s
Health and Medical Center
, including Dr. Bruce Smith, who directs the CLIA-certified laboratory. The CSU lab also worked directly with the CDPHE to obtain human samples for validation testing. The CSU lab’s move to process human tests is part of a
national trend at veterinary labs
.
Dr. Kristy Pabilonia is the director of the lab at CSU. Her team has previously responded to numerous animal disease outbreaks and has the capacity to test large numbers of samples.
CSU’s role builds on an existing pilot project launched in March with five skilled nursing facilities in the state. As of the end of April, researchers leading the study tested 454 nursing home workers and found 13.1%, or 60 of 454 workers, who did not show symptoms tested positive for COVID-19. The concept behind the research is a basic principle in disease surveillance, especially during a pandemic.
“We know that there is a surprising number of people who never exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, and we’ve shown that even asymptomatic positive people are infectious to others,” said Dr. Ehrhart. “It’s important that when there’s a community at higher risk for severe illness, like seniors, that we think about how to identify and mitigate the hidden potential for transmission to protect these vulnerable individuals.”
In Colorado, more than 50% of the COVID-19-related deaths have been among older adults and people with disabilities who resided in high-density, group-living settings, like nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Alan Rudolph, CSU’s vice president for research, said the project underscores the university’s land-grant mission and demonstrates how research can have an immediate impact in Colorado communities. “Our researchers are at a critical interface to answer questions including: How long does it take to proceed from having symptoms to getting the disease, to testing negative and then have no disease?” he said.
CSU Professor Greg Ebel is a co-investigator on this research project.
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Red tape hobbles use of veterinary labs for COVID-19 testing
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Trained personnel and machines largely untapped in pandemic testing crunch
May 13, 2020 (published)
VIN Veterinary Information Network
By Natalie Slivinski
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Hundreds of machines in animal diagnostic laboratories across the U.S. are sitting idle when they could be used to test human samples for the virus that causes COVID-19, veterinary laboratory leaders say.
A shortage in testing for SARS-CoV-2 is widely considered the tallest hurdle in safely reopening the country and containing the pandemic. Several state governors are using testing capacity and availability as a key metric in deciding if and when businesses can reopen and people can return to their daily lives. But while pressure mounts to restart the economy, most states are still falling short in testing.
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PCR machines such as these, which identify pathogens by detecting and amplifying specific genetic sequences from samples, are sitting idle in veterinary laboratories even as the U.S. struggles to enlarge its capacity to test for the virus that causes COVID-19
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In an unprecedented move, a number of veterinary labs have taken steps to repurpose their well-equipped facilities, at least in part, to test samples from human patients for SARS-CoV-2. About half a dozen have been successful. Others have found the process hampered by regulatory restrictions. Despite President Donald Trump's assertion at a
press briefing
on Monday that his administration has "marshaled every resource at our nation's disposal" to battle the virus, animal labs remain largely untapped.
Dr. David Zeman, executive director of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, said that because the equipment used in animal and human diagnostic labs is largely identical, the switch is easy from a logistical standpoint. "Facility-wise, there is no conversion," he said. "Laboratory safety guidelines and biocontainment protocols are pathogen-directed, not specimen-directed."
The difficulty lies in obtaining regulatory approval. "The lines and regulations in mammalian health have been clearly drawn between humans and all other animals," said Zeman. "Now drawn, crossing is complex — not from a scientific standpoint, but for authorization, regulation and liability."
Diagnostic testing is a major part of veterinary medicine. Every state has a high-capacity veterinary diagnostic lab, some of which routinely process hundreds of thousands of samples every year, largely from herds of livestock.
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"We're used to dealing with infectious disease on a population basis," said Dr. Bruce Akey, who directs the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. "A single house of chickens can be anywhere from 15,000 or 20,000 birds ... to upwards of a million birds. Technicians can go out and collect 100 or so samples for submission to us, and we know how to get that done in a hurry." These labs also are equipped to ramp up testing during an animal disease outbreak, such as avian influenza.
Akey believes high-capacity veterinary labs could make a significant contribution to COVID-19 testing efforts. "Across the U.S., these state-supported veterinary diagnostic labs, for something like African swine fever or foot-and-mouth disease, currently have a capacity of about 40,000 tests a day," he said.
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Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory Director Dr. Bruce Akey has the equipment and trained personnel available to significantly contribute to testing human samples for SARS-CoV-2, but is frustrated by inflexible federal rules.
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Many economists and public health experts estimate that the country needs to test, at a minimum, a million samples daily, with some putting the number much higher, as high as 35 million per day. Instead, an average of fewer than 260,000 samples have been run each day during the past two weeks, although the figures are trending upward, according to The Atlantic’s
COVID Tracking Project
. With a capacity of 40,000 tests per day, veterinary labs could boost the numbers substantially — by roughly 15% if used at full capacity.
A laboratory that handles human samples must be certified by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), a program under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that sets strict standards for labs that process human material.
In response to an inquiry from the VIN News Service, Nicole Black, a press officer for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the division of HHS that handles CLIA certification, said by email: "CMS is working closely with laboratories across the country to ensure that those seeking to perform COVID-19 testing can begin testing as quickly as possible. CMS is expediting review of applications for a CLIA certificate."
She added that after a laboratory has identified a qualified laboratory director and provided all the paperwork, it can immediately begin testing, as long as it meets "applicable CLIA requirements to ensure the accuracy of patient test results."
Partnerships smooth the way
By partnering with CLIA-certified laboratories run by states, private companies and medical centers, a handful of veterinary labs have managed to fast-track their certification process. Their help running human COVID-19 tests has reduced wait times for patients, and lab directors hope their participation will enable states to make the tests more broadly available.
The veterinary diagnostic lab at Colorado State University, for example, received the green light in mid-April to run COVID-19 tests on human samples, according to an
article
by the CSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences communications team.
The veterinary lab was able to expedite its CLIA certification by partnering with CSU's Health and Medical Center, which runs a CLIA-certified laboratory, the college news service reported. The veterinary lab also worked with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to obtain human samples for validation testing, a step to ensure their tests worked.
The laboratory runs upwards of 600,000 animal tests per year. Adding COVID-19 to their repertoire was relatively straightforward, said the lab director Dr. Kristy Pabilonia. "We respond to animal disease outbreaks often," she said, according to the article. "What we do here on a daily basis uses the same processes and technology for animal testing as those used for human testing." The lab is now running 500 to 600 samples a day and could do more if needed, Pabilonia told the VIN News Service by email.
The Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Purdue University received CLIA approval in April after partnering with the Parkview Health System. It can run 400 samples per day without disrupting its testing of animal samples. "This number could be increased, if needed," the lab director, Dr. Kenitra Hendrix, said.
The veterinary lab at Oregon State University, which has a long history of tracking pathogens in sheep and cattle, teamed up with Willamette Valley Toxicology Laboratory, a private lab that runs drug tests on urine samples. Together, they are running several hundred samples a day, hope to process up to 2,000 samples daily and have the capacity for 3,000, according to director Dr. Mark Ackermann. Going full bore would more than double the daily testing reported by the Oregon Public Health Division, which averaged just over 2,000 cases a day last week, according to the state department's weekly
report
.
The Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab at Oklahoma State University, which, through a partnership with OSU Medicine, received CLIA approval at the end of March, also has the equipment to process more than 2,000 human tests per day, according to director Dr. Kenneth Sewell. "[We] are still ramping up our personnel to handle that many,” he said last week. "Our typical throughput is 1,000 to 1,200 per day." That is about one-third of what labs across Oklahoma are already testing, which
state data
shows is about 3,600 tests per average day over the past two weeks. The Washington Post
reported
Tuesday that the veterinary lab is now running more human coronavirus tests than any other lab in Oklahoma.
Separately, a SARS-CoV-2 test kit developed by a
subsidiary
of Maine-based Idexx Laboratories Inc., one of the largest veterinary diagnostic companies in the world, was approved last week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Maine Gov. Janet Mills subsequently
announced
that the state would purchase enough of the test kits to more than triple its testing capacity, which was 2,000 tests per week. The samples will be processed not by Idexx, however, but at the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory in Augusta, according to the state announcement. The state will hire more lab staff to support the expansion.
A plea for regulatory flexibility
Taking advantage of high-throughput veterinary facilities during a pandemic may seem obvious. But while some labs have found the federal certification process relatively straightforward, others have met with what appears to be a lack of enthusiasm by authorities.
The Texas A&M diagnostic lab routinely processes 900,000 animal samples per year. Of those, 64,000 are tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a common tool in both human and veterinary diagnostics that identifies specific pathogens in a sample by amplifying their genetic material. PCR is the standard technique used in COVID-19 tests.
After several weeks of appealing to federal officials at HHS, lab director Akey managed, through a partnership with a private health-care facility, to secure temporary CLIA certification for one of the lab's four locations. That location, in College Station, has the capacity to test 1,500 samples a day.
For the other three locations, which combined could double that capacity, Akey is stuck in red tape. Because those labs have not secured partnerships with human facilities, they have been denied certification to perform COVID-19 testing. HHS has been unwilling to bend its rules despite the extraordinary circumstances, Akey said.
"Every time we have one of these conversations, so far, all we have gotten is a further recitation of the existing regulations, chapter and verse, and no willingness to stretch anything," he said. "I don't think they've had to quite deal with something like this before."
CLIA establishes detailed educational requirements for every level of laboratory personnel, but the criteria do not include professionals in animal medicine, even though much of the expertise is the same. "They haven't been willing to accept equivalence for any of our veterinary degrees," Akey said. "For instance, one of our folks in molecular diagnostics has a PhD from the veterinary school here, and has been doing PCR testing for [some] 20 years. But her degree, being in veterinary science, is not considered adequate."
Furthermore, although Akey's personnel at College Station are experienced using the lab's high-throughput machines, they are not allowed to use them to process human samples, even with the lab's CLIA certification. Instead, they must train outside medical lab personnel.
"We've become a landlord, basically," Akey said. "We trained them, but we can't actually run the tests ourselves."
Moreover, personnel from human health-care facilities, which typically receive human samples in small quantities, are unaccustomed to using high-throughput machines, Akey said, noting that the visiting scientists ran approximately 200 samples in the first week. The number rose to about 700 last week, he said. By comparison, if the veterinary lab staff were allowed to use their own machines, he estimated that they could crank out some 500 samples per day without impinging on routine animal testing. "That wouldn't be a stretch for us at all," he said.
At Purdue in Indiana, Hendrix has faced a similar degree of bureaucracy, not to mention a puzzling lack of urgency. "The capacity we have dedicated to testing of human samples is being significantly underutilized," she said. "CLIA certification required paperwork and locating a 'medical director,' since none of us — DVMs, PhDs, certifications in a variety of specialties — qualified." But her staff — as well as those in Colorado, Oklahoma and Oregon — have been allowed to handle the samples themselves.
It is unclear why Hendrix and other lab directors were able to obtain approval for their staff to operate their own equipment while Akey was not. Like the others, Akey is working with a designated lab director with an MD who qualifies under CLIA. He suspects the explanation is a lack of coordination and standardization in the agency in dealing with an unfamiliar situation. "My guess would be that there are perhaps different interpretations or applications of the rules by different people within HHS," he speculated.
Black, the CMS press officer, did not explain why Akey's staff was disallowed from using their machines. She said only that "CMS is exercising enforcement discretion during the current public health emergency to respond to the urgent need to expand laboratory capacity."
Envisioning a new bridge across an old divide
Historically, a clear divide has existed between human and veterinary diagnostics. That dividing line was underscored after
a tiger at the Bronx Zoo
became the first nonhuman animal in the United States to test positive for SARS-CoV-2, in early April. News that a tiger could be tested for the virus while symptomatic people were having trouble obtaining tests prompted some public criticism. Officials from the zoo and government agencies stressed that veterinary and human medical laboratories are separate, and therefore, animal testing did not take resources from human testing.
Lyndsay Cole, assistant director of public affairs with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, told
Forbes
in early April that regulatory restrictions prevent animal facilities from doing human tests altogether. "Samples from humans can't be tested at animal health laboratories, and likewise, tests from animals aren't tested at human health laboratories, so there is no competition for testing," she said, according to the article.
The paradigm may be changing. Some expect the COVID-19 crisis to help bring human and veterinary diagnostics under a single regulatory umbrella. "There should not be lines to separate the two," said Dr. Leyi Wang, a veterinary virologist at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine who was involved in testing the tiger sample. "After this crisis is over," he predicted hopefully, "the overlapping work and collaboration of the two kinds of labs will be strengthened."
Akey hopes that the pandemic will soon lead administrators at HHS to recognize the usefulness of veterinary labs in a crisis. "We all have quality assurance programs as part of the USDA's National Animal Health Laboratory Network," he said. "We're considered sufficient to test for high-impact animal diseases like avian influenza, which, by the way, is also a human-disease problem. So we're not some Johnny-Come-Lately working out of their garage."
He believes that the key lies in not seeing the world in black and white during an unprecedented situation. "By expanding the pool of people that are able to do the testing so that equipment isn't sitting there idle for 12 to 16 hours a day, I'm pretty sure that what is already available could be multiplied many times over," he said. "It just requires somebody to think a little bit outside the box."
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Annual AAVLD Meeting
Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center Nashville, Tennessee
October 15-21, 2020
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Abstract Submissions
has been extended to July 1, 2020
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Thank you for considering submitting an abstract for presentation of your work at the 2020 AAVLD Annual Meeting. According to a recent member survey, the quality of presentations in the Scientific Oral and Poster Sessions is the single most important reason for attending the AAVLD Annual Meeting.
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Please note:
Pathology Slide Seminar abstracts is a separate submission option. Please follow instructions.
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Clarivate Analytics ScholarOne
is the official AAVLD provider of online abstract submission and management services. If you are a current AAVLD member and have previously submitted an abstract, you can submit your abstract for the 2020 meeting by logging in to the AAVLD 2020 Abstract Submission Site with your User ID and Password. For non-members, or if you did not receive an email from ScholarOne containing your User ID and Password, follow the instructions on the website for creating a new account. After login, follow the online instructions to submit your abstract.
Publication in the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation (JVDI), the official journal of the AAVLD
:
We encourage submission of manuscripts to the JVDI based on your oral and poster presentations at the annual meeting. Manuscripts accepted by the JVDI editor after scientific peer-review will be published as refereed journal articles. Guidelines for format and style of manuscripts are published in the journal and on the AAVLD website (
www.aavld.org
). Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts to the editor for processing prior to the meeting if possible.
AAVLD Annual Awards
All award applicants must be the individual identified in the ScholarOne submission platform as the primary contact for the abstract.
The AAVLD is soliciting applications for the following AAVLD Awards:
AAVLD Trainee Travel Awards
Trainees in a Master's, PhD or residency program enrolled in all disciplines in veterinary diagnostic medicine, including epidemiology, immunology, microbiology (bacteriology, food safety, mycology and virology), molecular diagnostics, parasitology, pathology and toxicology, are encouraged to apply.
The $1,750 travel awards are intended to help defray the cost of travel and lodging to attend the AAVLD meeting. The Trainee Travel Awards are funded by the AAVLD Foundation and are intended to fulfill the recruitment and education mission of the AAVLD Foundation by encouraging trainee excellence in their diagnostic discipline, developing trainee presentation skills (verbal, written, organizational) and promoting networking of trainees with veterinary laboratory diagnosticians. NOTE: Some travel awards are funded or co-funded by individual AAVLD Committees. The AAVLD Pathology Committee is contributing $500 each to three of the top pathology related abstracts submitted.
AAVLD Laboratory Staff Travel Awards
Veterinary diagnostic laboratory staff in any discipline, including epidemiology, immunology, microbiology (bacteriology, food safety, mycology and virology), molecular diagnostics, parasitology, pathology and toxicology, are encouraged to apply.
The $1,750 travel awards are intended to help defray the cost of travel and lodging to attend the AAVLD Annual Meeting. The Laboratory Staff Travel Awards are funded by the AAVLD Foundation. Laboratory staff travel awards to the AAVLD Annual Meeting are intended to encourage laboratory staff excellence in their diagnostic discipline, promote networking of veterinary laboratorians and encourage participation in AAVLD committees.
AAVLD/ACVM Dr. David Bemis Microbiology Trainee Travel Award
(oral or poster presentation): This $1,750 travel award will go to a graduate student or microbiology resident trainee submitting an abstract to the annual meeting on the subject of clinical microbiology and/or antimicrobial resistance. This is a competitive award and the winner will be determined based upon the quality of the abstract.
AAVLD Best Graduate Student Presentation Awards
(oral and poster presentations): The AAVLD encourages trainees in all disciplines of veterinary diagnostic medicine to compete for the best oral and best poster presentation awards. The purpose of the awards is to encourage trainee excellence in their diagnostic discipline and to develop trainee presentation skills (verbal, written, organizational).
Two winners will be selected, and the awards given during the AAVLD Annual Meeting, one for best oral presentation and one for best poster presentation. The recipient of each award will receive a $1000 cash prize. The AAVLD Awards Committee will select the awardees and they will be announced during the joint AAVLD/USAHA President's Reception and Dinner during the annual meeting.
AAVLD Laboratory Staff Presentation Award
(oral or poster presentations): The AAVLD encourages lab staff in all disciplines of veterinary diagnostic medicine to apply. The purpose of the awards is to encourage laboratory staff excellence in their diagnostic discipline and to develop presentation skills (verbal, written, organizational).
One award will be selected and given for best presentation (oral or poster) during the AAVLD Annual Meeting. The recipient will receive a $500 cash prize. The AAVLD Awards Committee will select the awardee and they will be announced during the joint AAVLD/USAHA President's Reception and Dinner during the annual meeting.
J. Lindsay Oaks Best Student Molecular Biology Presentation Award
(oral or poster presentation): The AAVLD invites interested trainees to submit oral or poster presentations relating to molecular biology in veterinary diagnostics. This award for an amount up to $500 is given to the student delivering the best oral or poster presentation on a molecular biology topic at the AAVLD annual meeting. All molecular biology oral and poster trainee presenters are eligible.
Brenda Love Best Student Bacteriology Poster Award
(poster presentations): The AAVLD invites interested trainees to submit poster presentations relating to bacteriology in veterinary diagnostics. This award for an amount up to $500 is given to the student delivering the best poster presentation on a bacteriology topic at the AAVLD
a
nnual CE meeting. All bacteriology poster trainee presenters are eligible to apply.
AAVLD Diagnostic Pathology Slide Seminar Awards
(slide seminar presentation): This competition has a separate open and close date for submission. Abstract submission opens April 16
th
and closes July 31
st
. The AAVLD Pathology Committee is providing awards to the top 3 presenters at this seminar. First, Second and Third Place awards will be $300, $200 and $100 respectively. These presentations will not be in the proceedings book because they will be determined based on the presentations during the annual meeting. .Submission and award selection will be coordinated by the AAVLD Pathology Committee.
AAVLD
/ACVP Diagnostic Pathology Award for Residents/Graduate Students
The AAVLD and the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) encourage trainees in veterinary pathology to participate in the annual meetings of both organizations. The AAVLD/ACVP Diagnostic Pathology Award for Residents/Graduate Students will be presented to a graduate student and/or veterinary pathology resident for the best oral presentation, in the field of veterinary pathology, given at the annual AAVLD meeting. The intention is to support travel of the winner to re-present the award-winning presentation at the next annual ACVP meeting. ACVP has a reciprocal award.
· The awardee will receive $1,000 from the AAVLD pathology committee to help defray travel and lodging costs associated with attending the ACVP annual meeting of the following year. The award winner must present the award-winning presentation at the ACVP meeting of the following year in order to receive the award. The award will be given to award winner following submission of the abstract to the ACVP meeting.
The recipient will be granted a waiver for the ACVP meeting registration fee.
Abstract submission and award information is available on the aavld2020.abstractcentral.com submission site. Please click on the following link to access the site
AAVLD Abstract Submission Style Rules
· Type or copy and paste the title and body of your abstract into the boxes below.
· Enter the title in sentence case (mixed case). Do not put the title in quotation marks.
·
Special characters:
in most cases, Greek letters and other special characters will transfer from your word processing software. The Special Character Palette button is available in the formatting bar if you need a special character that are unable to find in your word processor.
· There is a limit of 3000 characters (approximately 400 words), including spaces, for the text of your submission. Title, authors, and institutions will not be counted.
·
Please ensure you check your abstract carefully for any spelling or grammar errors. Also make sure that no author information is included with the title or narrative section, as that is collected elsewhere on the form.
· Press the “Save” button at any time to review character usage for this submission.
Shuping Zhang, BVSc. MS, PhD, DACVM
2020 AAVLD Annual Meeting Program Chair
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ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR DIAGNOSTIC PATHOLOGY SLIDE SEMINAR CASES
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Deadline is
July 31, 2020
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Anatomic and clinical pathologists are invited to submit cases for the Diagnostic Pathology Slide Seminar at the 2020 AAVLD meeting. Necropsy, surgical pathology, or cytology cases that present a diagnostic challenge, represent an emerging disease, or exemplify a classic condition are solicited.
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Diagnostic Pathology Slide Seminar Award
Pathology residents and graduate students will be eligible to compete for the 2020 Diagnostic Pathology Slide Seminar Award. This award will be given to the top three presentations and comes with a monetary value of $300, $200 and $100 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Abstracts:
Abstract submission will take place via the Clarivate Analytics ScholarOne online platform used for abstract submission to the general AAVLD meeting. The platform will open April 16 and will close July 31. All abstracts should be received by July 31, 2020. When submitting an abstract, please choose “Diagnostic Pathology Slide Seminar Abstract Submission,” which will be an option after beginning the “Create New Submission” process. When submitting your abstract, please indicate if you are a resident or graduate student; all residents and graduate student abstracts that are selected for presentation will automatically be considered for the Diagnostic Pathology Slide Seminar Award.
Graduate students and residents will be given priority for selection. Experienced pathologists may also submit abstracts, but will be considered only after graduate students and residents. All abstracts received prior to July 31 will be given consideration for inclusion in the seminar.
Authors will be notified of the status of their abstracts by August 14, 2020.
Presentations:
Accepted abstracts will be allotted 6 minutes for presentation and another 3 minutes for questions. Presenters of necropsy and surgical pathology cases must supply a set of 65 H&E stained glass slides. Cytology cases should consist of either 65 glass slides or, if less than 65 slides are available, then a representative series of high quality digital images or a digital slide should be provided.
Case material (slide sets) should be submitted to Dr. Aslı Mete by September 4, 2019
at the below address to allow for distribution and review by attendees prior to the seminar.
Each presenter and their sponsoring laboratory will receive a set of slides at no charge. Remaining slide sets will be available, on a first come-first serve basis, for a $60 donation to the Pathology travel fund of the AAVLD Foundation.
Please contact Dr. Aslı Mete if interested in purchasing such sets.
Conference coordinators
:
Chair: Dr. Grant N. Burcham, Heeke Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Southern Indiana Purdue Agricultural Center, Purdue University, Dubois, IN;
Co-chair: Dr. Aslı Mete, California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS), Davis, CA;
For USPS shipments: PO Box 1770, Davis, CA 95617-1770
For FedEx/UPS shipments: 620 W. Health Sciences Dr., Davis, CA 95616
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AAVLD Soliciting Nominations for the 2020 Award for Excellence in Diagnostic Veterinary Microbiology-
Due Aug 1st
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Dear AAVLD Members-
We are currently soliciting nomination for the 2020 BIOMIC Award for Excellence in Diagnostic Veterinary Microbiology. This award recognizes a distinguished scientist for research accomplishments in the field of diagnostic bacteriology that result in new scientific findings that have application to the betterment of veterinary medicine.
This is a great way to see that your colleagues are recognized for their work to further veterinary diagnostics! Please send the following to
[email protected]
by August 1, 2020.
- A letter describing nominee’s research accomplishments
- Nominee’s CV
- Two letters of support from other than nominator, familiar with the nominee’s qualification & accomplishments
- Photograph of the nominee to be used for the award presentation
Thank you and please let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
Dustin
J. Dustin Loy DVM PhD Dipl. ACVM
Associate Professor and Veterinary Diagnostic Microbiologist
Faculty Supervisor for Bacteriology and Molecular Diagnostics
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
402-472-1434
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The goal of JVDI in Focus is to bring attention to an interesting article appearing in the
Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation
. This month’s focus is on an article in the upcoming July issue:
Sequential exposure to bovine viral diarrhea virus and bovine coronavirus results in increased respiratory disease lesions: clinical, immunologic, pathologic, and immunohistochemical findings
by Julia F. Ridpath, Robert W. Fulton, Fernando V. Bauermann, Shollie M. Falkenberg, Jenny Welch, and Anthony W. Confer.
J Vet Diagn Invest 2020;32(4)
Abstract.
Bovine coronaviruses (BoCVs) have been found in respiratory tissues in cattle and frequently associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD); however, pathogenesis studies in calves are limited. To characterize the pathogenesis and pathogenicity of BoCV isolates, we used 5 different BoCV strains to inoculate colostrum-deprived calves, ~2–5 wk of age. Later, to determine if dual viral infection would potentiate pathogenicity of BoCV, calves were inoculated with BoCV alone, bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) alone, or a series of dual-infection (BVDV–BoCV) schemes. A negative control group was included in all studies. Clinical signs and body temperature were monitored during the study and samples collected for lymphocyte counts, virus isolation, and serology. During autopsy, gross lesions were recorded and fixed tissues collected for histopathology and immunohistochemistry; fresh tissues were collected for virus isolation. Results suggest increased pathogenicity for isolate BoCV OK 1776. Increased body temperature was found in all virus-inoculated groups. Lung lesions were present in calves in all dual-infection groups; however, lesions were most pronounced in calves inoculated with BVDV followed by BoCV inoculation 6 d later. Lung lesions were consistent with mild-to-moderate interstitial pneumonia, and immunohistochemistry confirmed the presence of BoCV antigen. Our studies demonstrated that BVDV–BoCV dual infection may play an important role in BRD pathogenesis, and timing between infections seems critical to the severity of lesions.
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Figure 1.
Lesions and immunohistochemistry after bovine coronavirus (BoCV) strain OK 1776 infection.
a.
Interstitial pneumonia characterized by increased cellularity of alveolar septa and increased macrophages in alveoli. 200×. H&E. Bar = 20 µm.
b.
Anti-BoCV immunohistochemistry demonstrating positive BoCV signal in tracheal gland epithelium. 400×. Bar = 20 µm.
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Dr. Wallace “Bruce” Wren, 85, of Lenexa, Kan., was born August 1, 1934 in Muncie, Kan., to Ethel and Wallace Wren.
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He passed away May 20, 2020. He grew up in Kansas City, Kan. and on the family farm in Ottawa, Kan. Inspired by his dairy veterinarian uncle Dr. Walter Johnson, Bruce graduated from K-State in 1958 and later obtained a Master’s (1962) and PhD in veterinary pathology (1968) there. In 1958 he entered the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps, Ft. Jackson, S.C. From 1960 on, Wren worked in a veterinary practice in Ottawa, Kan., as well as later working in diagnostic labs including his own as well as the Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Lincoln. He also was a technical services veterinarian (livestock) for several animal health companies including Dellen Labs, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Sanofi, Rhone Merieux, Merial and AgriLabs. Upon retirement, he continued to consult in the veterinary industry.
Wren has been a member of the AVMA, AABP, AASV, AVC (district director and 2018 Outstanding Service Award recipient), AAVLD, AAIV (past president), NMC and state VMAs including Nebraska (past president), Iowa, Kansas and Georgia. From 1983-2000 he served in many roles at the Western Veterinary Conference including board member and program chair. He was a recipient of the WVC Distinguished Service Award (2013); and member of the WVC Food Animal Incentive Award committee which was renamed the Dr. Bruce Wren Food Animal Incentive Award. AgriLabs (now Huvepharma) named its $10,000 CE awards the Dr. Bruce Wren Continuing Education Grant.
Wren has been a member of the Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association (Past President), Iowa Veterinary Medical Association, Kansas Veterinary Medical Association, Georgia Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Industrial Veterinarians, Academy of Veterinary Consultants (board member and recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Service Award), American Association of Bovine Practitioners (Honor Roll member), American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, American Veterinary Medical Association, National Mastitis Council, Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas (Board member 1983-2000; Bovine, Equine, Small Ruminant, Swine and Exotics Program Coordinator; recipient of the WVC Special Recognition award; and member of the WVC Food Animal Incentive Award committee recently renamed the Dr. Bruce Wren Food Animal Incentive Award). AgriLabs (now Huvepharma) has named its $10,000 CE awards the Dr. Bruce Wren Continuing Education Grant. He has spoken at numerous local, state, national and international veterinary conferences over the years, and his passion was continuing education for veterinarians. He served as a mentor for many.
On the personal side, Bruce enjoyed all things aeronautic and had a private pilot’s license as well as taught flying lessons in Omaha, Neb. He was an avid fan of the Reno Air Races. He enjoyed traveling and worked to become conversational in Spanish to communicate with veterinarians he worked with in Mexico. He was an avid K-State fan.
Bruce is preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Fran. Bruce is survived by four children, Mark (Shirley) Wren (Portland, Ore.), Leslie (John) Bauer (Dallas, Texas), Russell (Sherri) Wren (Lincoln, Neb.) and Geni Wren (Overland Park, Kan.), two granddaughters, Elizabeth Bauer and Emma Wren, and his brother Lynn (Marsha) Wren, as well as an extended family of nieces and nephews.
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2020 Nashville, Tennessee
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Ben Richey, Kelly Janicek, Kaylin Taylor and David Zeman recently did a premeeting walk-through the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in preparation for our fall annual meeting.
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AAVLD Membership Drive Competition – Earn a Free Lunch for yourself or your Lab!!
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Dear colleagues:
In an effort to increase AAVLD membership, we are launching a membership drive competition. This competition is open to individual members and Institutions to help identify and subscribe new members or bring back into the Organization previous members whose membership has lapsed for more than two years. Our vibrancy depends on a strong involved membership base to advance our discipline…would you please help? Thank you.
Competition time
: February 10 to September 30, 2020.
How to submit
: The competition is open to individual members and to Laboratories. The goal is to grow our organization’s membership through the recruitment of new members and bringing back previous members whose membership has lapsed by two or more years. Each time you successfully sponsor a new member who subscribes, send your name (personal or institution) and the name of the new member to
[email protected]
and
[email protected]
.
Prizes
: Winners will be selected based solely on the number of new or renewing (after ≥ 2-year lapse) members recruited. The winners will be recognized at the AAVLD annual meeting during the Foundation Auction. There will be two prizes – one individual and one Lab:
- Individual prize: $100 Visa debit card: treat yourself for being an outstanding supporter!
- Laboratory prize: $500 Visa debit card: use these funds to celebrate with your lab mates!
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KEY DEADLINES FOR THE 2020 ANNUAL MEETING
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Call for Abstract and Application for Awards- April 9, 2020. Deadline extended to July 1, 2020
Details
Call for Slide Seminar Abstracts April 16, 2020 Deadline July 31, 2020
Details
Meeting registration opens July 1, 2020
Details
Do you have ideas to improve the AAVLD annual meeting? Contact David Zeman
[email protected]
Would you like to sponsor an event? Contact
Would you like to donate an item for the
What ever your contribution to the AAVLD mission, we need you!
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Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville
HERE WE COME !
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Come and enjoy the meeting in this fantastic hotel in Nashville!
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The call for abstracts for the 2020 Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases opens today! You can begin submitting abstracts for the first round of considerations now to be part of this international conference to be held
December 4 – 9, 2020
at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile.
NEW FOR 2020: We are pleased to announce exciting new opportunities for remotely delivered presentations and remote attendance at CRWAD 2020! This
remote access option
will provide wider opportunities for participation in CRWAD than we have ever had in the past, both for attendees and for presenters. We are still planning to offer the same exciting meeting for onsite participants, which for 100 years has been one of the most important animal research meetings in the world. We want you to participate in this outstanding conference in a way that is best for you.
The Primary abstract submission deadline for CRWAD is July 10, 2020. There are additional submission deadlines, but we strongly encourage submission of abstracts for this first deadline if you are considering presenting your research at CRWAD as this will help us plan in light of COVID-19. Authors can edit and update abstract content after submission so you can be confident about the quality of abstracts before presentation and publishing of proceedings. Authors will also be allowed to switch to remote presentation after abstract submission. For a full list of the instructions for submitting an abstract and your presentation options visit the
Conference website
.
Students competing in the
Research Awards Competitions
or applying for a
travel award
for the conference, must submit abstracts by the July 10, 2020 deadline. The Conference has a great tradition of promoting future scientific stars, and
over $10,000 in research awards and travel grants
will be awarded to qualifying graduate students making presentations at the 2020 Conference.
The full abstract submission deadlines for the 2020 Conference are:
July 10
th
Primary Abstract Submission Deadline – Oral or Poster Presentations
September 15
th
Late-Breaking Oral Report Submission Deadline – Oral Presentations
October 10
th
Deadline for requesting change from onsite to remote presentation
October 15
th
Late Breaking Poster Submission Deadline – Poster Presentations Only
November 15
th
Remote Presentation Submission Deadline – Remote only
Your abstract submission is your chance to be part of a 100-year plus premier program of researchers and disease prevention specialists presenting on cutting-edge research in animal health and disease, population health, and translational medicine. In light of
COVID-19
and its public health implications, our collective sharing of research and knowledge is more important than ever.
Check out the
Conference website
for latest updates on the schedule of preeminent featured speakers and state-of-the-art research presentations, and information about abstract submission and deadlines, partner programs, registration announcements, and hotel reservations. Don’t forget that CRWAD is held in the heart of Chicago’s downtown Miracle Mile, with all of its opportunities for shopping, dining, entertainment, and art. So make your plans now for attending CRWAD 2020.
We look forward to seeing you in Chicago for 2020 CRWAD! For any questions or
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We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
Source: BrainyQuote
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Take advantage of the terrific AAVLD resources offered to our members
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Veterinary Jobs - American Association of Veterinary...
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Renewals are due by November 15!
'Membership is January to December'
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AAVLD membership is open to any individual interested in the disciplines and activities of veterinary diagnostic laboratories. Membership terms are by calendar year (January-December) and membership dues are payable by November 15th of the preceding year (to ensure inclusion in the annual membership directory, eligibility for committee involvement, and receipt of all six issues of the JVDI). Note: In order to receive a discounted rate for the Annual Meeting registration, you are required to be a current AAVLD Member.
Renew your membership today!
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Did your membership Lapse?
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Please select 'Renew Now' to access the Lapsed Membership renewal form.
www.aavld.org
->Quick Links->Renew Now->here you can access the Lapsed Membership Form.
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Frequently Asked Questions Regarding AAVLD Membership:
When are my dues fee due?
They are due November 15 for the next calendar year. Many members pay for the next year when they register for the annual meeting. Lead time is needed to finalize committee appointments for the new year.
Does it matter who pays for my dues?
No. Your status will be the same with their resepective privileges whether you pay, your employer pays, or your Uncle Vinny.
Are Lab Accreditation dues different than Institutional/Agency membership dues?
Yes
·
Laboratory Accreditation dues are different and separate and are related to accreditation only and go to fund the accreditation program only.
·
Whether accredited or not, a Laboratory (or Institution/Agency) may additionally become an Institutional/Agency Member. By doing so they are supporting the broad mission of the AAVLD and these funds go to support CE and training and all other activities of the AAVLD. Institutional/Agency Members are highly valued members and are demonstrating leadership and belief in our organizational purpose.
Do Institutional/Agency Member labs have to pay for their employees individual dues?
No. A laboratory, institution, agency or department can become a member under this category even without signing up their employees. They are simply supporting the AAVLD mission with their dues payment. Some states are not allowed to pay for employee dues; and some states have budgetary restrictions.
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ARE YOU ENGAGED?
Committee work is the foundation of AAVLD's ability to fulfill its mission. If you are interested in joining a committee and contributing to its efforts, please email the appropriate committee chair.
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AAVLD & News Worthy Events
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·
Canadian Animal Health Laboratorians Annual Meeting, June 1-3, 2020-
CANCELED
·
AVMA Convention 2020, July 31 – August 4, San Diego
CANCELED
·
AAVLD/USAHA Annual Meeting, October 15-21, 2020, Nashville
Details
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Thank You to our Exhibitors and Sponsors of the 2020 Annual Meeting!
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The
generous contributions and participation
by our Exhibitors and Sponsors
is a
huge part of our conference
success year after year. On behalf of the AAVLD, we would like to thank these companies for their commitment to our organization and helping us to achieve our mission.
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2020 Meeting Sponsors
to Date
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AAVLD Foundation Committee
Brett Webb- Cochair
Francois Elvinger- Cochair
John M. Adaska
Donal O'Toole
Tim Baszler
David Zeman
Christie Mayo
Kristy Pabilonia
Beate Crossley
François Elvinger
Pat Halbur
Brett Webb
Jamie Henningson
Kerry Sondgeroth
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The AAVLD Foundation is a non-profit foundation that raises funds for the advancement of veterinary diagnostic laboratory disciplines through scholarship programs, student travel support to our scientific meeting, guest lectures, seminars, professional awards and research programs. Contributions to the Foundation are tax-deductible 501(c)(3), and can be paid when you renew your AAVLD membership. Thank you for remembering your AAVLD Foundation!
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