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1. Respiratory Equine Herpesvirus in Pennsylvania Barn
One horse in York County is positive for respiratory equine herpesvirus, and 40 horses are exposed.
By Edited Press Release
EquiManagement.com
February 27, 2023
One horse in York County, Pennsylvania, is positive for respiratory equine herpesvirus, and 40 horses are exposed. Wikimedia Commons
An attending veterinarian confirmed that one horse in York County, Pennsylvania, is positive for respiratory equine herpesvirus. The horse resides at a boarding facility, where 40 horses are exposed. The affected horses are under voluntary quarantine.
Full text: https://equimanagement.com/news/edcc-health-watch/respiratory-equine-herpesvirus-in-pennsylvania-barn/
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2. Chronic wasting disease now in Sullivan County, experts recommend getting all deer tested [MO]
By Nik Todorovich
KTVO.com
February 24, 2023
MILAN, Mo. — Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has made its way to Sullivan County.
After sampling deer that were harvested during the Fall 2022 season, the Missouri Department of Conservation found that three deer in the county tested positive for CWD.
The disease first arrived in northeast Missouri in 2010 and has since spread to Adair, Linn, Macon, and Putnam counties.
Full text:
https://ktvo.com/news/local/chronic-wasting-disease-now-in-sullivan-county-experts-recommend-getting-all-deer-tested
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3. Legislative panel OKs Arkansas State University’s request to create dean of veterinary medicine post
Arkansas Democrat Gazette
February 24, 2023
A legislative panel on Thursday endorsed Arkansas State University's request to create a dean of veterinary medicine post with a maximum-authorized salary of $350,000 a year.
The Joint Budget Committee's personnel subcommittee also endorsed the Department of Commerce's request to create the state's chief workforce officer position with a pay range of $149,862 to $181,500 a year, retroactive to Feb. 9.
The personnel panel recommended the Legislature's Joint Budget Committee approve these requests.
Arkansas State University Executive Vice Chancellor Len Frey said in a letter dated Feb. 15 to state Division of Higher Education Director Maria Markham that a dean of veterinary medicine is needed for ASU to implement a College of Veterinary Medicine.
The college is needed to meet the demand for veterinarians in Arkansas and the national shortage, Frey said.
Full text: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/feb/24/legislative-panel-oks-arkansas-state-universitys/
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4. Animal Health Matters: Finding the hook for future veterinarians
By Dr. Jessie Juarez, guest columnist
Farm Forum
February 28, 2023
When did you know that your chosen career was right for you? How did you gain exposure or knowledge of your career path?
For me, it was a failed ninth grade science career day assignment that led me to veterinary medicine. I was all set to shadow my next-door neighbor who was a nurse in the ER department at a local hospital. Unfortunately, due to rules and regulations, I was unable to shadow as planned.
A quick phone call to the local veterinarian provided me with an opportunity to shadow a mixed animal veterinarian for the day. By 9 a.m. as the second canine patient of the day was prepared for surgery (removal of a mass on the dog’s shoulder), I was hooked. The combination of medicine, surgery, diagnostics and serving the community was intriguing and challenging to me, and I set forth on my journey to becoming a veterinarian.
After eight years at Iowa State University and earning three degrees, I was off as a newly minted veterinarian to a town in Wisconsin to be a dairy veterinarian. Little did I know at that time the decision to become a veterinarian would lead me on many adventures across the world and provide an opportunity to educate the next generation of veterinarians.
Full text: https://www.farmforum.net/story/news/columnists/2023/02/28/animal-health-matters-finding-the-hook-for-future-veterinarians/69953060007/
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5. Statement on avian influenza and mammals [WOAH]
WOAH February Newsletter
Published on 13 February 2023
The current avian influenza situation has been raising concerns within the international community. Since October 2021, an unprecedented number of outbreaks has been reported in several regions of the world, reaching new geographical areas and causing devastating impacts on animal health and welfare. The disease puts at risk global food security and the livelihoods of those who depend on poultry farming. It has also led to an alarming rate of wild bird die-offs and has affected other wildlife including sea and land mammals.
While it primarily affects poultry and wild birds, avian influenza can occasionally be transmitted to mammals, including humans. A rising number of H5N1 avian influenza cases has been reported in several mammalian animals both terrestrial and aquatic, causing morbidity and mortality. This sparks growing concern about the threat for the health of domestic and wild animals, biodiversity, and potentially for public health.
The current situation highlights the risk that H5N1 avian influenza may become better adapted to mammals, and spill over to humans and other animals. In addition, some mammals, such as mink, may act as mixing vessels for different influenza viruses, leading to the emergence of new strains and subtypes that could be more harmful to animals and/or humans. Recently reported infections in farmed mink are a concern because infections of large numbers of mammals kept in close proximity of each other exacerbate this risk. Several studies are currently on-going to further explore the virulence and transmissibility (including between mammals) of these viruses.
Full text: https://www.woah.org/en/statement-on-avian-influenza-and-mammals/
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6. Launch of the Grand Challenge for sustainable laboratories [WOAH]
WOAH February Newsletter
Published on 23 February 2023
As part of its partnership with Global Affairs Canada and with the support of other institutions, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) launches a new call for projects on the sustainability of diagnostic laboratories.
Cost-effective and sustainable diagnostic laboratories are essential to global health, safety and security. In low- and middle-income countries, however, they may face serious operational and capacity constraints which increase safety and security risks while undermining their overall performance.
In an effort to find a solution to this critical problem, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), and other members of the G7-led Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction have been actively working on diagnostic laboratory sustainability for over a decade.
With funding from Global Affairs Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program and technical support from The Pirbright Institute, The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) is now collaborating with Grand Challenges Canada and their implementation partners at Science for Africa to seek innovative solutions to reinvent laboratories, making them fit-for-purpose in low-resource settings.
Full text: https://www.woah.org/en/article/launch-of-the-grand-challenge-for-sustainable-laboratories/
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7. Researchers Develop Time-Saving Assay for E. coli O157:H7 in Beef
Food Safety Magazine
February 28, 2023
A Purdue University research team has developed a new time-saving assay to detect Escherichia coli O157:H7 in ground beef. Development of the assay was led by Bruce Applegate, Ph.D., Professor of Food Science at Purdue.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has a “zero tolerance” policy for E. coli O157:H7, meaning that if a single cell is detected in a standard 325-gram or 11.4-ounce sample of ground beef, the entire batch is flagged as unfit for consumption. However, detecting pathogens at such low concentrations requires enrichment.
The new assay developed by Dr. Applegate and his team saves time, as it is designed so that sample enrichment and pathogen detection both occur during the 15 hours or more needed to ship samples from a production facility to an FSIS testing laboratory. This enables product to be released onto the market more quickly, as the assay will provide a positive or negative result by the time the product is received by FSIS.
The technology is based on pages, which are viruses that infect specific bacteria. Researchers genetically modified a phage so that, after infecting E. coli O157:H7, it would integrate its genome into the bacterial cells’ chromosome. Once integrated into the E. coli chromosome, the phage produces an enzyme that makes light and causes the infected cells to glow. A glowing culture indicates the presence of E. coli O157:H7.
Two co-authors of the study are Arun Bhunia, Ph.D., a Purdue Professor of Food Science, and Andrew Gehring, Ph.D. and George Paoli, Ph.D. of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. Dr. Gehring and Dr. Paoli’s collaborations with Dr. Applegate are part of a longstanding cooperative agreement between ARS and Purdue’s Center for Food Safety Engineering.
Source: https://www.food-safety.com/articles/8385-researchers-develop-time-saving-assay-for-e-coli-o157-h7-in-beef
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