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A service to members of the United States Animal Health Association.
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USAHA News Alert Summaries - April 2, 2013
1. Cervid Industry and State Veterinarians on Rewriting Chronic Wasting Disease Rule
2. New Discovery Makes Detecting Johne's Disease Easier
3. World Dairy Expo implementing new cattle id system
4. Wildlife officials to euthanize diseased bighorn sheep [WA]
5. Judge to decide fate of some Montana bison
6. Brazil Is a Step Closer to FMD Free Status
7. Unusual Bird Flu Virus Kills Two Men in China
* * * * * * * * * *
1. Cervid Industry and State Veterinarians on Rewriting Chronic Wasting Disease Rule
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
APHIS Stakeholder Registry Announcement
April 1, 2013
During its regularly scheduled conference call with USDA officials, the National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials discussed the progress that has been made by the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Program Standards Working Group. Because members of the working group represent varied interests, it has been difficult for the group to reach consensus. Further, Federal dollars to support the CWD program have dramatically decreased, leaving limited options for managing the program.
USDA recognizes that producers have continued concerns about the language in the program standards and the provisions of the CWD interim final rule. Dr. John Clifford, Deputy Administrator, APHIS Veterinary Services, does not support withdrawing the rule or developing a separate industry program; however, he agreed on the conference call to listen to the concerns of stakeholders.
Source:
http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDAAPHIS-73dec3
********
2. New Discovery Makes Detecting Johne's Disease Easier
By Sandra Avant, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff
ARS Magazine - April 2013
April 1, 2013
Before a disease can be treated, it must first be identified. But that's not always easy, especially in the case of Johne's disease, which affects cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and other ruminants.
Johne's disease-also known as "paratuberculosis"-is a costly, contagious disease that causes diarrhea, reduced feed intake, weight loss, and sometimes death. Annual estimated losses to cattle producers range from $40 to $227 per infected animal. For the U.S. dairy industry alone, losses exceed $220 million each year.
For years, scientists have been hampered by the fact that any antibody-a protein produced by the immune system to fight infections and foreign substances-used to detect the Johne's disease bacterium also reacted to other environmental bacteria or maybe the pathogen responsible for bovine tuberculosis. This caused false-positive test results.
"You may think cattle are infected, based on a positive antibody test result, but they may simply have been exposed to nonpathogenic mycobacteria that's ubiquitously present in the environment," says microbiologist John Bannantine at the Agricultural Research Service's National Animal Disease Center (NADC) in Ames, Iowa.
That problem, however, is now history. Bannantine and his colleagues at NADC have found an antibody that's 100 percent specific in detecting Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP)-the cause of Johne's disease.
"No one else in the world has been able to find such a specific antibody that binds only to MAP strains, until now," says Bannantine, who's in NADC's Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit.
Full text:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/apr13/disease0413.htm
********
3. World Dairy Expo implementing new cattle id system
Feedstuffs
April 1, 2013
World Dairy Expo is introducing changes to its dairy cattle health check-in process. In an effort to strengthen the event biosecurity and in accordance with the new USDA Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) rule, exhibitors bringing cattle to World Dairy Expo will need to have an accepted World Dairy Expo-defined ID tag in the animal's ear upon entering the grounds.
Within this rule change, registration numbers and breed tattoos will no longer be official identification for interstate transport. At the March 4, WDE Dairy Cattle Exhibitor Committee meeting it was approved to require all cattle, including those from Wisconsin, to meet the same World Dairy Expo health check-in identification standard.
The following ID tags will be accepted by World Dairy Expo for health check-in starting in 2013:
A Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) tag - 15 digit number starting with 124
A USDA 840 Animal Identification Number (AIN) RFID Tag - 15 digit number starting with 840
A USDA 840 Animal Identification Number (AIN) Visual Tag - 15 digit number starting with 840
*A manufacturer coded tamper evident RFID tag - 15 digit number starting with 900 or greater
Full text:
http://feedstuffs.com/story-world-dairy-expo-implementing-new-cattle-id-system-45-96688
********
4. Wildlife officials to euthanize diseased bighorn sheep [WA]
Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife News Release
April 1, 2013
OLYMPIA - State wildlife officials will take steps this week to curb the spread of a deadly pneumonia outbreak by euthanizing wild bighorn sheep in the Naches area.
Biologists with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services will spend the next several weeks removing sheep from the Tieton herd, about 10 miles west of Naches.
Because most of the sheep are believed to be infected with a disease that causes pneumonia, almost all of the animals will likely need to be euthanized, said Richard Harris, wildlife manager for WDFW.
"A majority of the live bighorn sheep spotted during recent surveys looked to be in poor condition, with about a third of those animals coughing or showing other signs of the disease," Harris said. "We hate to have to take this action, but we believe it's necessary to stop the spread of a disease that could devastate adjacent herds of wild bighorn sheep in the area."
The disease has already significantly reduced the herd, which is currently estimated at between 35 to 50 animals, said Harris. In recent years, the Tieton herd has numbered as many as 200 animals.
So far, no dead or sick bighorn sheep have been found outside the Tieton herd.
Full text:
http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/apr0113a/
********
5. Judge to decide fate of some Montana bison
MTN News - Bozeman
KAJ18.com
April 1, 2013
BOZEMAN - The future of some Yellowstone bison that were given to Ted Turner is in the hands of a Gallatin County judge.
Four wild buffalo advocacy groups filed a suit against Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks over the decision after FWP gave a group of Yellowstone bison to Turner after they say they ran out of options.
Part of the agreement allows Turner to keep 75% of the offspring of the bison, and return 25% to the state. FWP maintains the decision was the best option for managing the long-term viability of the bison.
The buffalo advocacy groups claim giving the genetically pure, brucellosis free bison to Turner violates public trust.
Judge Holly Brown heard arguments from both side on Friday.
Source:
http://www.kaj18.com/news/judge-to-decide-fate-of-some-montana-bison/#_
********
6. Brazil Is a Step Closer to FMD Free Status
USAgNet
Wisconsin Ag Connection
April 1, 2013
Seven states of north-eastern Brazil are to be foot-and-mouth disease free by May this year.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Supply, official recognition by the World Organization for Animal Health will be forthcoming in recognition for improvements stemming from $34.8 million worth of FMD eradication investments.
On-going eradication measures have been intensifying since 2008 in the hope of securing better disease status and improving livestock profitability and export prospects.
Secretary for Livestock Defense in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Ernie Marques said that to receive a disease status up-grade, sampling and inspections have to be carried out.
Marques adds that the OIE has gathered serological samples and conducted clinical inspections to assess whether the viral circulation is absence.
The second half of 2012 saw over 71,000 animals sampled on 17,000 farms and the continuing studies are expected to stop in early May.
Source: http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-national.php?Id=736&yr=2013
********
7. Unusual Bird Flu Virus Kills Two Men in China
Medical News Today
March 31, 2013
Two men have died in Shanghai after being infected with the H7N9 bird flu virus strain, one that has never affected humans before, Chinese health authorities reported.
The two patients were aged 87 and 27 years. The Xinhua News Agency reported that the younger man, surnamed Wu, became ill on February 19th, 2013 and died just over three weeks later on March 4th. The older man, surnamed Li, became sick on February 27th and died on March 10th.
The older patients' two sons became ill with flu and were hospitalized. The younger son, aged 55, developed severe pneumonia and died. The older son, aged 67, recovered and is no longer in hospital. Chinese health authorities say that neither son had the H7N9 virus.
A third patient, in Chuzhou in the eastern province of Anhui, also became infected with the H7N9 virus strain and became ill on March 10th. The woman, surnamed Han, aged 35, is reported to be in a critical condition in hospital in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province.
Full text:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/258449.php
A service to members of the United States Animal Health Association.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Renew 2013 Individual Dues Here
USAHA News Alert Summaries - April 2, 2013
1. Cervid Industry and State Veterinarians on Rewriting Chronic Wasting Disease Rule
2. New Discovery Makes Detecting Johne's Disease Easier
3. World Dairy Expo implementing new cattle id system
4. Wildlife officials to euthanize diseased bighorn sheep [WA]
5. Judge to decide fate of some Montana bison
6. Brazil Is a Step Closer to FMD Free Status
7. Unusual Bird Flu Virus Kills Two Men in China
* * * * * * * * * *
1. Cervid Industry and State Veterinarians on Rewriting Chronic Wasting Disease Rule
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
APHIS Stakeholder Registry Announcement
April 1, 2013
During its regularly scheduled conference call with USDA officials, the National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials discussed the progress that has been made by the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Program Standards Working Group. Because members of the working group represent varied interests, it has been difficult for the group to reach consensus. Further, Federal dollars to support the CWD program have dramatically decreased, leaving limited options for managing the program.
USDA recognizes that producers have continued concerns about the language in the program standards and the provisions of the CWD interim final rule. Dr. John Clifford, Deputy Administrator, APHIS Veterinary Services, does not support withdrawing the rule or developing a separate industry program; however, he agreed on the conference call to listen to the concerns of stakeholders.
Source:
http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDAAPHIS-73dec3
********
2. New Discovery Makes Detecting Johne's Disease Easier
By Sandra Avant, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff
ARS Magazine - April 2013
April 1, 2013
Before a disease can be treated, it must first be identified. But that's not always easy, especially in the case of Johne's disease, which affects cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and other ruminants.
Johne's disease-also known as "paratuberculosis"-is a costly, contagious disease that causes diarrhea, reduced feed intake, weight loss, and sometimes death. Annual estimated losses to cattle producers range from $40 to $227 per infected animal. For the U.S. dairy industry alone, losses exceed $220 million each year.
For years, scientists have been hampered by the fact that any antibody-a protein produced by the immune system to fight infections and foreign substances-used to detect the Johne's disease bacterium also reacted to other environmental bacteria or maybe the pathogen responsible for bovine tuberculosis. This caused false-positive test results.
"You may think cattle are infected, based on a positive antibody test result, but they may simply have been exposed to nonpathogenic mycobacteria that's ubiquitously present in the environment," says microbiologist John Bannantine at the Agricultural Research Service's National Animal Disease Center (NADC) in Ames, Iowa.
That problem, however, is now history. Bannantine and his colleagues at NADC have found an antibody that's 100 percent specific in detecting Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP)-the cause of Johne's disease.
"No one else in the world has been able to find such a specific antibody that binds only to MAP strains, until now," says Bannantine, who's in NADC's Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research Unit.
Full text:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/apr13/disease0413.htm
********
3. World Dairy Expo implementing new cattle id system
Feedstuffs
April 1, 2013
World Dairy Expo is introducing changes to its dairy cattle health check-in process. In an effort to strengthen the event biosecurity and in accordance with the new USDA Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) rule, exhibitors bringing cattle to World Dairy Expo will need to have an accepted World Dairy Expo-defined ID tag in the animal's ear upon entering the grounds.
Within this rule change, registration numbers and breed tattoos will no longer be official identification for interstate transport. At the March 4, WDE Dairy Cattle Exhibitor Committee meeting it was approved to require all cattle, including those from Wisconsin, to meet the same World Dairy Expo health check-in identification standard.
The following ID tags will be accepted by World Dairy Expo for health check-in starting in 2013:
A Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) tag - 15 digit number starting with 124
A USDA 840 Animal Identification Number (AIN) RFID Tag - 15 digit number starting with 840
A USDA 840 Animal Identification Number (AIN) Visual Tag - 15 digit number starting with 840
*A manufacturer coded tamper evident RFID tag - 15 digit number starting with 900 or greater
Full text:
http://feedstuffs.com/story-world-dairy-expo-implementing-new-cattle-id-system-45-96688
********
4. Wildlife officials to euthanize diseased bighorn sheep [WA]
Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife News Release
April 1, 2013
OLYMPIA - State wildlife officials will take steps this week to curb the spread of a deadly pneumonia outbreak by euthanizing wild bighorn sheep in the Naches area.
Biologists with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services will spend the next several weeks removing sheep from the Tieton herd, about 10 miles west of Naches.
Because most of the sheep are believed to be infected with a disease that causes pneumonia, almost all of the animals will likely need to be euthanized, said Richard Harris, wildlife manager for WDFW.
"A majority of the live bighorn sheep spotted during recent surveys looked to be in poor condition, with about a third of those animals coughing or showing other signs of the disease," Harris said. "We hate to have to take this action, but we believe it's necessary to stop the spread of a disease that could devastate adjacent herds of wild bighorn sheep in the area."
The disease has already significantly reduced the herd, which is currently estimated at between 35 to 50 animals, said Harris. In recent years, the Tieton herd has numbered as many as 200 animals.
So far, no dead or sick bighorn sheep have been found outside the Tieton herd.
Full text:
http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/apr0113a/
********
5. Judge to decide fate of some Montana bison
MTN News - Bozeman
KAJ18.com
April 1, 2013
BOZEMAN - The future of some Yellowstone bison that were given to Ted Turner is in the hands of a Gallatin County judge.
Four wild buffalo advocacy groups filed a suit against Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks over the decision after FWP gave a group of Yellowstone bison to Turner after they say they ran out of options.
Part of the agreement allows Turner to keep 75% of the offspring of the bison, and return 25% to the state. FWP maintains the decision was the best option for managing the long-term viability of the bison.
The buffalo advocacy groups claim giving the genetically pure, brucellosis free bison to Turner violates public trust.
Judge Holly Brown heard arguments from both side on Friday.
Source:
http://www.kaj18.com/news/judge-to-decide-fate-of-some-montana-bison/#_
********
6. Brazil Is a Step Closer to FMD Free Status
USAgNet
Wisconsin Ag Connection
April 1, 2013
Seven states of north-eastern Brazil are to be foot-and-mouth disease free by May this year.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Supply, official recognition by the World Organization for Animal Health will be forthcoming in recognition for improvements stemming from $34.8 million worth of FMD eradication investments.
On-going eradication measures have been intensifying since 2008 in the hope of securing better disease status and improving livestock profitability and export prospects.
Secretary for Livestock Defense in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Ernie Marques said that to receive a disease status up-grade, sampling and inspections have to be carried out.
Marques adds that the OIE has gathered serological samples and conducted clinical inspections to assess whether the viral circulation is absence.
The second half of 2012 saw over 71,000 animals sampled on 17,000 farms and the continuing studies are expected to stop in early May.
Source: http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-national.php?Id=736&yr=2013
********
7. Unusual Bird Flu Virus Kills Two Men in China
Medical News Today
March 31, 2013
Two men have died in Shanghai after being infected with the H7N9 bird flu virus strain, one that has never affected humans before, Chinese health authorities reported.
The two patients were aged 87 and 27 years. The Xinhua News Agency reported that the younger man, surnamed Wu, became ill on February 19th, 2013 and died just over three weeks later on March 4th. The older man, surnamed Li, became sick on February 27th and died on March 10th.
The older patients' two sons became ill with flu and were hospitalized. The younger son, aged 55, developed severe pneumonia and died. The older son, aged 67, recovered and is no longer in hospital. Chinese health authorities say that neither son had the H7N9 virus.
A third patient, in Chuzhou in the eastern province of Anhui, also became infected with the H7N9 virus strain and became ill on March 10th. The woman, surnamed Han, aged 35, is reported to be in a critical condition in hospital in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province.
Full text:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/258449.php
