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Topic: Information Releases from other Sources
The new items published under this topic are as follows.
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News: Incoming president Cook sees more proactive Association
Posted by: JimEdwards on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 01:58 PM
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SUPPORTS EASIER IDENTIFICATION OF PETS, FOOD ANIMALS
By R. Scott Nolen
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AVMA is becoming more proactive about addressing veterinary and animal needs, according to Dr. James O. Cook, the 2008-2009 AVMA president.
Shoring up veterinary shortages in rural communities and showing that the AVMA is the "go to" organization on animal welfare issues are among the areas in which the Association is making progress, he said.
Dr. Cook credited his presidential predecessors—Drs. Roger K. Mahr and Hammer—for advancing the AVMA's mission by promoting the one-health initiative and expanding the veterinary workforce.
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Publications: One Health: A New Professional Imperative
Posted by: JimEdwards on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 01:56 PM
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The AVMA One Health Initiative Task Force's final report is now available on the AVMA Web site.
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 The convergence of people, animals, and our environment has created a new dynamic in which the health of each group is inextricably interconnected. The challenges associated with this dynamic are demanding, profound, and unprecedented. While the demand for animal-based protein is expected to increase by 50% by 2020,2 animal populations are under heightened pressure to survive, and further loss of biodiversity is highly probable.
On top of that, of the 1,461 diseases now recognized in humans, approximately 60% are due to multi-host pathogens characterized by their movement across species lines.3 And, over the last three decades, approximately 75% of new emerging human infectious diseases have been zoonotic. Our increasing interdependence with animals and their products may well be the single most critical risk factor to our health and well-being with regard to infectious diseases.
There is a growing concern that the world’s latest generation could be the first in history to experience a reduction in life expectancy and health in general. Yet, veterinary and human medicines are considered separate entities and the obvious links between them frequently ignored. According to the KPMG study, “The Current and Future Market for Veterinarians and Veterinary Medicine in the United States,”5 published in May of 1999, “our traditional approaches and past requisite skills and levels of knowledge may not be commensurate with the rapid changes and new demands of food-animal industries and the shifting requirements needed for the corporate and public opportunities in the future. These include public health, biomedical research, and the global food system.”
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News: RCVS launches research into 24-hour cover provision
Posted by: JimEdwards on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 01:50 PM
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 The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has launched a research project into the extent to which veterinary surgeons are able to meet its requirement that steps are taken to provide 24-hour emergency cover.
The College’s 24-hour Emergency Cover Working Party (24-7 WP) has been considering the ongoing practicality of the current requirement in the Guide to Professional Conduct, and whether it should remain, be removed, or be amended in some way. The research aims to build a sound evidence base on which a decision can be made.
“Changes in practice profiles and owner demands, health and safety issues, the desire for an improved work-life balance, veterinary and animal density… all these factors affect the ability of veterinary practitioners to meet our 24-7 requirement.
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News: Food Safety Developments Are in the Air
Posted by: JimEdwards on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 01:49 PM
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By Laura McGinnis
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An experimental treatment from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) could one day help protect some fresh produce from potentially dangerous microbes such as Salmonella, Listeria and Escherichia coli O157:H7.
The treatment relies on cold plasma, which is generated when some form of concentrated energy--in this case, electricity--is introduced into a gas until free electrons are torn from the gas's atoms.
This plasma-forming process is related to the technology used to create plasma for computer chips. But in addition to increasing conductivity, the process of turning gas into plasma has an antimicrobial effect. The ARS researchers aren't the first to harness this technology for food safety purposes, but their method of production has the potential for increased efficiency and lower costs when applied at a larger scale.
To make plasma, other food safety scientists use gas mixtures that include exotic gases like helium or argon, but the ARS team is using the cheapest gas mixture available: air.
In addition to its economic benefits, air--unlike other gases--doesn't need to be confined to a closed chamber during plasma production. This means that at a pilot scale, this particular method of plasma treatment could be done continuously, on a conveyor belt, which would translate to better efficiency and increased cost savings.
At the ARS Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, Pa., microbiologist Brendan Niemira and engineer Joseph Sites--who are developing the process--exposed Golden Delicious apple samples to various microbial pathogens. Then they treated the samples with plasma.
The scientists observed that any exposure to the plasma resulted in a significant reduction in pathogen numbers without harming the apples. Raising the air flow rate and length of exposure increased the antimicrobial activity.
The research was conducted at a laboratory scale and is still in experimental stages. Future studies will include other types of produce and expand the scale of the plasma-creation process.
This research was published in the July 2008 issue of the Journal of Food Protection.
ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Further reading:
Nonthermal food processing heats up
Pathogen studies could result in safer produce
With a good dunking, just-cut produce stays fresher longer
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Publications: The Veterinary Record - 19 July 2008; Vol. 163, No. 3
Posted by: JimEdwards on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 01:49 PM
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Comment
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Companion animal surveillance
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News and Reports
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FAWC assesses the welfare implications of tail docking and castration of lambs
FAWC's annual review
Vets urged to ensure vaccination of rare breeds
RCVS warns employers to check the status of new recruits
New officer team at the RCVS
Source of avian influenza virus in Oxfordshire uncertain
Facing up to the threat of biological warfare
Koi herpesvirus outbreaks
Suspected adverse reactions, 2007
F. Dyer, M. Spagnuolo-Weaver, S. Cooles, and A. Tait
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Opinion & Comment: Improving wildlife surveillance for its protection
Posted by: JimEdwards on Friday, July 18, 2008 - 09:05 PM
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<bWhile protecting us from the diseases it transmits
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 Wildlife diseases are of growing concern worldwide. In addition to threatening populations of wild animals themselves, wildlife disease can affect domestic animals and human health. This is particularly true in present days, when emerging diseases shared by both animals and humans increasingly come to our attention in the new context of globalisation of movement of commodities and climate change. Furthermore the legal and illegal market of wildlife which is estimated at a minimum of 6 billion US dollars is growing rapidly and also contributes to the global dissemination of new pathogens and emerging diseases. Therefore, a better understanding of diseases present in wildlife and their effects on wildlife, domestic animals and humans is of key importance to develop control measures.
The OIE calls the international community as a whole to support national Veterinary Services in order to strengthen their surveillance capacities of diseases in wildlife particularly in order to closely monitor what has the potential to become a threat to domestic animals and eventually to humans. The OIE will also continue to plead to safeguard natural ecosystems together with wild animal species which have survived the planetary upheavals, because they are global public goods.
For all this, the surveillance of wild animal diseases, the sanitary control of international trade of domestic and wild animals and animal products using OIE standards recognized by the World Trade Organisation, as well as the control of non appropriate transfer of invasive species and non desirable animals or plants are essential actions.
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Bernard Vallat
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News: Celebration of WORLD ZOONOSIS DAY in Nepal
Posted by: JimEdwards on Friday, July 18, 2008 - 09:04 PM
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 The Nepal Veterinary Association and Directorate of Livestock Market Promotion jointly organized a national workshop on “Status and Challenges of Meat Hygiene and Marketing in
Nepal” on the premises of the DLS meeting hall, Hariharbhawan, Lalitpur on July 6 to mark World Zoonosis Day. The purpose of celebrating the Zoonosis Day was to create awareness and seek the responsibility of govt. as well as line agencies to control the zoonotic diseases in Nepal.
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Publications: OP News - Winter 2008 edition
Posted by: JimEdwards on Friday, July 18, 2008 - 09:04 PM
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 The winter edition of OP News (2008) can be downloaded from the following website in PDF format: http://www.library.up.ac.za/vet/opnews/. This site also enables one to access previous editions of OP News.
In a joint initiative the ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute ARC-OVI), Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), University of Pretoria – Onderstepoort Faculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Agriculture (DoA) and the South African Veterinary Association (SAVA) have organised the Onderstepoort Centenary celebrations to mark 100 years of veterinary excellence. The event will be held from the 6-9th of October 2008 at Onderstepoort.
The heart of the celebrations will be the Onderstepoort 2008 Pan African Veterinary Conference. In 1908 such a Conference formed part of the inauguration ceremony of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Laboratory. It was the first of a series of similar conferences held in different African countries during the first half of the 20th century. It is therefore fitting that the centenary celebrations of the Onderstepoort complex in 2008 should again be accompanied by a Pan-African meeting of those involved in combating animal diseases on the continent.
The event will undoubtedly celebrate accomplishments over the past hundred years but it will lay particular emphasis on future challenges concerning training institutions, the role of technological developments such as the design and production of vaccines and diagnostic methods. Issues around trade and trans-boundary diseases will also be discussed.
The theme for the conference is: “A centenary celebration of the founding of Onderstepoort, focusing on the impact of animal diseases on food security and the economic development of Africa”. This Conference will be enhanced by various social informal and formal activities.
Registration and other information can be found at www.onderstepoort100.co.za or by calling Petrie Vogel at + 27 12 346 1150, e-mail Petrie@sava.co.za or Dr Johan Grobbelaar at +27 12 529 9101, e-mail GrobbelaarJ@arc.agric.za
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Publications: World Mycotoxin Journal - Volume 1 Number 2 available
Posted by: JimEdwards on Friday, July 18, 2008 - 09:03 PM
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Wageningen Academic Publishers would like to inform you that number 2 of the 'World Mycotoxin Journal' is available. The content is available in print and online . To have access to the full online content, an institutional subscription is needed. Title, authors, abstract and references are available without a subscription.
For more information about ‘World Mycotoxin Journal’, subscriptions or submitting papers, please visit our website www.wageningenacademic.com/wmj.
Wageningen Academic Publishers
P.O. Box 220
6700 AE Wageningen
The Netherlands
phone: +31 317 476515
fax: +31 317 453417
www.wageningenacademic.com
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Publications: New science books and bioscience books for 2009
Posted by: JimEdwards on Friday, July 18, 2008 - 09:03 PM
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The following highly recommended science reference books will be available soon. To be kept informed of publication progress please sign up for our newsletter at http://www.horizonpress.com/newsletter
Clostridia: Molecular Biology in the Post-genomic Era
Microbial Production of Biopolymers and Polymer Precursors: Applications and Perspectives
Real-Time PCR: Current Technology and Applications
Mycobacterium: Genomics and Molecular Biology
Lactobacillus Molecular Biology: From Genomics to Probiotics
Plant Pathogenic Bacteria: Genomics and Molecular Biology
Contact details are at http://www.caister.com
Horizon Scientific Press
Rowan House
Hethersett
Norwich
UK
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Publications: The Veterinary Record - 12 July 2008; Vol. 163, No. 2
Posted by: JimEdwards on Friday, July 18, 2008 - 09:03 PM
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Walking away from TB
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News and Reports
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Minister rules out badger culling
DEFRA consults on wildlife management...
.. and on changes to the Dangerous Wild Animals Act
Dog makes a beeline for nests
EC adopts regulation on equine ID
New chief executive for Animal Health
Bluetongue protection zone extended
AI restrictions lifted
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News: July meeting of BVA Council
Posted by: JimEdwards on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 04:04 PM
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Emerging Companion Animal Disease, Vets & Veterinary Services, the Veterinary Surgeons Act
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 The agenda for the BVA’s July Council meeting covered a range of matters of interest, not only to BVA members but to the profession as a whole, not least the presentations by BSAVA President Professor Ed Hall on a number of key companion animal issues and that by the new Defra Chief Veterinary Officer, Mr Nigel Gibbens.
Professor Hall's presentation was divided into four categories - animal welfare, veterinary public health, research and pet travel. Under animal welfare, Council heard about suggestions for making legislation relating to dangerous dogs more effective, not least the concept of 'deed not breed' and the opening of the existing exemption list, as well as the lack of progress on both secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act and the publication of the Dog and Cat Codes. Insofar as the Act itself was concerned there were still problems vis a vis tail-docking, not least due to differing legislation within the devolved regions.
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News: New President for the RCVS
Posted by: JimEdwards on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 04:03 PM
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RCVS Day - the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ AGM and Awards Day - saw the investiture of the new President, Mrs Jill Nute, on 4 July 2008, at One Great George Street, London.
Mrs Nute graduated from Liverpool University in 1970 and initially assisted in mixed practice in the Lake District, Droitwich and Leominster. In 1976, she established a mixed practice with her husband Geoff, a fellow Liverpool graduate, in Wadebridge, Cornwall.
Mrs Nute has been an RCVS Council member since 1993, serving on all of its committees. She has chaired many of these committees and additional working parties, including the Advisory and Public Affairs Committees. She served on the Officer team as Treasurer for three years, from 1996-1999, and is currently Chairman of the Practice Standards Group.
Spending several years on the Councils of the British Veterinary Association and the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS), she was elected President of SPVS in 1991.
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News: Veterinary clinic has handled Hendra well
Posted by: JimEdwards on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 04:03 PM
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The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) applauds the actions of the veterinary hospital at the centre of an outbreak of the Hendra virus in Brisbane.
Four horses have now been confirmed with Hendra infection by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F), and the vets at the clinic are working closely with Biosecurity Queensland to determine how the outbreak occurred.
“The clinic has been following all appropriate precautions from the outset and even placed itself into voluntary quarantine after they notified DPI&F that they suspected an unusual disease outbreak,” said Dr James Gilkerson, President of Equine Veterinarians Australia, a special interest group of the AVA.
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News: Climate change will have strong impact on fisheries
Posted by: JimEdwards on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 04:03 PM
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Decrease in fisheries production likely – FAO holds scientific symposium
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 Temperature and other variations resulting from climate change will have a strong impact on fisheries and aquaculture, with significant food security consequences for certain populations, FAO said this week.
The UN food agency’s note of caution came at the start of a four day scientific symposium on climate change and marine fisheries being held at its Rome headquarters (8-11 July 2008). The event, which involves over 200 experts and policymakers from around the globe, aims to paint a fuller picture of the challenges that climate change poses to marine fisheries and the millions of people who depend on them for food and income.
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News: Healthy Animals
Posted by: JimEdwards on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 04:03 PM
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 Issue 34, July 2008
Welcome to Healthy Animals, an online compilation of animal health-related research news put out each quarter by the Information Staff of the Agricultural Research Service. ARS is the chief scientific agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Alternative Feeds Initiative
USDA and NOAA Collaborate to Improve Aquaculture Feed
One of the best ways to get high-quality protein and nutritious omega-3 fatty acids is by eating fish. And fish get them the same way humans do.
Both wild and farmed fish get much of their dietary nutrition by eating fish; wild fish consume them as prey, and farmed fish consume fish meal in pellets. This consumption, however, puts pressure on the wild fish that live in the planet's oceans and waterways, so the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is collaborating with the national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to find a solution.
Research Briefs
Save the shellfish! Protecting oysters from burrowing shrimp.
Making a splash New fish research lab opens in Maine.
Great grains New eco-friendly barley makes fabulous forage.
Influenza information Scientists release avian influenza genome sequences.
Cow whisperers Technology could guide cattle on the range.
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News: New on VETS.TV - BVA AWF Discussion Forum 2008 and the Young Vet Network
Posted by: JimEdwards on Tuesday, July 08, 2008 - 04:09 PM
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 Anyone unable to attend the latest in the increasingly popular BVA Animal Welfare Foundation discussion forums, held in May, can now catch up on the presentations on VETS.TV - the new web TV service currently being piloted by BVA - which can be accessed at www.vets.tv.
All the presentations ‘Put your money where your mouth is - can people afford animal welfare in food production’, ‘Designer animals or breeding for welfare’ and ‘Electric aid or shock collar’ as well as the Norman Hayward Fund sponsored session - which included presentations on both the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) and Edinburgh University laminitis studies and the casualty slaughter of sheep - along with the Chair of the BVA:AWF Trustees, Carl Padgett’s summary of the day, are now available online to view at your convenience.
Also new on VETS.TV is an interview with Young Vet Network (YVN) senior graduate BVA Council representative, Louisa Rance who talks about the work of the YVN and how it is helping newly qualified vets with the challenges faced after leaving vet school and a series of videos, courtesy of Farmers Weekly, on Bluetongue - what it is, how it is transmitted, the symptoms and vaccination advice.
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News: One World, One Disease - effects of climate change on animal and human health
Posted by: JimEdwards on Tuesday, July 08, 2008 - 04:09 PM
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Three quarters of emerging human diseases are transmitted from animals. Professor Malcolm Bennett, from the National Centre for Zoonoses Research at the University of Liverpool, reminded delegates of this statistic at the ‘One World, One Disease,’ seminar at the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM), on 24 June 2008.
It was one of the facts that made the event - which explored the impact of climate change on plant, human and animal health - such an important one.
The event was jointly organised by the RSM and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), and in her welcome address, RSM President Professor Baroness Ilora Finlay of Llandaff suggested that the organisation should really be considered “the Royal Society of Dentists, Medics and Veterinary Surgeons”, as all shared common interests and must work closely together.
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News: Gene therapy improves survival and quality of life of dogs with cancer
Posted by: JimEdwards on Tuesday, July 08, 2008 - 04:08 PM
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 A new gene therapy has helped pet dogs with cancer live longer and could potentially improve the quality of life and survival of people with cancer, said the therapy's developers. The single treatment works by increasing muscle strength and correcting common complications of cancer such as weakness, weight loss and anemia, said principal investigator Ruxandra Draghia-Akli, MD, PhD, researcher, VGX Pharmaceuticals Inc., The Woodlands, Tex. Such complications occur in more than 50 percent of patients with cancer and, along with loss of appetite and fatigue, result in poor quality of life, she said. If cachexia--muscle wasting and severe weight loss--develops, it can prevent cancer-specific therapy from being given and may be a direct cause of death. "With our type of gene therapy," Draghia-Akli said, "we can 'trick' certain types of cells in the body to naturally produce specific hormones." These hormones have a muscle-building, or anabolic, effect.
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