Report pets with Salmonella; send samples
Veterinarians who encounter a patient that has eaten peanut butter or peanut-containing products and has signs of a Salmonella infection are encouraged to report the information to their state and send samples for testing.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asks that suspected or confirmed cases of Salmonella infection be reported to determine whether an animal is infected with the outbreak strain, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. This can be done by contacting a regional Food and Drug Administration consumer complaint coordinator. For a state-by-state listing of coordinators, go to www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html.
The CDC also advises reporting any incidence to a state veterinarian or state public health veterinarian; see links at www.avma.org/aa/peanut_butter_recall.asp. The product manufacturer should also be contacted and made aware of the illness.
Regarding samples, the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians recommends submitting feces (preferred) or vomitus to a state veterinary diagnostic laboratory for Salmonella culturing and DNA fingerprinting. If a state laboratory cannot perform the fingerprinting procedure, the laboratory will forward the sample to one that can.
These AAVLD laboratories will charge the cost of the testing to the veterinarian who submitted the samples. The veterinarian will then determine how the charges will be billed to the client. Clients seeking reimbursement should be instructed to contact the manufacturer.
To locate an AAVLD laboratory, go to the AAVLD home page at www.aavld.org/mc/page.do and click on the “Accreditation” link on the menu bar.
At least three states have reported incidents of dogs that have shown gastrointestinal signs consistent with Salmonella infection. Those dogs were known to have eaten peanut butter products on the recall list.
Ewing honored by CRWAD
Dr. Sidney A. Ewing
Citation: American Journal of Veterinary Research 70, 3; 10.2460/ajvr.70.3.316
Some 480 people attended the 89th annual meeting of the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases Dec. 7-9, 2008, in Chicago.
The conference was dedicated to Dr. Sidney A. Ewing of Stillwater, Okla., professor emeritus of the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
A 1958 graduate of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Ewing has spent his career in the field of veterinary parasitology and is internationally known for his research on parasites transmitted from ticks to dogs.
Soon after receiving his doctorate from Oklahoma State, Dr. Ewing joined the faculty at Mississippi State University in 1965. Three years later, he returned to Oklahoma to head the Veterinary Parasitology and Public Health Department.
In 1972, Dr. Ewing was named dean of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. He returned to Oklahoma State in 1979 when he served as the Wendell H. and Nellie G. Krull Endowed Professor of Veterinary Parasitology and interim associate dean for academic affairs. He retired in 2003.
Life membership was awarded to Dr. Louis F. Archbald, Gainesville, Fla., and James A. Harp, PhD, Ames, Iowa.
Officers of CRWAD for 2009 are Bill Stich, PhD, Columbia, Mo., president; Dr. Eileen L. Thacker, Beltsville, Md., vice president; and Robert P. Ellis, PhD, Fort Collins, Colo., executive director.
The Association for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine named Dr. David W. Hird recipient of the 2008 Calvin W. Schwabe Award. Dr. Hird is professor emeritus at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, where he was a faculty member from 1980-2008.
The 1968 graduate of UC-Davis is widely regarded as a preeminent educator and leader in the fields of veterinary epidemiology and preventive medicine. Dr. Hird is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine and a fellow in the American College of Epidemiology. A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Hird has served as a consultant to the Agriculture Department and to several South American countries on disease surveillance and control programs for livestock.
Recipients of the AVEPM student awards were as follows: Epidemiology and Animal Health Economics category, oral: T. Rosendal, University of Guelph, for “Association between PRRS virus genotypes and clinical signs of disease,” and J.B. Walker, The Ohio State University, for “The effect of strain differences on cure-rates in dairy cows with naturally occurring Staphylococcus aureus intramammary infections.” Food and Environmental Safety category, oral: A. Rodriguez-Palacios, The Ohio State University, for “Wild birds in the epidemiology of Clostridium difficile: A study in the Midwestern USA,” and M.E. Jacob, Kansas State University, for “Evaluating methods for detecting Salmonella in fecal and carcass samples using Bayesian Analysis [FSRRN].” Poster: E. Taylor, Kansas State University, for “Genetic variation and Shiga toxin production of Escherichia coli O157: H7 isolates from bovine and human feces.”
The Mark Gerhart Memorial Award was presented by the AVEPM to Ranata Ivanek, Cornell University, for “Extreme value theory in analysis of differential expression in microarrays where either only up- or down-regulated genes are relevant or expected.”
The American Association of Veterinary Immunologists presented the Distinguished Veterinary Immunologist Award to Lorraine M. Sordillo, PhD, of East Lansing, Mich. Dr. Sordillo is the Meadow Brook Chair in Farm Animal Health and Well-being in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University. She holds a doctorate in immunology from Louisiana State University and her primary research has focused on developing solutions to control mastitis in dairy cattle by understanding basic mammary gland physiology and immunology.
Recipients of the AAVI student awards were as follows: First place, oral: Junbae Jee, The Ohio State University, for “Effect of vitamin A on bovine coronavirus infection, vaccination and immunity in feedlot calves.” Second place, oral: Kuldeep Chatta, University of Guelph, for “Expression of CD21, CD32 and membrane IgM on calf lymphocytes varies with age.” Third place, oral: Ali Elliott, University of Tennessee, for “Altered actin expression by neutrophils from cows genetically more susceptible to mastitis.” First place, poster: Hiep Vu, University of Illinois, for “Sub-typing PRRSV isolates by means of measurement of cross neutralization reactions.” Second place, poster: M.C. Heller, University of California-Davis, for “Rhodococcus equi infection of indoleamine 2, 3 dioxygenase (INDO) knockout mice.” Third place, poster: Mini Bharathan, Texas A&M University, for “Characterization of T lymphocytes response to Staphylococcus aureus sensitized monocyte derived dendritic cells from cows with prior Staphylococcus aureus mastitis.”
The Society for Tropical Veterinary Medicine student award was presented to James B. Reinbold, Kansas State University, for “Comparison of three oral chlortetracycline treatment regimens for persistent Anaplasma marginale carrier clearance.”
The American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists was presented to Amed Mohamed, Purdue University, for “Prevalence of Giardia in US pet dogs and its distribution in the state of Colorado.”
The NC-1041 Enteric Diseases (North Central Committee for Research on Enteric Diseases of Swine and Cattle) student awards were presented to the following recipients: Oral: Eeuri Nam, Kyungpook National University, for “High-density porcine aminopeptidase N (pAPN) is essential for porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infection.” Poster: Dharanesh Gangaiah, Iowa State University, for “Studies on polyphosphate kinases of Campylobacter jejuni.”
The American College of Veterinary Microbiologists selected Dr. Carlton L. Gyles of Toronto as the Distinguished Veterinary Microbiologist for 2008. Dr. Gyles is a professor emeritus in the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Guelph. His decades of research on E coli led to such discoveries as the E coli heat-labile enterotoxin and E coli plasmids with enterotoxin and drug resistance genes.
The ACVM student awards were presented to the following recipients: In vitro category: Y.P. Lin, Cornell Unviersity, for “Fibronectin-binding activity on a surface exposed domain within the C-terminal variable region of Leptospira interrogans LigB protein.” Molecular category: E. Kabara, University of Minnesota, for “Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis transcriptionally regulates apoptotic genes in the bovine macrophage.” In vivo category: Robin L. Cissell, University of Tennessee, for “Prevalence of malignant catarrhal fever virus—white-tailed deer variant in Tennessee hunter harvested deer.” Poster: R.J. Ortiz-Marty, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, for “Suppression of bovine mammary epithelial cell immune response by intracellular Staphylococcus aureus.”
The ACVM's Don Kahn Award was presented to D.M. Madson, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, for “Reproductive effects of PCV2 in semen when used for artificial insemination.”
The Biosafety and Biosecurity Awards, sponsored by the Animal Health Institute, were presented to the following students: Lindsey Holmstrom, Texas A&M University, for “Movement patterns of feral swine (Sus scrofa) in a South Texas rangeland: implications for disease transmission dynamics,” and Kevin J. Cummings, Texas A&M University, for “Salmonella among cattle admitted to a veterinary medical teaching hospital.” Poster: Lindsey Leister, Cornell University, for “Potential mechanical and antiviral methods to insure PRRSV free semen.”
Texas A&M has a new dean
Dr. Eleanor M. Green
Citation: American Journal of Veterinary Research 70, 3; 10.2460/ajvr.70.3.316
Dr. Eleanor M. Green has been named dean of the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, effective March 1. She succeeds Dr. H. Richard Adams, who returned to the faculty of the Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology.
Since 1996, Dr. Green has served as Florida's professor and chair of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences. She also was chief of staff for the college's Large Animal Hospital.
Prior to that, Dr. Green was professor and head of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and director of the Large Animal Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of Tennessee.
Dr. Green earned her DVM degree from Auburn University in 1973. She is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Specialty of Internal Medicine, and a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.
ACVP announces diplomates
The ACVP recognized 76 new diplomates on successful completion of the certifying examination in Ames, Iowa, Sept. 23-25, 2008.
Certified as veterinary anatomic pathologists were Drs. Muthafar Al-Haddawi, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Esther Arifin, Winston-Salem, N.C.; Neel Ibn-Anwar Aziz, Laurel, Md.; Dinesh S. Bangari, West Lafayette, Ind.; Gillian L. Beamer, Columbus, Ohio; Jaromir Benak, Leeds, United Kingdom; Ingrid L. Bergin, Ypsilanti, Mich.; Anthony S. Besier, Roleystone, Australia; Luke Borst, Savoy, Ill.; Sebastian J. Brennan, Morris Plains, N.J., Matthew A. Buccellato, Columbus, Ohio; Jennifer A. Cann, Winston-Salem, N.C.; Erica E. Carroll, Silver Spring, Md.; Thomas E. Cecere, Blacksburg, Va.; Taylor B. Chance, Washington, D.C.; Lily I. Cheng, Darnestown, Md.; Amy C. Durham, Philadelphia; Carissa K. Embury-Hyatt, Richer, Manitoba, Canada; David G. Tapia, Ames, Iowa; Gabriel Gomez, Bryan, Texas; Olga D. González, Madison, Wis.; Jessica S. Hoane, Kalamazoo, Mich.; Renee R. Hukkanen; Seattle; Kyathanahalli Janardhan, Manhattan, Kan.; Yava L. Jones, Gaithersburg, Md.; Rebecca A. Kagan, Willowbrook, Ill.; Cameron G. Knight, Palmerstown North, New Zealand; Leah A. Kuhnt, Auburn, Ala.; Brandon N.M. Lillie, Milton, Ontario, Canada; David X. Liu, Mandeville, La.; Alan T. Loynachan, Ames, Iowa; Jennifer Luff, Davis, Calif.; Douglas E. Lyman, Spencer, Wis.; Shannon Martinson, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada; William A. Meier, Sun Prairie, Wis.; Andrew D. Miller, Natick, Mass.; Ikki Mitsui, West Lafayette, Ind.; Rebecca R. Moore, Durham, N.C.; Pamela Mouser, LaFayette, Ind.; Sureshkumar Muthupalani, Norwood, Mass.; Murali V.P. Nadella, Madison, Wis.; Geoff Orbell, Pullman, Wash.; Kiran Palyada, Ithaca, N.Y.; Marcia E. Pereira, Somerset, N.J.; Joëlle Pinard, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada; Pandiri A.K. Reddy, Raleigh, N.C.; Aaron M. Sargeant, Dublin, Ohio; Denise J. Schwahn, Columbus, Ohio; Emma Scurrell, North Mymms, Herts, United Kingdom; Maureen C. Speltz, Stanchfield, Minn.; Michelle E. Thompson, Montgomery Village, Md.; Gaurav Tyagi, Urbana, Ill.; Arnaud J. Van Wettere, Raleigh, N.C.; Kapil Vashisht, Mattawan, Mich.; Joshua D. Webster, Lafayette, Ind.; and Moges W. Woldemariam, Tifton, Ga.
Certified as veterinary clinical pathologists were Drs. Mehrdad Ameri, Plattsburgh, N.Y.; Rannou Benoit, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada; Seth E. Chapman, Columbus, Ohio; Tanya M. Grondin, Glen Allen, Va.; Aristodimos Hatzis, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom; Natalie (Tasha) Kowalewich, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada; Michal Neta, Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Indira S. Pargass, Valsayn North, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies; Caroline Piché, Longueuil, Quebec, Canada; Felipe Reggeti, Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Angela B. Royal, Columbia, Mo.; Laura A. Snyder, Pinehurst, N.C.; Jaime Tarigo, Cary, N.C.; Ashlee S. Urbasic, Champaign, Ill.; Julie L. Webb, Madison, Wis.; Angela L. Wilcox, Reno, Nev.; Matthew L. Williams, Smyrna, Ga.; Randolph J. Wilson, Kalamazoo, Mich.; and Shanon Zabolotzky, Sacramento, Calif. Dr. Kurt L. Zimmerman, Blacksburg, Va., received dual certification in veterinary anatomic and clinical pathology.
Comments invited on proposed sports medicine and rehabilitation specialty
The AVMA American Board of Veterinary Specialties has received a petition for recognition of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation as a new “recognized veterinary specialty organization.” In compliance with ABVS procedures (www.avma.org/education/abvs/abvs_policies_II.asp), the ABVS is now seeking comment from the public and the profession regarding the proposed new specialty organization.
The organizing committee of the proposed American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation submitted a letter of intent to the ABVS in 2003 and a formal petition for recognition of the specialty organization to the ABVS Committee on the Development of New Specialties in November 2008. The development committee determined the petition fulfilled minimal requirements.
The ACVMSR organizing committee has indicated the new specialty organization would meet the unique needs of athletic and working animals to optimize performance, treat injury and disease, and provide rehabilitation after injury. The organizing committee has said the growth of animal participation in sports and service activities, coupled with recognition of the benefits of rehabilitation, are substantial enough to warrant formation of a new specialty certification program and recognition of a new veterinary specialty organization.
The petition estimates 30 veterinarians are currently involved in graduate or residency programs with a sports medicine or rehabilitation focus.
Twenty veterinary specialty organizations are currently recognized by the AVMA (www.avma.org/reference/marketstats/vetspec.asp). All AVMA-recognized specialty organizations and specialties comply with recognition guidelines outlined in the ABVS Policies and Procedures Manual, which are available online at www.avma.org/education/abvs/abvs_pp.asp. Refer to those guidelines when developing comments regarding the proposed new American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation specialty organization.
The American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation is the first organization to petition to become a standalone specialty organization and to have its petition distributed for public comment since the early 1990s, when the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists sought initial recognition. The ABVS reviews petitions and forwards recommendations regarding recognition to the Council on Education, which if in agreement, forwards any ABVS recommendations to the AVMA Executive Board.
Comments must be signed and received no later than Nov. 1, 2009, by David Banasiak, AVMA Education and Research Division, 1931 N. Meacham Road, Suite 100, Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360, or via e-mail at dbanasiak@avma.org. Questions regarding the recognition guidelines or the proposed new specialty may be directed to Banasiak via e-mail or by phone, (800) 248-2862, Ext. 6677.
Ross students present findings to WHO
Three veterinary students from Ross University in the West Indies recently presented findings on alveolar echinococcosis to the World Health Organization's Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group.
The foodborne epidemiology reference group held a meeting Nov. 17-21, 2008, in Geneva to discuss progress on the WHO Initiative to Estimate the Global Burden of Foodborne Diseases. Among the members of FERG is Dr. Paul R. Torgerson, a professor of epidemiology and public health at the Ross veterinary school.
Dr. Torgerson received a WHO grant for a project to estimate the human burden of alveolar echinococcosis, which results from infection with the larval stage of the tapeworm species Echinococcus multilocularis. Foxes and domestic dogs are among the definitive hosts of E multilocularis, and rodents are generally the intermediate hosts—though humans also can be intermediate hosts.
Dr. Torgerson invited three veterinary students at Ross—Krista Keller (ROS '10), Melissa Magnotta (ROS '11), and Natalie H. Raglan-Beckford (ROS '11)—to review literature on the disease to help estimate an incidence rate for humans.
Dr. Torgerson and Keller, who spent a semester working on the project full time, traveled with Magnotta and Raglan-Beckford, parttime research assistants, to Geneva for the students to present their findings to the FERG.
The literature review and subsequent analysis estimated an annual incidence of 43,000 cases of alveolar echinococcosis in humans worldwide. About 40,000 of these cases occur in China—particularly in Tibet, perhaps because the region's isolation has led to a lack of awareness of the disease. About 1,200 cases occur annually in Russia.
Details about the Initiative to Estimate the Global Burden of Foodborne Disease are available at www.who.int/foodsafety under “Foodborne Disease Burden.”
Conference draws veterinary leaders to Chicago; HOD acts on proposals
The 476 leaders of the veterinary profession who gathered in Chicago Jan. 9-11 for the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference included 60 Future Leaders who graduated within the past seven years. The AVMA covered the conference expenses for each Future Leader selected by an organization represented in the House of Delegates. Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc. and Fort Dodge Animal Health co-sponsored the conference, during which Hill's also held a mini-Veterinary Leadership Experience for the Future Leaders.
The HOD's second winter session was held during the conference. Nine resolutions were submitted for HOD consideration; see an online report at www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/feb09/090215c.asp.
The HOD authorized a bylaws amendment providing that the AVMA vice president will serve a single, two-year term. Also of note, delegates disapproved an amendment that would have sunset the Council on Communications.
The conference opening speaker was Michael Dunn, a public affairs consultant from Washington, D.C. He discussed how veterinarians can inject their professional expertise into the federal policymaking process by cultivating relationships with members of Congress.
AVMA President James O. Cook's address focused on support for the National Animal Identification System. Also, he encouraged veterinarians in their practices to provide compassionate care not only for their patients but also for their clients.
AVMA Treasurer Bret D. Marsh's report indicated the Association remains solvent despite a projection of $6.8 million in expenses exceeding income for the 2008 fiscal year budget, which was originally anticipated to come in $118,400 in the black. The Association took the biggest hit from its investment portfolio, to the tune of $4.8 million, or a decrease of about 28 percent.
Executive Vice President W. Ron DeHaven touched on progress seen with the AVMA's strategic goals. Among other things, searchable databases are being developed on AVMA policies and for helping the public locate veterinary hospitals. AVMA staff are speaking to law schools with animal law programs. A panel is in the process of updating the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. And the AVMA is examining the feasibility of combining its Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates Program with the American Association of Veterinary State Boards' Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence.
The candidate for AVMA president-elect, Dr. Larry M. Kornegay, and the candidate for reelection as vice president, Dr. Garry S. Brown, gave short addresses.
Dr. Melanie A. Marsden of Colorado Springs, Colo., spoke about how generational differences may impact the future of organized veterinary medicine. Engaging and managing Generation Y—those born between 1978 and 1994—in veterinary practice and organizational leadership was the focus of workforce trend.
Price, Trimmer elected to AVMA Executive Board
Drs. V. Hugh “Chip” Price Jr. of Shreveport, La., and H. Theodore Trimmer of Las Vegas were elected in uncontested races to the AVMA Executive Board representing districts VIII and X, respectively. They will be installed on the board at its July 14 meeting in Seattle.
Dr. Price will replace Dr. Larry M. Kornegay, who is running for AVMA president-elect. District VIII comprises Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. Dr. Trimmer replaces Dr. David L. McCrystle, current board chair. District X comprises California, Hawaii, and Nevada.
Dr. Price is director of Animal Resources and an associate professor at the Louisiana State Health Sciences Center. The 1980 graduate of Louisiana State University College of Veterinary Medicine is the Louisiana delegate in the AVMA House of Delegates and also a member of the House Advisory Committee.
Dr. Trimmer owns and is involved in multiple companion animal practices in Las Vegas and is a trustee of the AVMA Group Health and Life Insurance Trust. A 1968 graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Trimmer is the Nevada delegate in the AVMA HOD.
Set sail for Seattle and the AVMA convention
Attendees at the 2009 AVMA Annual Convention can sample the Seattle scene while earning up to 40 hours of continuing education credit.
The 146th AVMA Annual Convention is July 11-14 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in downtown Seattle, not far from the waterfront and the city's famous Pike Place Market. Advance registration continues through April 13 at the convention Web site, www.avmaconvention.org.
The AVMA again is offering 50-minute educational sessions as well as interactive labs and hands-on computer classes. The two-hour lunch break in the schedule will allow time to explore the exhibit hall or walk to nearby shops and restaurants.
The convention Web site features a one-minute video tour of Seattle's highlights with narration by Dr. Sandy Willis, a native of the city and Washington's alternate delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates.
A link on the convention Web site connects directly to the secure online registration and housing site. Online registrants can tell in real time which hotel options and prices are still available.
The AVMA offers advance registration until April 13, preconvention registration from April 14-June 12, and on-site registration from July 10-14. With each registration period, the fees increase by $25 to $50, depending on the registration category.
