Health

Don’t Blame USDA for Antibiotic Resistance

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:40:00 +0000

Source: Scott Hurd, DVM

Iowa State University veterinarian Scott Hurd clarifies in the blog below that placing the blame on USDA for antibiotic-resistant strains of salmonella is ill-placed and mischaracterizes the problem of antibiotic resistance.

Canadians: Be Extra Vigilant on PEDV

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:11:00 +0000

Source: Canadian Swine Health Board

Canadian pork producers should be extra vigilant with their herd biosecurity, given that Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus has been found in North America for the first time, according to the Canadian Swine Health Board (CSHB).

Cases have suddenly appeared on multiple unrelated farms in the Midwestern United States, the CSHB says. There are ongoing investigations to determine the origin and common risk factors.

Kansas Lab Announces Testing for PEDV

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:56:00 +0000

Source: Kansas State University

The Kansas State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is now accepting samples for diagnostic testing for porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), which has been recently confirmed in the United States.

Laboratory testing is the only known way to diagnose the virus. The diagnostic laboratory has assembled a team of virologists, molecular diagnosticians and pathologists to rapidly identify the virus.

Follow Biosecurity Rules When Showing Pigs

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:54:00 +0000

Source: National Pork Board

Showing pigs is a dynamic part of the pig industry in the United States. More than a million pigs are born, bred and raised for the show ring each year. But with that exciting part of the pork industry, comes a responsibility to practice good biosecurity to help protect people and pigs from disease threats.

New Swine Disease Strikes Three States

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:21:00 +0000

Source: Joe Vansickle

The National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) at Ames, IA, confirmed on Thursday that Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) has been identified in Indiana, Iowa and Colorado. PEDV is a coronavirus associated with outbreaks of diarrhea and vomiting in swine and appears clinically similar to Transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE), according to information released by the Iowa Pork Industry Center and the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ISU-VDL).

New Cell Line Speeds Identification of FMD

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:48:00 +0000

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

A new cell line that rapidly and accurately detects foot-and-mouth disease (FDM) virus has been developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.

PRRS: Devil in the Details

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:07:00 +0000

PRRS has mutated and evolved to create hundreds of viruses

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus entered the United States in the late 1980s. Through the years, the virus has mutated, evolved and recombined to create hundreds of virus strains today.

Hogs Don’t Have Health Insurance: The Myth of Antibiotic Use

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:50:00 +0000

Source: National Pork Board

Missouri pork producer Chris Chinn, who serves as a Face of Farming & Ranching for U.S. Farmers& Ranchers Alliance, shatters the myth that hogs are regularly fed antibiotics.

Hogs Don’t Have Health Insurance: The Myth of Antibiotic Use

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:47:00 +0000

Source: National Pork Board

Proposal for More Antibiotic Data ‘Waste of Resources’

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:33:00 +0000

Source: Scott Hurd, DVM

Proposed legislation by three senators calling for more data on use of antibiotics in food-producing animals will not prove informative, and would actually be a waste of resources, says Iowa State University veterinary blogger Scott Hurd.