AASV News – July 2012

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on April 6 that the order of prohibition of cephalosporins originally published on January 6, 2012, is now effective. The order prohibits certain uses of the cephalosporin class of antimicrobial drugs (excluding cephapirin) in cattle, swine, chickens, and turkeys. The FDA is taking this action to preserve the effectiveness of cephalosporin drugs for treating disease in humans. Prohibiting these uses is intended to reduce the risk of cephalosporin resistance in certain bacterial pathogens.

In its order, FDA is prohibiting what are called “extra-label” or unapproved uses of cephalosporins in cattle, swine, chickens, and turkeys, the so-called major species of food-producing animals. Specifically, the prohibited uses include the following:

•  Using cephalosporin drugs at unapproved dose levels, frequencies, durations, or routes of administration;

•  Using cephalosporin drugs in cattle, swine, chickens, or turkeys that are not approved for use in that species (eg, cephalosporin drugs intended for humans or companion animals);

•  Using cephalosporin drugs for disease prevention.

The order had a comment period of 60 days that began on January 6, 2012, and closed on March 6, 2012. The FDA reviewed all submitted comments and determined that the order of prohibition, as published on January 6, 2012, should go into effect on April 5, 2012, without further revision or delay.

44th AASV Annual Meeting: Call for submissions – Industrial Partners session

The American Association of Swine Veterinarians invites submissions for the Industrial Partners portion of the 44th AASV Annual Meeting, to be held March 2-5, 2013, in San Diego, California. This is an opportunity for commercial companies to make brief presentations of a technical, educational nature to members of the AASV.

As in the past, the oral sessions will consist of a series of 15-minute presentations scheduled from 1:00 to 5:00 pm on Sunday afternoon, March 3. A poster session will take place on the same day. Poster authors will be required to be stationed with their posters from 12:00 noon until 1:00 pm, and the posters will remain on display throughout the afternoon and the following day for viewing by meeting attendees.

Restricted program space necessitates a limit on the number of presentations per company. Companies that are members of the Journal of Swine Health and Production Industry Support Council (listed on the back cover of each issue of the journal) may submit two topics for oral presentation. All other companies may submit one topic for oral presentation. Each company may also submit one topic for poster presentation (poster topics may not duplicate oral presentations). All topics must represent information not previously presented at the AASV Annual Meeting or published in the meeting proceedings.

Topic titles, a brief description of the presentation content, and presenter information (name, address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail address) must be received in the AASV office by October 1, 2012. Please identify whether the submission is intended for oral or poster presentation. Send submissions via mail, fax, or e-mail to Commercial Sessions, AASV, 830 26th Street, Perry, IA 50220-2328; Fax: 515-465-3832; E-mail: aasv@aasv.org.

Authors will be notified of their acceptance by October 15, 2012, and must submit the paper for publication in the meeting proceedings by November 15, 2012. All presentations – oral and poster – will be published in the proceedings of the meeting. Papers for poster presentations are limited to one page of text plus one table or figure. Papers for oral presentations may be up to five pages in length (including tables and figures) when formatted according to the guidelines provided to authors upon acceptance of their presentation. Companies failing to submit papers in a timely manner will not be eligible for future participation in these sessions.

AASV members receive discount on Diseases of Swine, 10th edition

First published in 1958, Diseases of Swine has been fully revised and updated. The 10th edition of this classic reference adds new knowledge throughout in a revised format to provide more intuitive access to information. Members of AASV receive a 20% discount by using the promotional code “AASV” when ordering. To order, call 877-762-2974 (outside the United States and Canada, call +44 1243 843-294) or go to http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-081382267X.html.

With chapters written by more than 150 of the foremost experts in the field, Diseases of Swine remains the premier source of comprehensive information on swine production, health, and management for swine-health specialists of all disciplines and at any level of expertise, including veterinarians, researchers, and students. The 10th edition adds chapters on the cardiovascular system, diagnostic tests and test performance, food safety and zoonotic diseases, show and pet pigs, and the most current information on both long-recognized and emerging pathogens. The 10th edition is edited by Jeffrey J. Zimmerman, Locke A. Karriker, Alejandro Ramirez, Kent J. Schwartz, and Gregory W. Stevenson.

44th AASV Annual Meeting: Call for abstracts – Research Topics session

Plans are underway for the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV), to take place in San Diego, California, on March 2-5, 2013. As part of the meeting, there will be a session highlighting research projects related to swine health and production. Abstracts are now being accepted for potential presentation during the Research Topics session.

Those interested in making a 15-minute oral presentation should submit a one-page abstract on applied research related to swine health and production issues (virology, bacteriology, parasitology, environment, food safety, odor, welfare, etc) to the AASV, 830 26th Street, Perry, IA 50220-2328; Fax: 515-465-3832; E-mail: aasv@aasv.org.

Please include the presenting author’s name, mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address with each submission. Submissions may be e-mailed, faxed, or mailed to arrive in the AASV office by August 15, 2012.

Authors of abstracts selected for presentation will be notified by October 1, 2012, and must provide their complete paper formatted for publication in the meeting proceedings by November 15, 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: Participation in the Research Topics session is at the speaker’s expense. The speaker is required to register for the meeting (participants may register at the AASV regular member rate). No speaking stipend or travel expense reimbursement is paid by the AASV.

2012 AASV Annual Meeting videos and podcasts uploaded

A series of annual meeting videos and podcasts are now available for viewing on the AASV Web site. The general session presentations at the annual meeting were video recorded and have now been uploaded to the members section of the AASV Web site (aasv.org/members/only/video/2012.php). In addition, 30 veterinary students interviewed conference speakers to gain additional information about their presentation topics. A number of these MP3 audio interviews are now available as podcasts to members on the AASV Web site at aasv.org/members/only/pod/.

Professor helps establish in-feed antibiotic use estimates for US swine production

Antibiotic use in livestock has been in the news a lot lately, especially when used in the feed for food-producing animals. A major component of regulatory decisions and ongoing debates has been the various estimates of quantities of antibiotics used in food animals.

Mike Apley, a clinical pharmacologist and professor of clinical sciences at Kansas State University, has investigated these uses for swine as part of a team assembled by AASV authoring the paper “Use estimates of in-feed antimicrobials in swine production in the United States.” The paper was published in the journal Foodborne Pathogens and Disease.1

“The team that developed this estimate has a broad range of training and experience, which allowed us to accurately represent antibiotic use practices in US swine production,” said Apley, the lead author on the paper.

The estimate was primarily based on US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data from the National Animal Health Monitoring System Swine 2006 study, but the team added some new twists.

“The model for the final calculations had been used before,” Apley said. “However, in our estimate, we started at farm-level survey data of producers from the USDA study and then used an additional veterinary practitioner survey to more precisely define in-feed antibiotic periods of use and dosing regimens for 102 different combinations of antibiotics, production phases, and reasons for use.”

The authors of the paper asked three companies that sell a swine-only in-feed antibiotic to evaluate the estimates and assess how accurately actual sales were represented. Two responses indicated the team was very close, and one response indicated the estimate varied from actual sales by approximately 50 percent.

“We felt that an external validation was necessary and were pleased to find that the team’s efforts had resulted in reasonable estimates,” Apley said.

The paper classifies the results by both use category – growth promotion, disease prevention, and disease therapy – and by the importance to human medicine as defined by the Food and Drug Administration. The team grouped the results in this manner to better inform the discussion on food-animal antibiotic use.

“Gross tonnage estimates of overall use serve us little other than as sound bites,” Apley said. “While our estimates of use must still be used with great care, we can now at least start to properly frame discussions based on specific antibiotics and bacteria of interest.”

Source: Kansas State University

Reference

1. Apley MD, Bush EJ, Morrison RB, Singer RS, Snelson H. Use estimates of in-feed antimicrobials in swine production in the United States. Foodborne Pathogens Dis. 2012;9:272–279. doi:10.1089/fpd.2011.0983.

Call for papers – AASV 2013 Student Seminar

The American Association of Swine Veterinarians announces an opportunity for veterinary students to make a scientific presentation at the AASV Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, on Sunday, March 3, 2013. Interested students are invited to submit a 1-page abstract of a research paper, clinical case study, or literature review for consideration. The submitting student must be a current (2012-2013) student member of the AASV at the time of submission.

Abstracts and supplementary materials must be received by Dr Alex Ramirez (alex@aasv.org) by 11:59 pm Central Daylight Time on Monday, September 24, 2012 (firm deadline). All material must be submitted electronically. Late abstracts will not be considered. You should receive an e-mail confirming the receipt of your submission. If you do not receive this confirmation e-mail, you must contact Dr Alex Ramirez (alex@aasv.org) by Wednesday, September 26, 2012, with supporting evidence that the submission was made in time; otherwise your submission will not be considered for judging. The abstracts will be reviewed by an unbiased professional panel consisting of a private practitioner, an academician, and an industry veterinarian. Fifteen abstracts will be selected for oral presentation in the Student Seminar at the AASV Annual Meeting. Students whose papers are selected will be notified by October 15, 2012, and will be expected to provide the complete paper or abstract, reformatted for publication, by November 15, 2012.

To help defray the costs of attending the AASV meeting, Pfizer Animal Health provides a $750 honorarium to the student presenter of each paper selected for oral presentation during the Student Seminar.

Veterinary student scholarships

Each veterinary student whose paper is selected for oral presentation also competes for one of several veterinary student scholarships awarded through the AASV Foundation. The oral presentations will be judged to determine the amount of the scholarship awarded. Pfizer Animal Health funds a $5000 scholarship for the student whose paper, oral presentation, and supporting information are judged best overall. Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, on behalf of Elanco Animal Health, provides $20,000 in additional funding, enabling the AASV Foundation to award $2500 each for 2nd through 5th place, $1500 each for 6th through 10th place, and $500 each for 11th through 15th place.

Abstracts that are not selected for oral presentation in the Student Seminar will be considered for participation in a poster session at the annual meeting. Pfizer and the AASV fund a stipend of $250 for each student who is selected and participates in the poster competition. In addition, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc provides financial support for the Veterinary Student Poster Competition. The presenters of the top 15 poster abstracts compete for awards ranging from $200 to $500.

Complete information for preparing and submitting abstracts is available on the AASV Web site at aasv.org/annmtg/2013/studentseminar.htm. Please note: the rules for submission should be followed carefully. For more information, contact the AASV office (Tel: 515-465-5255; Fax: 515-465-3832; E-mail: aasv@aasv.org).

AASV leaders share concerns, information with AVMA

The AASV and American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) officers and staff met recently in Perry, Iowa, in an effort to improve communication and understanding between the two organizations. The meeting was prompted by a request from AVMA President Dr René Carlson in response to AASV concerns about AVMA actions and statements on swine and other production-animal issues.

In addition to Dr Carlson, AVMA representatives Dr Ron DeHaven, Executive Vice President and CEO; Dr Doug Aspros, President-Elect; Dr Ted Cohn, Executive Board Chair; and Dr Chet Rawson, Executive Board Representative, traveled to Perry for the May 2 and 3 meeting that included all of the AASV officers and staff.

Many of the concerns shared by the AASV stemmed from the fact that swine veterinarians represent a small and shrinking percentage – less than 1% – of the total veterinary population. The AVMA boasts more than 82,500 members, while AASV currently has approximately 800 veterinary members in the United States, of which just over 500 belong to the AVMA. The AVMA represents itself as the “voice of the profession” and is often called upon to set policy and comment on a wide range of veterinary issues. The AASV officers encouraged AVMA representatives to utilize AASV as their primary source of expertise and information when addressing swine-related topics.

In addition to the afternoon of dialogue in the AASV conference room, the second day of the AVMA visit included a trip to a sow farm, hosted by Dr Howard Hill and the staff at Iowa Select Farms (ISF). The visitors showered in and received an overview of ISF and a comparison of sow housing and feeding systems before touring the gestation and farrowing areas of the farm. The tour included opportunities to observe artificial insemination, body condition scoring, birthing and postpartum handling of piglets, split-suckling, castration, euthanasia, and record keeping. Farm personnel were on hand throughout the tour to answer questions. Before showering out and heading back to their respective practices, the tour participants enjoyed a luncheon provided by ISF that featured – of course – pork loin.

AASV and AVMA representatives pose for a group photo prior to showering in for a tour of an Iowa Select Farms sow unit. Left to right: Paul Ruen, Chet Rawson, Sue Schulteis, Howard Hill, Michelle Sprague, Doug Aspros, Tara Donovan, Ted Cohn, Harry Snelson, René Carlson, Tom Burkgren, Ron DeHaven. Photos courtesy of Iowa Select Farms

Dr Howard Hill (left) and sow farm manager Gary Albrecht explain Iowa Select Farms’ management practices to AVMA representatives Doug Aspros (facing away), René Carlson, and Ted Cohn. Photos courtesy of Iowa Select Farms