AASV News

FDA revises guidance related to veterinary feed directive

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the availability of revised guidance for industry concerning the use of veterinary feed directive (VFD) drugs. The Guidance for Industry #120 has been revised to provide more detailed information on transmitting electronic VFD orders via the Internet.

The Guidance for Industry #120 can be found at http://www.fda.gov/cvm/Guidance/guide120.pdf.

Food and Drug Administration guidance documents, including this guidance, do not establish legally enforceable responsibilities. Instead, guidances describe the agency’s current thinking on a topic and should be viewed only as recommendations, unless specific regulatory or statutory requirements are cited. The use of the word “should” in agency guidances means that something is suggested or recommended, but not required.

Interested persons may submit written comments to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), FDA, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. Electronic comments may be submitted to http://www.regulations.gov/. All comments should be identified with the docket number FDA-1999-N-1591 (formerly 99n-1591).

For questions regarding this revised guidance, please contact Dr Dragan Momcilovic, Division of Animal Feeds, FDA, Center for Veterinary Medicine, Office of Surveillance and Compliance, 7519 Standish Place, HFV-226, Rockville, MD 20855; Tel: 240-453-6856; E-mail: dragan.momcilovic@fda.hhs.gov.

For additional information on VFD drugs, please see http://www.fda.gov/cvm/vfd.html.

Source: FDA

PRRSV surveillance calculator developed

Dr Albert Rovira has developed a Web-based interactive model for monitoring porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) in boar studs. This mathematical model, based on data from actual PRRS outbreaks, recreates what happens in a boar stud when it gets infected with PRRSV. The model simulates PRRSV spread within the boar stud over time. In addition, the number of animals that would test positive to polymerase chain reaction (semen, serum, or blood swab) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (serum) are simulated, taking into account the different sensitivities of the tests at different stages of infection. On the basis of this transmission model, the ability of many different surveillance protocols to detect a PRRSV introduction in a boar stud were estimated. The protocols evaluated included the use of different diagnostic tests, sample specimens, sampling frequency, sample sizes, and pooling strategies. The results of the model have been compiled in a database which can be accessed online by AASV members on the AASV Web site (http://www.aasv.org/members/only/samplecalc.php) in the form of an online calculator. The calculator will estimate the ability of a certain protocol to detect a PRRSV introduction in a naive boar stud within defined time periods. The user will input the size of the boar stud (inventory) and the characteristics of the surveillance protocol (sample, sample size, sampling frequency, and pooling strategy). The calculator will return the probability of detecting a PRRSV introduction within the first 7 or 14 days or before prevalence reaches 10% or 20%.

Details for using the online calculator were presented by Dr Rovira during the Boar Stud Pre-Conference Workshop at the 2009 AASV Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas. His publication entitled “Web-based Interactive Model for PRRSV Monitoring” is available online to AASV members who have purchased the 2009 Swine Information CD. You may also contact Dr Rovira at rove0010@umn.edu or by phone (612-625-7702) at the University of Minnesota Diagnostic Laboratory.

The AASV wishes to thank Dr Rovira for making this useful tool available to AASV members and also thanks to the AASV Boar Stud Committee for its input and review during the development of the calculator.

AASV Pig Welfare Committee weighs in on animal cruelty

The AASV Pig Welfare Committee recently considered the issue of animal cruelty and its implications in US swine production.

The committee encourages swine veterinarians to work with their clients in the swine industry to establish a firm and concise policy against animal abuse. Such a policy, shared with all employees, but particularly the animal caretakers, should not only prohibit animal abuse, but require management be notified if abuse is witnessed.

To that end, the committee has given careful thought to the key components producers and veterinarians would require or desire in such a policy statement. The committee offers the following as minimal guidelines to those wishing to tailor such a policy for their own needs.

  • Animal husbandry carries an intrinsic moral/ethical obligation to animal well-being.
  • Willful abuse, cruelty, and neglect should be defined, including guidelines, examples, or both.
  • If abuse, cruelty, or neglect are witnessed, action must be taken (eg, intervene, report).
  • Requirements exist for reporting abuse, cruelty, or neglect (eg, to whom, within what length of time).
  • Committing act(s) of abuse/cruelty/neglect will have repercussions (provide details or examples).
  • Failure to intervene and/or report situations of abuse, cruelty, or neglect will also have repercussions (provide details or examples).

Some of examples of policy statements currently in use are provided on the AASV Web site (http://aasv.org/members/only/committee/PigWelfareCommittee.php). The committee urges veterinarians working with swine producers to encourage and support the development and adoption of policy guidelines to reinforce the animal cruelty concerns of everyone in swine production.

Congratulations, Executive Veterinary Program graduates!

Thirty-nine veterinarians recently completed a 2-year continuing education program at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, designed to enhance the business, communication, and planning skills of busy animal-health professionals. The Executive Veterinary Program (EVP), which consisted of ten 2-day interactive modules, focused on swine-health management. The program covered essential aspects of swine production and health maintenance to enhance the management, consultation, and problem-solving skills faced by veterinarians in the field of swine medicine. A total of 39 veterinarians from 12 states completed the program.

The Executive Veterinary Program is offered by the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, one of 28 veterinary schools in the nation. The award-winning program uses nationally recognized experts from academia and industry to deliver practice-relevant knowledge. Since the program began in 1991, there have been 214 graduates from seven EVP classes.

The veterinarians who completed the program are Grant S. Allison, Keith W. Bretey, Kris M. Clements, Joseph F. Connor, Todd A. Distad, Tara S. Donovan, William R. DuBois, Noel K. Garbes, Thomas G. Gillespie, Jennifer L. Greiner, Jeffrey W. Harker, Peggy Anne Hawkins, Alan T. Hertz, Derald J. Holtkamp, Marlin J. Hoogland, Erin E. Johnson, Randy G. Jones, Locke A. Karriker, R. Lynn Keller, Michael E. Lemmon, Jason D. Miller, William C. Minton, Pablo Moreno, Jeffery D. Okones, Daryl G. Olsen, Thomas M. Painter, Brian J. Payne, Michael S. Pierdon, J. Douglas Powers, Sarah Probst Miller, Craig J. Rowles, Alan B. Scheidt, Kent J. Schwartz, Harry O. Snelson, Matthew B. Turner, John T. Waddell, Douglas L. Weiss, Todd E. Williams, and Paul E. Yeske.

Call for abstracts – Research Topics

Plans are underway for the 41st annual meeting of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV), to take place in Omaha, Nebraska, on March 6–9, 2010. As part of the meeting, there will be a session highlighting research projects related to swine health and production.

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

Those interested in making a 15-minute presentation should submit a one-page abstract on applied research related to swine health and production issues (eg, virology, bacteriology, parasitology, environment, food safety, odor, welfare) to:

The American Association of Swine Veterinarians
902 1st Avenue
Perry, IA 50220
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 14, 2009.

Authors of abstracts selected for presentation will be notified by October 1, and must provide their complete paper for publication in the meeting proceedings by November 16, 2009.

AASV News continued from page 227

Call for abstracts – Industrial Partners

The American Association of Swine Veterinarians invites submissions for the Industrial Partners portion of the 41st AASV Annual Meeting, to be held March 6–9, 2010, in Omaha, Nebraska. 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 5:30 pm on Sunday afternoon, March 7. A poster session will take place on the same day. Poster authors will be required to be stationed with their poster 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. All presentations – oral and poster – will be published in the proceedings of the meeting.

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 inside front cover of JSHAP) may submit two topics for oral presentation. All other companies may submit one topic for oral presentation. Each company may submit one additional topic for poster presentation. 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, 2009. Please identify whether the submission is intended for oral or poster presentation. Send to: Commercial Sessions, AASV, 902 1st Avenue, Perry, IA 50220; Fax: 515-465-3832; E-mail: aasv@aasv.org.

Authors will be notified of their acceptance by October 15, 2009, and must submit the complete paper for publication in the meeting proceedings by November 16, 2009. Companies failing to submit papers in a timely manner will not be eligible for future participation in these sessions.

Call for abstracts – AASV 2010 Student Seminar and scholarships

The American Association of Swine Veterinarians announces an opportunity for up to 15 veterinary students to make scientific presentations during the Student Seminar at the AASV Annual Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, on Sunday, March 7, 2010. Interested students are invited to submit a one-page abstract of a research paper, clinical case study, or literature review for consideration. The submitting student must be a current (2009-2010) student member of the AASV at the time of submission (the membership application is available at https://aasvsecure.securesites.net/secure/member_form.html).

Abstracts and supplementary materials must be received by Dr Alex Ramirez (alex@aasv.org) by midnight on Friday, September 25, 2009 (firm deadline). All material must be submitted electronically. Late abstracts will not be considered. The abstracts will be reviewed by an unbiased, professional panel consisting of a private practitioner, an academician at a school from which no students have submitted an abstract, and an industry veterinarian. Students whose papers are selected for presentation at the meeting will be notified by October 15, 2009, and will be expected to provide the complete paper or abstract for publication by November 16, 2009.

To help defray the costs of attending the AASV meeting, Alpharma Animal Health provides a $750 honorarium to the student presenter of each paper selected for the seminar.

Veterinary students whose papers are selected for presentation at the meeting will be eligible to compete 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.

Alpharma Animal Health funds a $5000 scholarship for the student whose paper, oral presentation, and supporting information are judged best overall.

The Eli Lilly & Company Foundation, on behalf of Elanco Animal Health, has provided $20,000 in additional funding, enabling the AASV Foundation to provide awards of $2500 each for 2nd through 5th place, $1500 each for 6th through 10th place, and $500 each for 11th through 15th place.

Students whose papers are not selected for oral presentation in the Student Seminar will be eligible to be considered for participation in a poster session at the annual meeting. Alpharma and the AASV fund a stipend of $250 for each student who is selected and participates in the poster presentation.

Complete information for preparing and submitting abstracts is available on the AASV Web site at http://www.aasv.org/annmtg/2010/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)