The AASV Student Recruitment Committee is accepting applications from veterinary students interested in serving as the alternate student delegate on the AASV Board of Directors. This student will represent student interests and serve as a non-voting member of the AASV board. This experience will provide the student with a unique perspective of the inner workings of the AASV. The term of service is 2 years: the first year as alternate student delegate and the second year as the student delegate.

The alternate student delegate and student delegate are required to attend the AASV board’s two meetings each year: the spring meeting held during the AASV Annual Meeting, and the fall meeting, which is usually held in October. The student delegate presents a summary of board activities to the student membership at the student breakfast during the AASV Annual Meeting, and outlines student opportunities in AASV to the student members at that time. In addition, the delegate and alternate delegate are voting members of the AASV Student Recruitment Committee, and are invited to participate in committee conference calls and meetings. The delegates receive reimbursement to cover travel and lodging expenses for the fall board meeting and transportation expenses for the spring meeting.

Interested students must be members of AASV in their freshman or sophomore year. Applicants are required to submit the following documentation to the AASV (830 26th Street, Perry, IA 50220-2328; E-mail: aasv@aasv.org):

1. An introductory letter, not to exceed one page, describing why they want to serve as the alternate student delegate for AASV, their level of interest/background in swine medicine, and their future career goals.

2. A one- or two-page resume featuring the student’s interest and experience in production medicine, particularly swine medicine.

3. A statement of recommendation from a faculty member.

The deadline for submission of necessary documentation is November 11, 2013. The delegate will be chosen by members of the AASV Student Recruitment Committee following review of the submitted materials. Applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision by December 16.

The term of service is 2 years, beginning at the AASV Annual Meeting. During the first year, the student will serve as the alternate student delegate. The alternate delegate will automatically succeed as student delegate, beginning at the annual meeting the following year. The alternate delegate will serve in the capacity of delegate if the student delegate is unable to carry out his or her duties. Each year, a new alternate delegate is selected by the AASV Student Recruitment Committee.

Questions may be directed to the chair of the AASV Student Recruitment Committee, Dr Megan Inskeep, megan.nemechek@rssvet.com.

AASV awards nominations due December 16

Do you know an AASV member whose dedication to the association and the swine industry is worthy of recognition? The AASV Awards Committee requests nominations for the following five awards to be presented at the upcoming AASV annual meeting in Dallas.

Howard Dunne Memorial Award – Given annually to an AASV member who has made a significant contribution and rendered outstanding service to the AASV and the swine industry.

Meritorious Service Award – Given annually to an individual who has consistently given time and effort to the association in the area of service to the AASV members, AASV officers, and the AASV staff.

Swine Practitioner of the Year – Given annually to the swine practitioner (AASV member) who has demonstrated an unusual degree of proficiency in the delivery of veterinary service to his or her clients.

Technical Services/Allied Industry Veterinarian of the Year – Given annually to the technical services or allied industry veterinarian who has demonstrated an unusual degree of proficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of veterinary service to his or her company and its clients, as well as given tirelessly in service to the AASV and the swine industry.

Young Swine Veterinarian of the Year – Given annually to a swine veterinarian who is an AASV member, 5 years or less post-graduation, who has demonstrated the ideals of exemplary service and proficiency early in his or her career.

Nominations are due December 16. The nomination letter should specify the award and cite the qualifications of the candidate for the award. Submit to AASV, 830 26th Street, Perry, IA 50220-2328; Fax: 515-465-3832; E-mail: aasv@aasv.org.

What’s the latest on porcine epidemic diarrhea virus?

The AASV PEDv Web page (http://www.aasv.org/aasv%20website/Resources/Diseases/PorcineEpidemicDiarrhea.php) has been reorganized to place some of the more frequently accessed information near the top of the page. You will also notice the addition of a new page entitled “What’s New This Week?” This page contains the information added since the previous update. Clicking on this link is the quickest way to access the most recent information, including the latest case reports from the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN). If you visit the New Case Reports on the What’s New This Week? page you will be able to view a graph showing the new cases reported by week.

In addition, the site includes videos illustrating biosecure methods for entering and exiting trucks and trailers while minimizing the chance of contaminating live-haul transport vehicles. You can also find links to the latest research projects funded by the National Pork Board (NPB). Researchers began submitting interim reports on August 21 and will update those reports every 2 weeks until the projects are complete.

The AASV, NPB, and National Pork Producers Council have formed a PEDv Strategic Task Force. The objective of the task force is to provide strategic leadership and coordination for the control/elimination of PED from the US swine herd. The task force charged three working groups with examining critical issues associated with packing-plant biosecurity, on-farm biosecurity/trucking, and on-farm biocontainment. Dr Hans Rotto agreed to serve as the PED coordinator and oversee the working groups. Watch the AASV PEDv Web page for updates on the activities of the working groups.

As part of a larger effort to implement measures to control and potentially eliminate the virus, several meetings focusing on transport and packing-plant biosecurity have been held. The objective of these meetings has been to explore credible, workable, and affordable solutions to enhance in-plant and buying-station biosecurity. These proposed recommendations are posted on the AASV PEDv Web page and will be utilized by the three biosecurity working groups to develop more definitive recommendations and materials for biosecurity as we move forward.

Avoiding penicillin G residues requires extended withdrawal

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recently validated its testing methodology to enable the identification of penicillin G procaine in edible tissues at processing. This has resulted in an increase in penicillin residue violations in cull sows. These violations raised the concern of pork producers and veterinarians because many of the violations occurred even though the producer was following the prescribed withdrawal period. The AASV, in collaboration with the National Pork Board (NPB) and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), has been working diligently with FSIS and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to try to understand what is causing this increase in penicillin violations.

Penicillin G procaine remains an effective treatment in cull sows. It is relatively inexpensive and can be purchased over the counter. It is most often administered intramuscularly at an extra-label dosage of 33,000 IU per kg for 3 consecutive days. The Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD) recommends at least a 15-day withdrawal to allow the drug to clear the tissues prior to processing.

The first challenge with penicillin G is that, in swine, the FDA established a zero tolerance for penicillin residues in edible tissues. This means that any detectable level of penicillin G in the edible tissues of swine is a violation. The FSIS samples both muscle tissue and kidney. Both are classified as edible tissues by FSIS and thus eligible for testing.

The NPB funded a study at USDA’s Agriculture Research Service to investigate the withdrawal time needed to ensure a zero tolerance for penicillin G in cull sows. The investigator, Dr David Smith, used a dose of 33,000 IU per kg for 3 days with various injection strategies. His findings, presented at the World Pork Expo (http://www.aasv.org/Resources/abticuse/peng/sowresidue.pdf), indicate that the FARAD recommendation of 15 days is adequate to prevent violative residue levels in muscle tissue. Unfortunately, the drug is depleted from the kidney much more slowly. He estimates it would require at least a 51-day withdrawal period to ensure that the kidney is free of violative residues at a 25-ppb level of detection or 47 days at a 50-ppb level of detection.

The AASV, NPB, and NPPC are engaged in on-going conversations with FDA and FSIS regarding possible remedies for this issue, and we will keep you informed as these discussions move forward. The FDA has agreed to consider establishing a threshold other than zero for swine. We have also asked that FSIS consider declaring all sow kidneys inedible, since cull sow kidneys are not used for human consumption in the United States. This would make the kidney ineligible for testing. This option is still under consideration.

So, in conclusion, at the time of this writing, it appears that at least a 51-day withdrawal is necessary if penicillin G is used in swine destined for processing. For a more thorough explanation of this issue, please see the “Advocacy in action” column in this issue of the Journal of Swine Health and Production.