Laboratory Diagnosticians' News Matters |
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AAVLD President's Message |
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Jeremiah T. Saliki, DVM, PhD, DACVM
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Dear AAVLDers:
Greetings from Stillwater, Oklahoma. After two years of limited travel due to COVID-19, I hope you are taking advantage of the improved public health situation to go out and go places. As you travel or make travel plans, please keep in mind our next rendezvous at the annual meeting in Minneapolis, MN from October 6-11, 2022. We have been informed by the program chair, Eric Burrough, that we have received a record number of abstracts ever submitted to an AAVLD meeting. Please, plan to come to Minneapolis to enjoy the nourishing scientific menu and to network in person with colleagues as in past years.
The state of the AAVLD remains strong in large part because of the tremendous work that you, our members, undertake as individuals or members of various committees. There is not enough space in this newsletter to express my gratitude to the many AAVLD committees who do outstanding work year in and year out. However, I will single out our Government Relations Committee, co-chaired by Bruce Akey and Pat Halbur. I want to express special gratitude to the co-chairs and their committee for leading the effort to convince the USDA of the need to provide additional infrastructure funding for all AAVLD laboratories from the Farm Bill appropriation. Indeed, thanks to their efforts, in the next Farm Bill funding cycle, 70% of the funding allocated to NAHLN will be used as infrastructure funding to benefit all 60 NAHLN member laboratories. A chain is a strong as its weakest link. The role we play as “sentinels” for emerging or re-emerging infections is too critical for any laboratory to be a weak link because of poor funding. I want to publicly thank the USDA for giving favorable consideration to our request for enhanced infrastructure to all member laboratories.
At the central AAVLD level, I wish to inform the general membership of two initiatives we have launched this year and are currently working with laboratory directors to implement. First, in recognition of the fact that financial compensation is one of the factors causing severe staffing recruitment and retention problems across labs, especially in the current tight labor market, we have launched the first AAVLD personnel compensation survey. Our goal is to develop a process that can be repeated periodically to provide laboratory directors with data they can use to bolster their case for better personnel compensation at their various institutions. Secondly, considering the fact that equipment maintenance expenses constitute a significant portion of most laboratories’ budgets, we have launched an initiative to collectively bargain molecular equipment maintenance costs with one major manufacturer whose equipment all laboratories use. If this initiative succeeds, we hope to expand in the future to other commonly used types of laboratory equipment and services. I want to thank all laboratory directors for taking time off their busy schedules to provide us with the data needed to implement these two initiatives. We trust that the results will benefit all AAVLD member laboratories.
I wish everyone a happy and restful summer and look forward to seeing all of you in Minneapolis in October.
Jerry Saliki
AAVLD President
Stillwater, OK
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Call for Abstracts and Award Applications:
65th Annual AAVLD Meeting
October 6-12, 2022, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Thank you for your abstract submissions. An overwhelming 222 abstracts have been submitted this year!
Eric Burrough
2022 AAVLD Program Chair
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Beagle Brigade supported by Orgs including AAVLD |
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The USDA Beagle Brigade has become an important line of detection of illegal products coming into the USA at our borders and points of entry. Such products may contain foreign animal pathogens. Recently the AAVLD and other animal health allies have supported legislative language to clarify their role and lines of authority.
AAVLD President Jerry Saliki
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WASHINGTON, October 22, 2018 – When Hardy, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) trained detector dog, sniffed out a roasted pig head in traveler baggage at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International airport early this month, it underscored the efforts USDA and its partners are undertaking to keep African Swine Fever (ASF), a swine disease that could devastate the U.S. pork producers, from entering the country. |
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Hardy, a member of the “Beagle Brigade,” was trained by USDA’s National Detector Dog Center in Newnan, GA. (Photo credit: Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection) |
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USDA continues to train dogs at its National Detector Dog Training Center in Newnan, Georgia. The center is designed and equipped to train detector dog teams (canines and handlers), like Hardy’s, to safeguard American agriculture. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine program and the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) use detector dog teams, known as the Beagle Brigade, to search for prohibited agricultural products at major U.S. ports of entry (airports and land border crossings), mail and cargo facilities. The teams detect prohibited agricultural products that can carry foreign pests and diseases that threaten U.S. agriculture and forests.
“African Swine Fever is a devastating, deadly disease affecting all kinds of pigs, both domestic and wild – and keeping our pork industry safe is a top priority,” said Sonny Perdue, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. “Recently, our collaboration with CBP proved successful when a USDA trained detector dog intercepted a roasted pig head in traveler baggage from Ecuador. The quick work of a beagle and the CBP staff prevented a potential animal health issue and further highlighted the need to be vigilant in safeguarding the U.S. against foreign animal diseases.”
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“Beagle Brigade” member Hardy’s official photo. (Photo credit: Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection) |
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Concern over ASF is not new. It is a long-standing disease found in countries around the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. However, confirmation of cases in China and the European Union over the past several months prompted USDA to review and strengthen its protections. This involves partnering with the swine industry, producers, CBP, and the travelling public to help ensure we protect American agriculture.
To prevent ASF from entering the country, USDA has in place a series of interlocking safeguards. They include:
- Collaborating with states, industry and producers to ensure everyone follows on-farm biosecurity and best practices (including for garbage feeding in states where that is allowed);
- Restricting imports pork and pork products from affected countries; and
- Working with CBP staff at ports of entry to train their inspection dogs, as well as to increasing screening vigilance to pay particular attention to passengers and products arriving from affected countries.
USDA is committed to working closely with the swine industry and producers to ensure strict biosecurity procedures are in place and being followed on all swine farms.
“Because there’s no treatment or vaccine available for this disease, we must work together to prevent this disease from entering the United States in order to best protect our farmers, our consumers and our natural resources,” said Perdue. “Good biosecurity is key to protecting pigs from any disease. We know the swine industry has many biosecurity resources available for their producers, so it’s just a matter of making sure everyone follows the guidance, every day, every time. Our goal is to never have to respond to African Swine Fever.”
USDA is actively readying and planning its response, should the disease ever be found in the U.S. by working with states and industry to test response mechanisms on a regular basis and planning to increase the testing capacity of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network labs for ASF.
USDA is also asking all veterinarians and producers to be aware of the signs of illness: high fever; decreased appetite; weakness; red, blotchy or lesions on the skin; diarrhea, vomiting, coughing and difficulty breathing. Quick detection is key to preventing disease spread, so USDA is stressing the importance of reporting sick pigs to state or federal animal health officials immediately so that a disease investigation and appropriate testing can occur.
International travelers also need to be aware of this disease, as they could unknowingly carry the virus into the U.S. Anyone who has contact with pigs or swine farms on travel must ensure they carefully clean and disinfect their shoes, wash their clothes and shower prior to having contact with pigs here in the U.S. Report the visit on the CBP form (question 12). Travelers looking to bring back agricultural items or souvenirs should check USDA’s travelers web page to see if the item(s) are allowed.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
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Our July focus is an article in JVDI’s July issue:
“Frequency of porcine circovirus 3 detection and histologic lesions in clinical samples from swine in the United States”
by Zhen Yang, Douglas G. Marthaler, Albert Rovira.
Abstract. Porcine circovirus 3 (PCV3) is widespread in pigs worldwide. Diverse clinical signs and lesions have been associated with PCV3, but the role of PCV3 as a cause of disease in swine remains unclear. We investigated the association of PCV3 with clinical signs and histologic lesions in 730 diagnostic swine cases between February 2016 and January 2018. The cases contained 2,177 samples submitted from 474 sites located in 21 states in the United States. PCR assay results were positive for PCV3 for 577 of 2,177 (27%) samples, 255 of 730 (35%) cases, 181 of 474 (38%) sites, and 17 of 21 (81%) states. We detected PCV3 in 19 of 28 specimen types and in pigs of all ages and clinical presentations, including healthy pigs, with the highest detection rate in adult pigs. PCV3 detection was not associated with respiratory, gastrointestinal, or CNS signs, weight loss, or sudden death. Of 58 types of histologic lesions evaluated, PCV3 detection was associated with myocarditis, cardiac vasculitis, and interstitial pneumonia in growing pigs. A high PCV3 detection rate was observed in aborted fetuses.
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Figure 1. Geographic distribution of porcine circovirus 3 (PCV3) from clinical samples submitted from U.S. swine farms. The number of samples per state is illustrated with states in maroon gradient background. States with no samples submitted are in gray. PCV3-positive sample rate and the number of samples per state are displayed within each state. POS = positive.
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Be sure to sign up for JVDI email alerts! JVDI alerts let you know when new articles and eTOCs are available online. Alerts can be requested on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Note that only abstracts are available via email alerts—you will need to login through AAVLD or your institution to access and read the full articles.
Signing up for email alerts is simple.
2. On the Stay Connected tab dropdown menu, click on Email Alerts
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3. Choose New Content and/or Announcements, then Create Email Alert
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4. Then “Sign into SAGE Journals”
If you already have a SAGE account, use the left box My Account. Otherwise, click Register for a free SAGE Journals account. (You will be able to update your email alerts anytime and will see the message “Your email alert settings have been updated” at completion.)
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Hopefully many of you are finding some time for R and R this summer, and resetting.
Editors
Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.
~John Lubbock
Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.
~John Lubbock
A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work.
~John Lubbock
Source: BrainyQuote
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Meeting Registration is now open.
Registration for AAVLD attendees includes ON-SITE or VIRTUAL options.
On-site registrants will enjoy a meeting similar to recent years, and also be able to utilize the on-demand features. Virtual registrants will have on-demand access to all scientific session presentations via recordings, as well as webinar access to key events such as the plenary session speakers, the keynote speaker, awards ceremony, and virtual exhibitor materials.
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Schedule your meetings today!
Take advantage of early registration Wednesday, October 5, 2022, 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
Symposium details are available. Take a moment to register today.
Enjoy the hybrid option of ON-Demand viewing to ensure you don't miss a thing.
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Make your hotel reservation today!
Plan Your Trip
All the planning essentials you need in one place.
- Maps and transportation
- Minneapolis Visitor Guide
- Events and much more.
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ATTENTION: Vendors Serving Veterinary Diagnostic Labs and the Animal Health Industry |
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2022 AAVLD Hybrid Trade Show
During the AAVLD/USAHA Annual Meeting 2022 Minneapolis
October 8-9, 2022
Onsite in Minneapolis and Virtual
We hope to see you there.
For details contact our meeting planner Kaylin Taylor
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AAVLD New Member Benefit MC l LMS is now here! |
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Take a look, the MC l LMS is now here!
AAVLD has brought you a new membership benefit that is sure to peek your interest. The MC l LMS is a Learning Management System. The MC l LMS will keep certification and training materials in one place. Members can view training videos, scientific presentations and much more. AAVLD is offering the current packages to AAVLD members as a membership benefit.
Some of the MC l LMS features:
- Single-Sign-On (SSO) with Oasis
- Content Upload and Management
- Customized Certificates
- Continuing Education Tracking
- Group-based Permissions
- Progress and Usage Reporting
View annual meeting materials now!
- Recordings of Scientific Sessions
- Proceeding's booklet (abstracts)
- Plenary Speaker lectures from the annual meetings
All are available to AAVLD members at no cost.
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2022 Hybrid AAVLD / USAHA Annual Meeting |
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Credit video to 'Don't Blink' |
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Annual Meeting Quick Links |
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Technological Advances in Veterinary Diagnostics: What's Here and What's on the Horizon?
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Sponsor and Exhibitor Opportunities
2022 AAVLD/USAHA Annual Meeting
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis-Minneapolis, MN
Meeting dates: October 6-12, 2022
Show dates: October 8th-9th, 2022
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Take advantage of the terrific AAVLD resources offered to our members |
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Veterinary Jobs - American Association of Veterinary...
We use cookies on this site to enhance your experience. By using our website you accept our use of cookies. Yes, I agree More Information Cookies YourMembership uses cookies for your convenience and security. Cookies are text files stored on the...
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aavld-jobs.careerwebsite.com
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Veterinary Jobs - American Association of Veterinary...
The American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians offers the top jobs available in Veterinary diagnostic labs. Search and apply to open positions or post jobs on the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians now.
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2023 Renewals are due by November 15!
'Membership is January to December'
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AAVLD membership is open to any individual interested in the disciplines and activities of veterinary diagnostic laboratories. Membership terms are by calendar year (January-December) and membership dues are payable by November 15th of the preceding year (to ensure inclusion in the annual membership directory, eligibility for committee involvement, and receipt of all six issues of the JVDI). Note: In order to receive a discounted rate for the Annual Meeting registration, you are required to be a current AAVLD Member. |
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Did your membership Lapse? |
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Please select 'Renew Now' to access the Lapsed Membership renewal form. www.aavld.org ->Quick Links->Renew Now->here you can access the Lapsed Membership Form.
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AAVLD & News Worthy Events |
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Accreditation Committee Meeting
August 8-9, 2022 (Virtually)
Executive Board Meeting
August 10, 2022 (Virtually)
AAVLD/USAHA Hybrid Annual Meeting, Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, October 6-12, 2022 (Due to the uncertainty with Covid-19, there may be updates to the details of the meeting.)
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Do you have ideas to improve the AAVLD annual meeting? Contact David Zeman dzeman@aavld.org
Would you like to sponsor an event? Contact
What ever your contribution to the AAVLD mission, we need you!
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THANK YOU TO OUR AFFILIATED INDUSTRY SUSTAINING MEMBERS |
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Experience highly selective prepared media culture...
Highly selective pre-poured media culture devices, engineered for specimen transport, isolation, identification, and differentiation.
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NOW OFFERING Q-PULSE CLOUD! Call or e-mail us for more information! ECL2 - is a U.S. based, client-centric consulting firm, specializing in providing complete solutions for Quality Management, Safety Management and Enterprise Risk Management....
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Contact Us | Longhorn Vaccines & Diagnostics
Longhorn is in close communication with the FEMA/HHS about supply capacity expansion. We are working with buyers to optimize tube selection to match available swabs and to fit into existing automation systems. 2 Bethesda Metro CenterSuite...
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lhnvd.com
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Thank you
2022 Annual Meeting Sponsors
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The generous contributions and participation by our Exhibitors and Sponsors is a huge part of our conference success year after year. On behalf of the AAVLD, we would like to thank these companies for their commitment to our organization and helping us to achieve our mission.
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Perkins&Will
Designing a better, more beautiful world since 1935. Carolyn BaRoss: Shaping Excellence From the Inside Out As part of our ongoing Designer Spotlight series, we're highlighting Carolyn BaRoss, Interior Designer and Lead Healthcare Designer in our ...
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perkinswill.com
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Zoetis, the largest global animal health company
At Zoetis, our work is guided by a simple vision - that our products, services and people will be the most valued by animal health customers around the world. Learn more Zoetis delivers quality medicines, vaccines and diagnostic products, which...
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www.zoetis.com
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Anaerobe Systems | Anaerobic Chambers & Culture Media...
Our entry level chamber with fewer features and less workspace, but with a lower cost and smaller footprint. The AS-150 is ideal for smaller labs that typically have fewer than 100 plates in their incubator, or labs that don't have the space or...
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Home - Clark & Enersen
Clark & Enersen has a dedicated team of architects, engineers, and other talented professionals who specialize in the planning and design of science, research, and technology facilities. In 2021, we ranked as the nation's 25th largest Science &...
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science.clarkenersen.com
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AAVLD Leaders and Lab Directors |
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Time to start shopping for this year’s donation to the AAVLD Foundation Auction!!
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AAVLD Foundation Committee
Brett Webb- Cochair
Francois Elvinger- Cochair
Pat Halbur, Christie Mayo, Kristy Pabilonia, Bruce Akey, Beate Crossley, Kerri Sondgeroth, David Zeman, Tim Baszler, Jamie Henningson, Donal O’Toole
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The AAVLD Foundation is a non-profit foundation that raises funds for the advancement of veterinary diagnostic laboratory disciplines through scholarship programs, student travel support to our scientific meeting, guest lectures, seminars, professional awards and research programs. Contributions to the Foundation are tax-deductible 501(c)(3), and can be paid when you renew your AAVLD membership. Thank you for remembering your AAVLD Foundation!
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