Glacier FarmMedia – Multiple studies examining the ability of Merck Animal Health’s Circumvent CML vaccine to control porcine circovirus, mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and lawsonia intracellularis in hogs were required to prove the new combination works and is safe. It might sound easy to take three vaccines, mix them up and stick them in a bottle. It’s […] Read more
Tag Archives livestock diseases — page 2
Three-in-one swine vaccine hard to make
The manufacturers of a trivalent vaccine aimed at the hog sector faced a number of challenges
Researchers work to develop Johne’s vaccine
Two Canadian universities are developing vaccines, with plans to see if they can be combined
Glacier FarmMedia – Researchers at the University of Calgary are one step closer to introducing a vaccine that will help dairy producers combat Johne’s disease in cattle. The ailment, closely related to tuberculosis, can be found in all ruminants but has particularly high incidence in dairy cattle. That is believed to be connected to herd […] Read more
Avian flu farm-to-farm spread looks less likely
Wild birds remain most likely suspects, but the CFIA is investigating detection of the disease in flies and darkling beetles
Glacier FarmMedia – There are no signs that the spread of avian influenza will be contained anytime soon, according to a workshop recently hosted by Animal Health Canada. “We are now starting the third wave,” said Manon Racicot, veterinary epidemiologist with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, during the March 29 workshop in Ottawa. Those waves […] Read more
Beekeepers call to reopen cross-border package bee trade
Ten years after the last risk assessment, some say it’s time to re-evaluate
Canadian beekeepers are calling for the federal government to reopen the border to the importation of U.S. package honeybees. Witnesses at a meeting of the House of Commons standing committee on agriculture and agri-food last Wednesday presented recommendations for what the government could do to resolve issues of honeybee health decline and bee mortality. The […] Read more
Enzyme can switch off livestock drugs
An antimicrobial gene in bacteria creates an enzyme that can deactivate certain medications used to treat livestock
Glacier FarmMedia – Scientists have found that an antimicrobial resistance gene in bacteria collected at a western Canadian feedlot creates an enzyme that can deactivate drugs used to treat diseases in cattle and other livestock. The EstT enzyme can affect macrolides antibiotic drugs such as tylosin, also sold as Tylan, which is a common additive […] Read more
Beef sector reflects on May 20, 2003
Two decades of recovery from BSE
The dates are seared in Dennis Laycraft’s brain: May 20, 2003, when the first positive-testing cow was confirmed; August 10, 2003, when the U.S. and Mexico restored import access for Canadian boneless beef from animals under 30 months of age; July 14, 2005, when the U.S. reopened full access for all Canadian beef, both live […] Read more
Poultry sector resumes vigilance over avian influenza
Highly pathogenic strain resurfaces for Wave 3 of outbreak
The spring run of highly pathogenic avian influenza has started, but a year of experience managing the disease has Ontario farmers ready with new knowledge and tools. As of March 23, there were two confirmed cases in Ontario in domestic poultry and numerous suspected and confirmed deaths of wild birds. Why it matters: More than […] Read more
High winds can worsen pathogen spread from outdoor poultry
Science Notes: Researchers interviewed farmers about their management practices
Farmers who keep their chickens outdoors may want to watch the weather. A study of chicken farms in the western United States found that high winds increased the prevalence of campylobacter in outdoor flocks, a bacterial pathogen in poultry that is the largest single cause of foodborne illness in that country. Researchers found that about […] Read more
CFIA seeks feedback on traceability, animal ID amendments
Producers have until June 16 to comment on proposals
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is now seeking comment on its proposed amendments to livestock identification and traceability regulations. The regulatory proposal would address what the agency calls “gaps” in the current system, including: adding goats and cervids as animal species that share diseases with other regulated livestock, and therefore subject to traceability requirements, shortening […] Read more
Livestock producers must watch for zoonotic diseases
Several diseases can be easily passed from animals to humans
Cryptosporidia and giardia are two intestinal parasites that can cause diarrhea in people and calves. These parasites are single-celled organisms (and Cryptosporidium is a common cause of diarrhea in both beef and dairy calves under one month old. Young children, pregnant woman and immune-compromised adults who are infected can have severe diarrhea and abdominal pain. […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
