UK: Pfizer launches poultry vaccine for E coli

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Animal health company Pfizer has launched the first modified live vaccine in the UK to protect broilers, pullets and breeders against E coli.

The vaccine was initially developed at Weybridge, Surrey, in the 1990s, employing genome technology to produce an avirulent strain of E coli that induces immunity to pathogenic strains of the bacteria.

It was then launched in the USA six years ago as Poulvac E coli by animal health company Fort Dodge, before the company was acquired by Pfizer in 2009. It has now gained EU approval.

E.coli is one of the most significant bacterial pathogens found in chicks during the first week, leading to problems throughout the life of a flock including inferior performance, lack of uniformity and increased mortality.The vaccine is administered as a coarse spray, with the onset of immunity 14 days afterwards, lasting up to 12 weeks. It can be used from day-old up to six weeks before the onset of lay, and has no withdrawal period.

"Poulvac E coli provides broad cross protection against the main serotypes of E coli infecting chickens," said Pfizer poultry technical manager Stuart Andrews. "It is the only modified live, non-reactive vaccine proven to meet the EU regulatory requirements for efficacy and safety."

Field trials in the USA and Morocco have shown it to be effective at lowering mortality and lesions caused by various strains of E coli, as well as reducing dependence on antibiotics.

Japanese broiler industry recovers from HPAI

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Broiler production in Japan is now expected to rise following the aftermath of a HPAI outbreak in March 2011 which led to an over-supply of unsold broiler meat and storage of broiler stock.

The size of Japan’s current broiler stock in cold storage is estimated to be 152,780 tonnes, an addition of about 5,400 tonnes to last year’s unsold inventory.

The severity of the surplus have applied downward pressure on the broiler prices in Japan, and expectations are that the country will lower imports and decrease domestic production in an effort to amend for the current surplus. Reduction in broiler imports is expected to continue in 2013.

Source: USDA

Mycotoxin outbreak hurts US crops and farmers

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In addition to grappling with a record-breaking drought and heat, now US farmers must deal with outbreaks of fungi that are destroying their crops.

Specifically, corn and wheat industries in the Midwest, Southern, and Eastern regions of the US are experiencing aflatoxin and deoxynivalenol (DON) outbreaks. The drought has already prevented farmers from reaching their normal crop yields, and now the threat of mycotoxins could hurt farmers even more.

Aflatoxin is a dangerous mycotoxin produced by moulds. The compound is produced by fungi that grow on whole grains, fruits, and nuts, and thus can be found in a variety of food products, including dried fruits, peanut butter, spices and cereals.

Aflatoxin is toxic and considered a carcinogen if an excessive amount is consumed. At a low dose, aflatoxin is not considered threatening, but high doses have been associated with cancer, specifically in the liver.

DON is also a harmful mycotoxin that is produced by fungi and found mostly in grains such as wheat, barley, maize, oats, and rye. Large amounts of grain containing DON would have to be consumed in order for the mycotoxin to pose a health risk.

“Since these outbreaks have occurred, we have seen an increasing amount of requests for mycotoxin testing to ensure products are not contaminated,” states Dr. Jason Dobranic, EMSL Analytical, Inc.’s Vice President of Microbiology and Life Sciences.

“Our food testing division is staffed by experienced mycologists and microbiologists who provide a wide range of food testing services, including aflatoxin and DON testing, and we offer rapid results.”

EMSL Analytical is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider of quality environmental and materials testing services and products to professionals and the general public. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies.

Drought and mycotoxin impact on trace minerals

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Drought is influencing agricultural production across two-thirds of the United States and is predicted to be the worst in 50 years. There are some factors to consider regarding trace mineral fortification decisions during drought challenges, especially when mycotoxins are present.

Due to limited forage supplies, more poor quality feeds, such as those high in nitrates, lignin, ash, and mycotoxins will be fed. Feeding extra minerals can help mitigate the negative effects of feeding poor quality forages.

Selected field samples tested by several allied industry companies in July indicate that the corn will be high in aflatoxins (and some fumonisins). Recent drought-stress corn from Texas also produced similar mycotoxin profiles. Due to aflatoxins in grains, higher levels will be concentrated in byproducts.

Poultry has a very low tolerance for aflatoxins that can cause weak capillary wall subsequently increasing the incidence of bruising/haemorrhages during processing. Supplementing extra zinc through the diet has shown to drastically decrease the incidence of bruising and haemorrhages.

Aflatoxins can also interact with coccidia to make gut lesions more severe. While e.g. Availa-Zn is not a cure for coccidiosis, it can certainly influence epithelial tissue resulting in less severe lesions and faster healing processes.

Researchers have also reported observations that high inorganic zinc levels in chicken feeds increase the aflatoxin production in the feed. A complexed zinc should prevent further in-feed aflatoxin increases.

With increased mycotoxin concentrations in feedstuffs, inclusion of binders in diets will increase. Some classes of mycotoxin sequestering agents may render some minerals and vitamins unavailable for absorption and metabolism. Therefore, providing a highly bioavailable source of trace minerals in a complexed form is further warranted.

Immunity
The immune response can be impacted during drought through different mechanisms; diet quality, presence of mycotoxins, limited dry matter intake and heat stress. When trace mineral status declines, the first biological function compromised is immunity.

The dynamics of immunity is sensitive to small shifts in trace mineral balance. Once immunecompetency is lowered, subsequent effects are lowered production. Nutrients partitioned to support an activated immune response are no longer available to support growth, m lactation, reproduction or other production parameters.

Complexed minerals consistently influence immunity for all species. Drought-associated stress will influence the magnitude of response observed between organic trace minerals and other ordinary trace mineral sources.

Pfizer announces 2013 animal health scholarship

//02 Oct 2012
In partnership with American Veterinary Medical Foundation, Pfizer will award a minimum of US$660,000 to students in all areas of veterinary medicine.
For the fourth consecutive year, Pfizer Animal Health and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) invite second- and third-year students of veterinary medicine to apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Scholarship.

In an effort to help alleviate some of the burden of student debt, a minimum of 330 scholarships of US$2,000 each will be awarded to assist students across various disciplines in veterinary medicine.

To apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Program, students can visit www.vetstudentconnect.com or www.avmf.org/pfizer from October 1 to December 2, 2012.

Scholarship recipients will be selected based on traditional scholarship selection criteria, such as academic excellence and financial need. In addition, the scholarship will focus on meeting the ongoing needs of the veterinary profession: increasing diversity among practitioners in ethnic heritage, gender, socioeconomic background, professional aspirations, and improving the availability of veterinarians to serve in areas of the profession that have increased demand.

In 2013, Pfizer Animal Health will provide a minimum of US$660,000 in student scholarships to eligible students in colleges of veterinary medicine in the US and the Caribbean. Scholarships will be awarded to students in all areas of study, including food animal medicine, equine and small animal medicine, research, academia, and government services, among others. Award eligibility is subject to the guidelines established by individual schools.

In 2012, the program awarded 331 students with scholarships. The group included:

31% from diverse backgrounds
47% studying to practice food and mixed animal veterinary medicine
28% going into small animal practice
8%entering academia (research and clinical)
Remaining students going into other areas of practice, such as public health, lab animal medicine and poultry

“In part because of the Pfizer-AVMF scholarship, I was able to begin research this summer on the challenges veterinary students face and how a variety of factors – including Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) and other vital programs for veterinary school curricula – impact their success after graduation,” said 2012 scholarship recipient Tammy J. Oseid, a University of Minnesota DVM/MPH class of 2014 student. “The scholarship enabled me to take the time off of work this summer to begin investigating this area of great personal interest as well as potential benefit to the entire profession.”

The scholarship program is a part of Pfizer Animal Health’s Commitment to Veterinarians platform—which offers support through training and education, research and development, investing in the future of the veterinary profession, and philanthropy. The scholarship complements a number of other Pfizer Animal Health programs supporting the veterinary profession, including millions invested in universities, industry education and training, scholarships, and allied organizations each year.

To learn more or apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Program, students can visit www.vetstudentconnect.com or www.avmf.org/pfizer.

Related websites:

Pfizer Animal Health
American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF)

Pfizer announces 2013 animal health scholarship

//02 Oct 2012
In partnership with American Veterinary Medical Foundation, Pfizer will award a minimum of US$660,000 to students in all areas of veterinary medicine.
For the fourth consecutive year, Pfizer Animal Health and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) invite second- and third-year students of veterinary medicine to apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Scholarship.

In an effort to help alleviate some of the burden of student debt, a minimum of 330 scholarships of US$2,000 each will be awarded to assist students across various disciplines in veterinary medicine.

To apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Program, students can visit www.vetstudentconnect.com or www.avmf.org/pfizer from October 1 to December 2, 2012.

Scholarship recipients will be selected based on traditional scholarship selection criteria, such as academic excellence and financial need. In addition, the scholarship will focus on meeting the ongoing needs of the veterinary profession: increasing diversity among practitioners in ethnic heritage, gender, socioeconomic background, professional aspirations, and improving the availability of veterinarians to serve in areas of the profession that have increased demand.

In 2013, Pfizer Animal Health will provide a minimum of US$660,000 in student scholarships to eligible students in colleges of veterinary medicine in the US and the Caribbean. Scholarships will be awarded to students in all areas of study, including food animal medicine, equine and small animal medicine, research, academia, and government services, among others. Award eligibility is subject to the guidelines established by individual schools.

In 2012, the program awarded 331 students with scholarships. The group included:

31% from diverse backgrounds
47% studying to practice food and mixed animal veterinary medicine
28% going into small animal practice
8%entering academia (research and clinical)
Remaining students going into other areas of practice, such as public health, lab animal medicine and poultry

“In part because of the Pfizer-AVMF scholarship, I was able to begin research this summer on the challenges veterinary students face and how a variety of factors – including Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) and other vital programs for veterinary school curricula – impact their success after graduation,” said 2012 scholarship recipient Tammy J. Oseid, a University of Minnesota DVM/MPH class of 2014 student. “The scholarship enabled me to take the time off of work this summer to begin investigating this area of great personal interest as well as potential benefit to the entire profession.”

The scholarship program is a part of Pfizer Animal Health’s Commitment to Veterinarians platform—which offers support through training and education, research and development, investing in the future of the veterinary profession, and philanthropy. The scholarship complements a number of other Pfizer Animal Health programs supporting the veterinary profession, including millions invested in universities, industry education and training, scholarships, and allied organizations each year.

To learn more or apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Program, students can visit www.vetstudentconnect.com or www.avmf.org/pfizer.

Related websites:

Pfizer Animal Health
American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF)

Boehringer Ingelheim opens new vaccine research centre

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Boehringer Ingelheim has opened its European Research Center for animal vaccines in Hanover. The research-driven pharmaceutical company has invested more than €40 million in the Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Research Center (BIVRC), its fourth site in Germany.

Currently, 50 employees are working on developing innovative vaccines for livestock. By 2016, a total of 80 highly qualified scientists, laboratory workers and animal keepers are expected to work at the BIVRC.

In Hanover, the company has built a state-of-the-art research centre, encompassing over 50 laboratories with animal accommodation facilities. With this facility, the family owned company is considerably expanding its international research and development activities in the area of animal vaccines for livestock. Globally, the company researches and develops animal health medication at sites in the USA, Germany, Mexico, China and Japan. For this purpose, Boehringer Ingelheim continually invests more than 10 % of its revenue from the Animal Health division in research and development.

Related website:
Boehringer Ingelheim