Weekly livestock news for January 6: infectious disease, feral pigs, cell-cultured meat

Researchers develop joint avian flu and Marek’s vaccine

Scientists at the U.K.-based Pirbright Institute say they’ve developed a vaccine that can protect poultry simultaneously from avian influenza and Marek’s disease. The researchers, who described their technique in a paper published in the journal Vaccines, inserted a gene into the turkey herpesvirus that’s already used as the basis for Marek’s disease vaccine. The inserted gene codes for hemagglutinin, an influenza protein that allows the virus to enter the host’s cells. This makes it an important target of the bird’s immune response to block infection, researchers said. The next step will be to study the vaccine’s efficacy in field trials, said Munir Iqbal, head of the avian influenza group at the institute. “Our work could help reduce the spread of disease between birds and reduce the risk of infection for people who work closely with poultry,” Iqbal said. WattAgNet also reports on several avian influenza outbreaks around the world.

Researchers identify possible cause of mad cow disease

Researchers in December wrote in a new paper that they believe they’ve found a potential cause of mad cow disease, stressing the need to maintain precautionary measures to avoid a re-emergence of the illness, Agence France-Presse reports. The disease, officially called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is a neurodegenerative illness involving misfolding proteins known as prions and similar to diseases like scrapie in sheep and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. Scientists in this study injected a particular scrapie variant into mice, producing the prion of bovine origin following genetic manipulation. The genetically modified mice are “a very good model, which works well in terms of knowing what would happen if one exposed cows to those prions,” said Olivier Andreoletti, a researcher with the French National Institute for Agronomic Research, which led the study. “These results are explained by the presence of quantities of classic mad cow disease” present in natural form in the scrapie variant prions injected, the agronomic institute said.

Feral pigs expand U.S. reach, presenting agricultural, economic and health threats

Montana ranchers and government officials are watching out for feral pigs, which are “widely considered to be the most destructive invasive species in the United States,” Jim Robbins writes in The New York Times. They can cause significant crop damage and damage the ecosystem while also endangering animals like birds and amphibians. Traditionally, they’ve been found in the southern United States: About half the country’s 6 million feral pigs are in Texas. But in the past 30 years, they’ve expanded their range to 38 states from 17, Robbins writes. “It’s not natural dispersion,” said Dale Nolte, manager of the feral swine program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “We have every reason to believe they are being moved in the backs of pickup trucks and released to create hunting opportunities.” The animals have adapted to cold climates, and they’re crossing the border from Canada to the northern United States. In addition to the agricultural threat, the pigs present both an economic and health threat. “If an animal disease like African swine fever or hoof-and-mouth gets into these animals, it will be almost impossible to stop,” said Dr. William Karesh, a veterinarian who works for EcoHealth Alliance, an organization that studies animal disease. “It will shut down our livestock industry.”

Federal agencies support Bayer in Roundup lawsuit

The federal government in late December sided with Bayer over claims that Roundup weedkiller, made by Bayer subsidiary Monsanto, caused cancer. In a friend of the court brief filed December 20 with a San Francisco-based appeals court, the Environmental Protection Agency said it reviewed and approved the warning label on the product, and that a jury finding based on California law should be reversed. The Department of Justice joined the EPA, commenting on the only federal jury ruling so far in the Roundup controversy, CBS reports. A U.S. district judge over the summer cut down to $25 million the amount to be awarded to a man who claimed his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was caused by years of using Roundup. However, the judge declined to reverse the jury finding that Roundup was defective because its label didn’t include a cancer warning. The product contains glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in U.S. agriculture and the source of the cancer concerns.

New bill would enforce joint FDA-USDA oversight of cell-cultured meat

Two U.S. senators have introduced a bill to ensure an agreement between the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture would have legal authority over animal cell-based products created in a laboratory rather than raised on a ranch, Feedstuffs reports. Under the agreement, the FDA would be charged with overseeing the process of multiplying collected cells to make tissue, while USDA would oversee processing, packaging and labeling. FDA would oversee all phases of development and production for products not derived from livestock or poultry cells. “Existing food safety laws were drafted long before these technologies were contemplated,” said Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming, who introduced the new legislation with Senator Jon Tester of Montana. “Our legislation would create an up-to-date framework in law so agencies appropriately work together to ensure folks know what they are eating and that it is safe.” WattAgNet reports that a recent survey found 40% of respondents were reluctant to try cell-cultured foods or beverages, due to concerns over the products’ long-term health impacts and questions about how they affect the environment.

Bimeda acquires Texas Vet Lab

Veterinary pharmaceutical developer Bimeda announced it’s acquired Texas Vet Lab. Established in 1977 and located in San Angelo, Texas, TVL specializes in bovine vaccine research and production, with a range of live and inactivated vaccines to protect against cattle respiratory diseases, Bimeda said. “Following on from the integration of TVL, Bimeda is able to offer our customers a broad suite of both preventative and curative treatment options, including vaccines, antimicrobials, antiparasitics, hormones and anti-inflammatories,” said Bimeda CEO Greg Tierney. “TVL also boasts an on-site laboratory, which provides diagnostics for antibiotic sensitivity, as well as virus and bacteria isolation and identification. This will allow us to provide customers with a diagnostics-led approach to the treatment of their animals; ensuring maximum efficacy and rapid recovery from disease.” The company said the acquisition will serve as an important tool for Bimeda’s long-term U.S. growth strategy.