Livestock-Equine News: August 4, 2025

Prefeedlot respiratory vaccination improves cattle health

A review article in the August special issue of Applied Animal Science reports that current vaccination strategies for bovine respiratory disease are fragmented across production phases, with insufficient coordination between cow-calf operations and subsequent sectors, limiting the overall effectiveness of BRD prevention efforts. The review also highlighted what the literature says about intranasal vaccination and preconditioning programs that separate vaccination from high-stress periods.

Alveo and Royal GD to expand poultry testing portfolio

Alveo Technologies, Inc. a Netherlands-based developer of molecular sensing and diagnostics technology, and Royal GD, a developer of disease monitoring, diagnostics and veterinary research for livestock and poultry, announced they will work together to develop a notifiable disease panel and an avian respiratory panel to detect pathogens that present clinically similar to avian influenza, or bird flu.

USDA to relocate most Washington-area staff

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will relocate much of its Washington, D.C., workforce to five regional hubs and vacate several buildings in the area, including its flagship research center. This year more than 15,000 USDA employees, about 15% of its total workforce, have taken one of the agency’s two financial incentive offers to leave.

Kansas state agency notified of two equine disease events: EIA and WNV

The Kansas Department of Agriculture Division of Animal Health was notified of two separate events this summer in which horses in Kansas tested positive for reportable diseases – Equine Infectious Anemia and West Nile Virus. This spring, the department had expanded regulations to require that a negative Coggins test for EIA be completed within the previous 12 months for horses that are changing ownership or used for exhibitions.

Nipah virus vaccines for pigs tested at UK’s Pirbright Institute

A team of researchers, led by scientists at The Pirbright Institute, have tested three experimental Nipah vaccines in pigs. All three successfully protected pigs from infection. The Nipah virus is zoonotic and poses a major threat to public and animal health. Infected people can develop encephalitis (swelling of the brain) as well as respiratory problems.

Research reveals heightened JEV threat to global pork industry

A study funded by the Swine Health Information Center underscores the threat Japanese encephalitis virus poses to the global swine industry. The study, led by Natalia Cernicchiaro at Kansas State University in collaboration with the USDA Agricultural Research Service found that at least nine additional mosquito species can be potential vectors for JEV, nearly half of the mosquitoes exposed to JEV became infected, and one in four infected mosquitoes can transmit JEV to hosts.