Weekly Livestock-Equine News: March 2, 2026

Intervacc AB moves toward U.S. regulatory approval for strangles vaccine

Sweden-based Intervacc announced that the U.S. safety study of its Strangvac strangles vaccine for horses began during Q4 2025 and is expected to be completed in 2026. This will be followed by an efficacy study, with completion anticipated in 2027. Strangvac has already been launched in 16 European countries.

BiomEdit begins safety trial of non-antibiotic poultry biologic

The safety trial of BE-101, BiomEdit, a non-antibiotic poultry biologic for the prevention of mortality associated with necrotic enteritis (NE) in broiler chickens, is one of two final regulatory requirements prior to potential conditional licensure by USDA.

Respiratory disease follows beef-on-dairy calves for life

Despite their rising value, many beef-on-dairy calves still receive minimal nutrition early in life, which can lead to minor respiratory disease. Researchers at Penn State University followed a group of crossbreds to slaughter and found that marbling in the animals that had early respiratory disease was less than in those that did not.

U of Kentucky research may lead to safer care for horses with laminitis

Joint injections with corticosteroids are a common anti-inflammatory for equine pain and swelling from conditions like arthritis. But they can lead to elevated levels of blood sugar and insulin for days, and insulin has been tied to laminitis. Researchers discovered that injecting Ertugliflozin – an SGLT2 inhibitor – along with corticosteroids moderates the amount of blood sugar and insulin in the bloodstream.

Seek Labs awarded $2 million federal grant to develop HPAI therapeutic

The therapeutic platform under development combines CRISPR-based molecular therapeutics with an AI-driven genomic intelligence system that is designed for viral evolution and remains effective as the virus evolves. Avian influenza is a highly pathogenic virus that spreads quickly, is deadly to domestic poultry, and can wipe out entire flocks within a matter of days. As part of the award, Seek Labs will collaborate with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

USDA opens sterile fly dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in Texas

The USDA announced completion of a sterile fly production facility to halt the northward migration of New World screwworm. While the sterile flies for this effort will initially be dispersed from the Tampico, Mexico, dispersal facility, USDA reports it is prepared to shift operations quickly to the new Texas facility should there be a change in the location or new concentration of NWS cases in northern Mexico.