In the press – Swine in Minnesota

Midwest Veterinarian Earns Top U.S. Swine Award

Antimicrobial resistance in swine and its interconnections to animal welfare and the sustainability of pork operations has fascinated Carissa Odland, DVM, for years. A farm’s performance on these factors can be the difference between profitability and loss. Yet, not enough is known to give producers a reliable recipe for success. Dr. Odland aims to change that.

USDA NIFA awards Food Animal researchers more than $2.7 million

With the new support, CVM researchers will help animals and producers across the swine industry

The United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) recently funded more than $2.7 million worth of research at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). The projects that benefit from this funding will help the food animal agriculture industry maximize production and advance strategies for keeping animals healthy. This recent investment in the CVM’s research represents another milestone in the decades-old relationship the College has with USDA NIFA, which has established a history for furthering food animal agriculture across species and contexts.

College leadership looks forward to how this new funding, when paired with CVM investigators’ expertise, will further the science that powers animal welfare and food security across the country.

The list of awardees includes Dr. Montse Torremorell and Dr. Noelle Noyes who will work on the elimination airborne viruses from swine barns and antibiotic resistance in swine, respectively. Dr. Jerry Torrison, head of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory will launch a new pathology residency program in collaboration with South Dakota State University.

Left to right: Dr. Montse Torremorell, Dr. Jerry Torrison, and Dr. Noelle Noyes

More accurate gilt testing needed to detect Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae

Alyssa Betlach -DVM, veterinarian with Swine Vet Center and graduate student at the University of Minnesota- talks in Pig Health Today^® about differences in the ability to detect Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae based on sample types.

Highlights

Transmission of M. hyopneumoniae is very slow compared to other pathogens. Gilts and sows have a critical role in the transmission of M. hyopneumoniae.
Accurate gilt surveillance is key in those sow herds seeking negative M. hyopneumoniae status.
To detect M. hyopneumoniae, the laryngeal swabs and deep tracheal catheters are more accurate than other sample types during the early stage of infection.

CVM researchers awarded $1 million to develop strategies to protect animals during disease outbreaks

The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine’s (CVM) Secure Food System (SFS) team collaborate with public and private partners to develop tactical biosecurity strategies to limit disease spread for specific animal movements based on risk-based science. The awarded work pursues these objectives:

Assess the risk of animal movements and their agricultural products during an outbreak and translate the risk-based science into workable movement permit guidance;
Develop tactical strategies to limit foreign animal disease (FAD) outbreak spread in integrated agriculture systems; and
Conduct outreach on emergency preparedness and the SFS platform.

COVID-19 and pig viruses – what can we learn?

Drs. Marie Culhane and Montse Torremorell, swine influenza experts at the University of Minnesota have been taking a closer look at COVID-19, the human coronavirus impacting our lives around the globe and comparing it to the swine viruses we are all familiar with. How does it compare? What can we learn?

Article originally written for pig333.com and in Spanish on the 3tres3 website.