Recent U.S. Avian Influenza Outbreak is a Concern For Public Health

Mar 01, 2022

A contagious and deadly form of avian influenza has spread across multiple states in recent weeks. The highly infectious virus has killed many farmed poultry and wild birds.

Since early January, the virus began killing chickens in northeast Canada, and it has made its way through factory farms and migrating ducks, geese, and swans from Florida to Maine. The virus has also been making its way through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, with 300 outbreaks in 19 European countries in the last few weeks. In Israel, thousands of cranes have been killed at a nature reserve.

It has also made thousands of turkeys sick in Kentucky and Indiana, which began a mass slaughter of the birds and import bans. Officials were shocked at how efficiently and quickly this virus is killing the animals, saying the animals are dying within hours of the initial infection. In Indiana, according to NY Times, the state officials have already euthanized more than 100,000 birds.

Click here to see more...

Video: Season 7, Episode 6: Using Competitive Exclusion to Reduce E. coli in Weaned Pigs

Newly weaned pigs are especially vulnerable to pathogenic E. coli, which can cause diarrhea and other health challenges. Research is exploring how introducing beneficial bacteria before exposure to harmful bacteria could help reduce the severity of post-weaning disease, with timing playing an important role.

Dr. Marcelo Almeida, assistant professor in Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. Rodrigo Paiva, graduate student and pathology resident at the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, discuss their research on competitive exclusion in weaned pigs. They explain how this approach works, why introducing beneficial microorganisms before E. coli exposure may improve outcomes and what they learned about diarrhea, E. coli shedding and pig performance. The conversation also explores the potential to address antimicrobial resistance and the considerations for applying these findings in commercial pork production.