Obama Picks Former NYC Health Commissioner To Lead FDAApril 17, 2009 President Obama has nominated former New York City Health Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, MD, as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Joshua Sharfstein, MD, the health commissioner for Baltimore, was named the principal deputy commissioner. The announcement was made March 14 during the president’s weekly radio address. Obama described the government’s failure to inspect 95 percent of the food processing plants and warehouses as “a hazard to public health.” “It is unacceptable,” Obama said. “And it will change under the leadership of Dr. Margaret Hamburg. From her research on infectious disease at the National Institutes of Health to her work on public health at the Department of Health and Human Services to her leadership on biodefense at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Dr. Hamburg brings to this vital position not only a reputation of integrity but a record of achievement in making Americans safer and more secure.” Obama said he is creating a Food Safety Working Group, which will be chaired by the secretaries of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture. He said the group will coordinate with other agencies and senior officials to advise him on improving coordination …
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Hartz Recalls Vitamin Care For CatsApril 17, 2009 The Hartz Mountain Corp. of Secaucus, N.J., is voluntarily recalling a second specific lot of Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats due to concerns that bottles within the lot may have been potentially contaminated with Salmonella. The product involved is 739 bottles of Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats, lot code SZ 22771, UPC number 32700-97701. Recent sampling conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration detected the presence of Salmonella, although it had not been detected under normal testing by Hartz and manufacturer UFAC (USA) Inc. Hartz recalled a specific lot code of the vitamins late last year due to similar concerns. Both lot codes were manufactured by UFAC in 2007, and were removed from distribution last November. However, bottles from the second lot had been shipped to customers before it was removed from distribution. At press time, the company had not received any reports of animals or humans becoming ill. Hartz is offering reimbursement for purchased products. For details, contact Hartz at 800-275-1414. Posted March 10, 2008, 7:16 p.m., EST <HOME>
New Toxin Found In Recalled Pet FoodApril 17, 2009 .The FDA now says it was a substance used in fertilizer and Formica that has been found as a source of contamination of pet food. Adding more confusion to a case already filled with mystery, the Food and Drug Administration now says it was a substance used in fertilizer and Formica that has been found as a source of contamination of pet food that was recalled earlier this month. The FDA and pet food maker Menu Foods are now both saying that amounts of the synthetic plastic melamine is the only contaminant found so far in the wheat gluten ingredient of tainted pet food that has been recalled. Their statements directly contradict findings by the New York State Department of Agriculture, which says that it found the rat poison aminopterin during tests of the tainted food. On March 23, the N.Y. State Department of Agriculture said that state laboratory tests this week had turned up aminopterin, an ingredient used in rat poison outside the United States, in some recalled food. However, no other agency has reported the same findings. Stephen Sundlof, DVM, Ph.D., the director of the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, and Menu …
Food Animal Medicine Scholarship LaunchedApril 17, 2009 The American Association of Bovine Practitioners and Pfizer Animal Health of New York have launched the AABP Foundation-Pfizer Animal Health Scholarship to support students interested in food animal medicine. “These scholarships, which come at a time when the large animal veterinarian industry is experiencing a shortage, will help recruit outstanding students for careers in bovine veterinary medicine,” said Gatz Riddell, DVM, executive vice president for AABP. The scholarship program is offered to third-year veterinary students in the United States. Applicants must provide information regarding their cattle industry background and provide answers to several essay questions pertaining to the role of large animal veterinarians in today’s society. Applications, due June 15, can be found here. As part of the scholarship, recipients will receive a travel stipend to the September AABP conference in Omaha, Neb. “Veterinarians represent an integral role in the cattle industry because they help ensure a safe and wholesome food supply,” said Roger Saltman, DVM, director of cattle veterinary operations at Pfizer Animal Health. “Exposing the younger generation to large animal medicine becomes such a crucial component in the survivability and success of …
Nature’s Phenomenally Cruel SideApril 17, 2009 On April 25, a great white shark attacked David Martin, DVM, UC Davis class of ’76, around 7 a.m. Dave was swimming 150 yards off shore with nine friends in wet suits. They were triathlon training in Solano Beach, Calif., not far from Dave’s house. Experts think the shark mistook him for a seal. Dave yelled, “Shark!” before he was pulled under. The shark did not stay around. Dave’s friends brought his lifeless body to shore. Dave’s legs had deep bite wounds that severed his femoral arteries and veins. He most likely bled to death within a few minutes. This shocking attack was covered extensively in news outlets. It made me think of other animal attacks that hit the news: the sting ray that killed Steve Irwin; the tiger shark that bit the arm off young Bethany Hamilton while she was surfing; the alligator that attacked a golfer and dislocated his shoulder; the chimp that attacked a visitor at a primate shelter; the tiger bite that ended the Siegfried & Roy show; the bear that killed one of its trainers; the zoo tiger that killed a taunting boy; and the captive orca that attacked its handler at …
Researchers Sequence Cat GenomeApril 17, 2009 The DNA of a 4-year-old Abyssinian cat named Cinnamon has been sequenced. The similarity between the cat genome and six recently completed mammalian genomes (human, chimpanzee, mouse, rat, dog and cow) allowed the researchers to identify 20,285 putative genes. Researchers say that the data will be useful for parentage testing, forensic analysis and studies of evolution, including the reconstruction of domestication processes, fancy breed development and ecological adaptation among the roaring cats. Researchers also say that the genome sequence analysis will lead to health benefits for domestic cats as well as serve as a model for human disease, one reason the National Human Genome Research Institute, based in Bethesda, Md., authorized the project three years ago. Domestic cats have more than 250 naturally occurring hereditary disorders, many of which are similar to genetic pathologies in humans. For instance, Cinnamon’s pedigree carries a genetic mutation that causes retinitis pigmentosa. The degenerative eye disease affects 1 in 3,500 humans in America. The domestic cat also serves as a model for human infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS. Feline immunodeficiency virus is a genetic relative of human immunodeficiency virus. The report appears in the November issue of the …
Conference And Proposal NewsApril 17, 2009 The 28th Annual Assn. of Avian Veterinarians Conference and Expo and the Assn. of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians’ Annual Conference and Business Meeting will be held in August in Providence, RI. The AAV conference will take place Aug. 4-9; AEMV will take place Aug. 4-5. For more information, visit www.aav.org or www.aemv.org. Human-Animal Bond Proposals Sought The American Assn. of Human-Animal Bond Veterinarians and the Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition in the United Kingdom have issued a joint call for research proposals in the area of human-animal interactions. The groups suggest particular interest in the impact of pets on the physical well-being of children, the role of pets in the lives of elders and the impact of culture on the human-animal bond. A grant of up to $20,000 will be awarded. Entry deadline is Sept. 1. Research must be completed within two years of receiving the award. For more information, visit www.aahabv.org. <HOME>
Vaccine Types Licensed For UseApril 17, 2009Vaccine types licensed for use for cats. Click to Enlarge
FeLV Study UnderwayApril 17, 2009 Imulan BioTherapeutics LLC of Prescott, Ariz., has begun a multi-site clinical trial to further assess the effect of lymphocyte T-cell immunomodulator (LTCI) in cats with feline leukemia virus. The company recently commercialized LTCI as a conditionally licensed treatment aid for cats infected with FeLV and feline immunodeficiency virus and the associated symptoms of lymphopenia, opportunistic infection, anemia, granulocytopenia or thrombocytopenia. “[LTCI] is a potent regulator of lymphocyte production and function and has been shown to increase lymphocyte numbers and interleukin-2 production in animals,” said Craig Woods, DVM, chief executive officer of Imulan. “Lymphocytes and interleukin-2 play a pivotal role in eliciting an immune response against viruses. Imulan believes this immunological approach will be far more effective than metabolic drug approaches, none of which are approved for feline viral infections.” <HOME>
Wyoming Hosts Biodefense, Emergency Animal Response ConferenceApril 17, 2009 The University of Wyoming is hosting the second annual Rocky Mountain Regional Conference on Biodefense and Emergency Animal Response on March 17-18. The conference, intended for veterinarians, animal care and control professionals, agricultural professionals and others, will include information on national animal emergency management issues, zoonoses and infection control plans for animal facilities, avian influenza, personal protective equipment use in animal facilities, local animal emergency plan development, animal search and rescue and hazardous materials and animal decontamination. Presenters will include Cindy Lovern, DVM, American Veterinary Medical Assn. assistant director for emergency preparedness, who will speak on emergency programs; and Donal O’Toole, DVM, head of the University of Wyoming Department of Veterinary Sciences and director of the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, who will speak on the National Animal Health Laboratory Network. The conference is designed to provide a regional forum for Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming for information on biodefense and emergency issues related to animal health, animal welfare and public health. The conference is a joint program of the Rocky Mountain Regional Center of Excellence on Biodefense and Emerging Diseases at Colorado State University and the Colorado Veterinary Medical Foundation. …
