Investigation of Bacterial Load in Multi-Species Laboratory Workspaces

Multi-purpose/multi-species laboratories in veterinary clinics may have an increased risk for bacterial contamination due to the possibility for high traffic and diverse exposures from different farms and species. The goal of this trial was to investigate the level of possible contamination in the shared areas and to evaluate the efficacy of the current SOPs (standard operating procedures) in minimizing microbial contamination of laboratory areas. Specific objectives were to: (1) identify which areas of the laboratory and shared resources have the highest level of contamination and (2) determine whether the current cleaning and decontamination methods are effective and in use. Two trials, totaling 115 samples, were conducted over a two week period using Replicate Organism Detection and Counting (RODAC) surface contact agar plates. The first trial consisted of randomized sampling within the field laboratory, field equipment shared between species and veterinary service vehicles. The second trial further sampled identified problem areas before and/or after cleaning/disinfection procedures. The experimenter was blinded to the status of the surfaces tested. Commercially available disinfectants typically found in homes, farms, and/or clinic laboratories were used at recommended rates and contact times during testing. Samples collected were incubated for 24 hours at 37°C with 5% CO2. Following identification processes, the most common species of bacteria isolated were Staphylococcus sp. These were most frequently isolated in the service vehicles. Hard surfaces in the vehicle were able to be cleaned and disinfected sufficiently, but the carpeted areas retained contamination even after cleaning. The findings of this project suggest that fomite transfer of bacterial organisms through the use of a multi-purpose service vehicle could potentially spread undesirable pathogens from farm to farm unknowingly. Increased adherence to strict biosecurity standards at the farm level can help to prevent this transfer

Health Challenges in Midwestern “Niche” Pork Production Systems

Organic pork production is increasing in popularity in the Midwest. Little information is available to identify specific disease pressures associated with this unique method of pork production. This project was initiated to identify health challenges within these production systems to enable veterinarians to implement management plans specifically designed to combat the individual farms’ pathogens while staying within the guidelines of the Niche production company. This project was initiated in late 2005 and outlined two specific goals at inception. The first was to analyze Niche pork production and financial records. The second goal of the project was to identify herd health challenges through targeted diagnostic analysis. 26 producers representing 5 Midwestern states submitted samples for standardized diagnostic analysis to Iowa State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL). Internal parasites were present in all age groups. Ileitis (Lawsonia intracellurlaris) lesions were present in pigs as young as seven weeks old. Swine Influenza virus (SIV) levels ranged from 50-80% in the project’s submissions. Vaccination and wormer use in these herds is variable and the use of these products is not prohibited by most Niche marketing companies. Knowledge of what pathogens are present in Niche herds will better prepare veterinarians to control these problems

Comparing Candidates on Issues when Voting: Resources for Teaching Media Literacy in Special Education

While voting rights for adults with disabilities vary across states, the skill of voting is one important practice of citizenship, and thus active engagement in community. The skills required to inform voting require reading comprehension to reason with information, and self-determination to make choices based upon that information. This resource supports special educators of high school or postsecondary individuals with intellectual disabilities to articulate personal opinions on political issues, and to then compare political candidates using those issues

Recognizing Bias in Social Media News: Resources for Teaching Media Literacy in Special Education

With the empowerment of social media news literacy, students in special education can interact with their world with deeper competencies of critical thinking skills and civic engagement. In exploring personal and news biases, online users will have the tools to effectively grapple with the content found in their newsfeeds. The included lesson uses current social media news stories. Students will be able to identify vocabulary communicating possible bias, including absolute words or phrases, words or phrases communicating degree, and words or phrases that are positively or negatively charged

Who is my friend? Resources for Teaching Media Literacy in Special Education

Possible characteristics of autism or intellectual disabilities include vulnerability or gullibility in social situations. Therefore, some teens or adults with autism or intellectual disabilities may struggle to discern who is a true friend. In the context of media literacy, such challenges can lead to confusion in social media friend requests or related safe behaviors in using social media. This media literacy team intends for this resource to support teachers of special education or adult education to teach teens or adults with intellectual disabilities or autism about discerning friendships in the context of media literacy. A sample lesson is included

Characterization of U.S. Cull Sows

Physical and reproductive conditions of cull sows (3,158) from two U.S. Midwestern harvest plants were assessed. Body condition, feet, shoulders, teeth, lungs, and reproductive tracts were visually evaluated for gross lesions on harvested sows. From the observations of this study, body condition score (BCS) was associated with several abnormal conditions of sows. Whether the lesions caused BCS to change, BCS caused the lesions, or the lesions and BCS changed simultaneously is unknown. Most of these abnormal conditions are difficult to reliably observe by production personnel in the farm setting. Observation and attention to BCS may serve as an indicator of other lesions that have the potential to lessen the productivity of the sow. Causative relationships were not established by this study. However, the strong associations observed suggest that sows that do not respond to increased feeding with improved BCS on farm could reasonably be expected to have additional lesions that may have poor prognosis for high performance. The prevalence of reproductive lesions detected in the current study was substantially lower than the reported percentage of sows culled for reproductive failure in previous farm based studies. Additional characterizations may be able to relate on-farm management practices to one or more lesions that had a high occurrence in the present study

How Location of Feed Affects the Rate of Feeding in Multi-parity Sows

Sows are often selected by their body size and gestation groups are formed from this initial selection. However, size of sow and rate of feeding speed have not been determined, and instead of body size as the selection criteria, would rate of feeding be a better determinant for sows being grouped? Therefore, the objective of this study was to (1) estimate the range of speeds that a sow consumes a pre determined ration, (2) determine how sow parity affects the rate of feeding and (3) ascertain if feeding rate differs when feed is presented on the floor versus a raised ledge. To avoid aggression, 11 clinically normal, mixed-parity, crossbred sows were purchased from a commercial producer in Iowa and housed in individual pens at Iowa State University. Sows were all feed by hand and the ration was formulated to meet the NRC (1998) requirements for that sow at her stage of production. Data was collected on the afternoon feeding (1600 h) and each sow received 0.90 kg (2 lb). Treatment One; Floor; defined as food being placed centrally 1 m in distance on the rubber mat from the back of the home pen. Treatment Two; Ledge; the ledge was defined as a raised concrete step. Scoring of feeding rate was conducted by live observation (one person to one sow). Data were analyzed using the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS and a repeated measure statement of date nested within sow was used. A P \u3c 0.05 was considered significant and PDIFF was used to separate the means. The feeding rate (sec) range for sows within parity will be presented descriptively. No differences were found for parity (P = 0.59) of sow, although parity one sows ate quicker (14 mins) compared to parities two (20 mins) and three (19 mins). There was a difference (P = 0.02) for rate of feeding when sows were presented with feed on the floor of their home pen or on the raised feeder. In conclusion there was no difference between rates of feeding by parity when sows were housed individually in a home pen. However, when feed was presented on the floor the sows ate more quickly compared to a raised ledge

How Does the Addition of Gel at the Time of Vaccination Affect Overall Nursery Pig Performance?

Swine industry feed suppliers are continually striving to create techniques and tools to reduce the additive stressors imposed on the weanling piglet, to increase advantageous behaviors (feeding and drinking) and to reduce aggrieve interactions. In addition to social reorganization, pigs are often vaccinated during the nursery phase to reduce the impact of potentially harmful diseases. It has been noted by swine practitioners that at the time of vaccination many pigs lie down, rest more and reduce the amount of feed consumption over the vaccination period. One product on the market is a gel-based feed that is designed to ease the transition from a liquid diet (sow\u27s milk) to dry ration. This gel-based feed contains high quality ingredients; it is highly palatable and provides the young pig with both a feed component and a water component thereby influencing feed consumption and intestinal health. The gel can be used in addition to a standard weaned pig solid ration. Although, often recommended to be used at the time of weaning, the possibilities of implementing the gel around the time of vaccination is a novel concept that might impact the individual pig’s overall performance. The objectives of this study were to determine if the addition of gel at the time of vaccination provided benefits to the nursery pigs’ performance

Isolation and Characterization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Pork Farms and Visiting Veterinary Students

In the last decade livestock-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (LA-MRSA) has become a public health concern in many parts of the world. Sequence type 398 (ST398) has been the most commonly reported type of LA-MRSA. While many studies have focused on long-term exposure experienced by swine workers, this study focuses on short-term exposures experienced by veterinary students conducting diagnostic investigations. The objectives were to assess the rate of MRSA acquisition and longevity of carriage in students exposed to pork farms and characterize the recovered MRSA isolates. Student nasal swabs were collected immediately before and after farm visits. Pig nasal swabs and environmental sponge samples were also collected. MRSA isolates were identified biochemically and molecularly including spa typing and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Thirty (30) veterinary students were enrolled and 40 pork farms were visited. MRSA was detected in 30% of the pork farms and in 22% of the students following an exposure to a MRSA-positive pork farm. All students found to be MRSA-positive initially following farm visit were negative for MRSA within 24 hours post visit. Most common spa types recovered were t002 (79%), t034 (16%) and t548 (4%). Spa types found in pork farms closely matched those recovered from students with few exceptions. Resistance levels to antimicrobials varied, but resistance was most commonly seen for spectinomycin, tetracyclines and neomycin. Non-ST398 MRSA isolates were more likely to be resistant to florfenicol and neomycin as well as more likely to be multidrug resistant compared to ST398 MRSA isolates. These findings indicate that MRSA can be recovered from persons visiting contaminated farms. However, the duration of carriage was very brief and most likely represents contamination of nasal passages rather than biological colonization. The most common spa types found in this study were associated with ST5 and expands the range of livestock-associated MRSA types

Differences in Nursery Pigs’ Behavior on the Day of Vaccination

Swine industry feed suppliers are continually striving to develop techniques and tools to reduce the additive stressors imposed on the weanling piglet, to increase advantageous behaviors (feeding and drinking) and to reduce aggressive interactions. One product on the market designed to ease the transition from a liquid diet (sow\u27s milk) to a dry ration is a gel-based feed supplement that was incorporated in this trial as a means to positively affect feeding and drinking behaviors. The objectives of this study were to determine if there were differences in the nursery pigs’ behavior on the day of vaccination when provided a gel supplement. A total of 29 d crossbred pigs (5.94 kg) were housed in Double L® confinement nursery buildings. Four treatments were compared. No vaccine and no gel (control n = 4) defined as unvaccinated and without supplemental gel at days 8 to 10. No vaccine and gel (n = 4) defined as pigs that were provided supplemental gel at days 8 to 10 without vaccination. Vaccinated and no gel (n = 4) defined as pigs that were vaccinated but did not receive supplemental gel at days 8 to 10. Vaccinated and gel (n = 4) defined as pigs that were provided supplemental gel at days 8 to 10 and were vaccinated. The group of four pigs housed together in a pen was considered the experimental unit for data analysis. Definitions for the behaviors and postures recorded and summarized for the trial included the following: Active was defined as standing, this included any upright postures. Inactive posture was defined as sitting or lying postures (both lateral and sternal). Time at drinker was defined as when an individual pig’s mouth was around the water nipple. Time at feeding stations was defined as the time when the individual pig’s head was inside the creep (that contained gel) or the three hole feeder (dry pelleted feed). Nursery aged pigs were less active (P \u3c 0.05; Figure 1) and spent less time (P \u3c 0.05; Figure 2) at the feeding stations 1- h after receiving Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae vaccination, indicating a short term behavioral response to this stressor. These behavioral alterations continued for approximately 6- h (or 5:00 PM the vaccination day afternoon). After this time, all nursery pigs regardless of treatment engaged in the same behavioral repertoire. However, the behavioral repertoire of these nursery pigs were not different over the 3-d trial (previously published worked by Johnson et al., 2008) suggesting that the effects of this vaccination stressor and product were not long lasting