|
“We are proud of the progress
so far and have aggressive plans to continue the enhancements.
Nancy Cox,
UK College of Agriculture Associate Dean for Research and Director of the
Agricultural Experiment Station |
By Laura Skillman
LEXINGTON, Ky., (May 3, 2006) – Scientists at the Livestock Disease Diagnostic
Center are somewhat like the sleuths seen on television trying to solve a crime.
But the LDDC scientists are involved in the real day-to-day struggles of
ensuring the state’s animal populations remain healthy.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture facility work
with farmers and veterinarians across Kentucky to improve animal health and find
solutions as new diseases develop. Horses and cattle alone account for more than
$1.6 billion of the state’s economy. Ensuring their welfare is vital to the
agricultural sector of nearly every county in Kentucky.
In 2005, the facility had about 60,000 cases that included nearly 150,000
animals ranging from horses and cattle, to cats and dogs, to reptiles and a zoo
animal. The cases are problem-based and may involve an individual animal or an
entire herd, said Lenn Harrison, LDDC director. They also do equine testing on
animals from other states that may be coming to sales in the Lexington area.
The equine industry makes up about half of the center’s work. Cattle comprise 30
percent or more, and poultry also makes up a significant amount of the center’s
work. The rest is varied animal species.
Spring is the facility’s busiest time of year because “mamas are having babies”
– mares and foals and cows and calves – and this represents a big part of the
state’s overall animal enterprises, Harrison said.
“A great deal of our work is done on live animals; for example, a cow or a horse
is sick and a nasal swab may be taken, then we get the swab to test,” Harrison
said. “Or we may get a blood sample.”
Necropsies are performed at the facility and are an important diagnostic tool
especially when there is a herd risk, he said. But the goal is to eliminate
losses by early disease detection and intervention.
Many times diagnostic labs such as the LDDC are among the first to identify
disease outbreaks. That was the case in 2001, when Mare Reproductive Loss
Syndrome caused many mares in the state to lose their foals. Through the work of
the LDDC, other UK scientists and private veterinarians, the contributing
factors were identified and MRLS foal losses have not been experienced recently.
Efforts to educate the public on proper health regimes has aided in the
reduction and control of animal diseases such as black leg in cattle. Helping to
spread the word on proper vaccination schedules made this disease much less
prevalent today than 15 years ago.
The LDDC was built in 1971 near UK’s Coldstream Research Farm and its caseload
has grown substantially. It is the smallest of the nationally accredited labs
and at this point has only received provisional accreditation. The lab is
working on a renovation and expansion project to ensure it gains full
accreditation and that there is adequate space to meet the needs of the state’s
livestock producers. Funding for the second phase of the expansion was cut from
the state budget but efforts continue to find funding to ensure the project can
be completed.
LDDC’s mission to protect the state’s animal health, in particular horses as
well as cattle, poultry and other food animals, is of high importance to the
College of Agriculture, said Nancy Cox, associate dean for research and director
of the agricultural experiment station.
“In recent years we have engaged in extensive planning with stakeholders about
their needs for the lab, and we have instituted many changes to enhance the
service and facilities for the benefit of Kentucky’s veterinarians and
producers,” she said. “We are proud of the progress so far and have aggressive
plans to continue the enhancements.
Harrison said while science and technology have changed since the facility
opened, its focus has been unwavering – to assist in identifying diseases so the
proper controls and treatment could be implemented on the farm level. The center
also assists and supports veterinarians in the field.
“It is still the basis for what we do here,” he said. “Our concern is disease
identification and control. We’re looking for health more than for disease
because we would much rather identify a disease early and control it and reduce
losses.”
Science used at the center also continues to expand. There are 70 employees at
the LDDC including 12 faculty positions – with sections in microbiology,
serology, virology, toxicology, molecular biology, pathology, necropsy,
histopathology and clinical pathology. The center has also hired an
epidemiologist.
“We have focused heavily on disease identification and are going to continue to
do that, but we are going to expand it into the area of epidemiology with the
addition of Craig Carter,” Harrison said.
With this technology they can look at information as it is being collated on a
day-to-day basis allowing for very early discovery of potential problems.
“The more information, the more helpful it is to folks who need it,” Harrison
said. “It means more testing as well as obtaining more information about each
individual farm.”
LDDC scientists use the same techniques and methods as other researchers but in
opposite directions, he said.
“In research you start at a certain point and move forward to observe what’s
happening,” he said. “We are always working in reverse where something has
happened and we have to work backwards to explain and understand why it has
taken place.”
While Harrison is accustomed to their research sometimes being compared to
television crime scene investigations, he notes that in the real world of
disease diagnosis and control they don’t always solve the case, especially not
in an hour.
Diagnostic testing and investigations require teamwork by LDDC staff, especially
by the specialists, he said. One example has been their work with West Nile
virus where mosquitoes, birds and horses from across the state were tested at
the lab for the state Department of Public Health. This helped the state plan
its spray schedule to reduce mosquitoes in areas most needed to protect human
health.
Another example is when the pathologist examines tissues of an aborted fetus and
identifies that the fetus died in the womb due to suspected leptospira
infection, which is then confirmed by the microbiologist using the specific
test.
“For many cases, there is often true, effective collaboration,” Harrison said.
The center, as with all diagnostic labs, has also been called on to test and
monitor for such diseases as bovine spongiform encephalopathy and avian
influenza. To date avian flu as not been found in the United States and no cases
of BSE have been found in Kentucky.
The LDDC is often called upon to provide laboratory support for the state
veterinarian during disease outbreaks. In late 2005, equine neurologic herpes
was diagnosed and the barn which housed the horses was immediately quarantined.
Around-the-clock laboratory testing conducted at the LDDC to ensure that all
infected animals were identified as early as possible. A final set of negative
tests by LDDC in January 2006 allowed the state veterinarian to lift the
quarantine. The LDDC support helped to ensure this outbreak did not spread to
other barns.
“The lab has been an important sentinel for detection of the herpes virus,
running samples that are essential for the state veterinarian to determine
whether to admit racehorses from other states,” Cox said. “This example and many
others demonstrate how the laboratory services of the LDDC are key to the
success of the Kentucky horse industry and animal agriculture in general.”
Writer:
Laura Skillman
(270) 365-7541 ext. 278
Contact:
Lenn Harrison, (859) 253-0571
Nancy
Cox, (859) 257-3333
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