Overview

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Animal disease is one of the greatest threats to animal agriculture. Recent experiences in the United States and abroad with avian influenza, exotic Newcastle disease, foot-and-mouth disease, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) have made us aware of how animal diseases can affect the food supply, human health, and national economies. Animals provide consumers with food, fiber, medicine, companionship, recreation, and natural resources such as wildlife and aquaculture. CSREES supports the health of livestock, poultry, horses, fish, and other agriculturally important commodities through research, education, and extension activities.

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In Focus

• CSREES directed the multi-agency effort to develop an Avian Influenza Lesson Plan for high school science students.
• The Animal Health program is seeking stakeholder input to help establish program priorities.
• The Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) is offering regional conferences focusing on animal agrosecurity.
• CSREES renews commitment to teams that tackle three serious animal diseases.
• CSREES targets chronic wasting disease in deer and elk, related to important livestock diseases such as BSE (mad cow disease) and scrapie in sheep.
• CSREES supports veterinary student experiential learning to help them prepare for careers in food animal medicine, food safety, and animal health research.

Partnerships

• CSREES staff partner with scientists throughout the United States in numerous animal health-related multistate research projects.
• The U.S. Microbe Project Interagency Working Group coordinates efforts on microbial genomics among 14 agencies.
• CSREES partnered with the USDA Agricultural Research Service for the National Animal Health Program Planning Workshop.


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Events

• VMLRP Stakeholder Session, Washington, DC, September 15, 2008.
• Competitive Grants Grantsmanship Workshops, Washington, DC/Salt Lake City, UT, September/October, 2008.
• Galaxy III Conference: "Celebrating the Extension System: Strengths, Diversity, and Unique Qualities," Indianapolis, IN, September 15-19, 2008.

Selected Results and Impacts

• Marek's disease, a highly contagious disease which costs poultry producers worldwide $1 billion a year, is being addressed with CSREES funds.
• CSREES-funded research could lead to more effective vaccines for commercial fish farming.
• A CSREES-funded project aims to use a biosensor to rapidly find and contain Avian Influenza on farms.


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Resources

• Avian Influenza, US Department of Agriculture. Latest news releases, transcripts, and other information.
• 2007 EU-US Workshop Vaccine Discovery, USDA Agricultural Research Service. Report on workshop to discuss, design and prioritize initiatives for vaccine research
• National Animal Health Program Planning Workshop, USDA Agricultural Research Service. Workshop agenda and presentations.


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Contacts

Peter Johnson

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