Caribbean animal health specialists visit K-State for workshop on African swine fever mitigation
A group 60 animal health specialists representing different countries in the Caribbean visit K-State as part of a four-day workshop on controling the spread African swine fever. On the second day, seminars were presented at the Biosecurity Research Institute. Dr. Jishu Shi (far left), director of the Center on Biologics Development and Evaluation at Kansas State University, was the lead organizer for the workshop.
The Center on Biologics Development and Evaluation at Kansas State University recently hosted a special group of visitors for the 2024 African Swine Fever (ASF) Workshop for the Caribbean.
“We welcomed more than 60 participants from 28 countries who attended the African swine fever workshop, including 40 veterinarians, chief veterinary officers and technical officers from 20 Caribbean countries,” said Dr. Jishu Shi, director of the center and professor of vaccine immunology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. “The primary goal of this workshop is to establish a sustainable platform that effectively enhances African swine fever surveillance capacity across the Americas.”
Antoinette Lona, left, explains some of the procedures that can be performed in the histology department of the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
Activities in the workshop, which was held from June 24 to 28, included updates on African swine fever virus research, hands-on training of diagnostic tests and training on how to use the “Lateral Flow ASF Dx” kit and a seminar on science-based rapid response options for the prevention and control of African swine fever. Participants were given tours of the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Biosecurity Research Institute and K-State Olathe.
Researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine gave several presentations including Dr. Shi, Laura Miller, Stephen Higgs, Roman Pogranichniy, Lihua Wang, Rachel Madera and Lance Noll.
K-State's Dr. Lihua Wang (in white coat) explains the process for performing molecular diagnostic assays to detect African swine fever.
Guest presenters included Dr. Linda Dixon, Pirbright Institute, UK; Dr. Eun-Ju Sohn, BioApp, South Korea; Dr. Llilianne Ganges, Animal Health Research Center at the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology, or CReSA-IRTA, Spain; Dr. Quang Lam Truong, Vietnam National University of Agriculture; Dr. Homer Pantua, BioAssets Corporation, Philippines; Dr. Dang Vu Hoang, National Institute of Veterinary Research, Vietnam; and Dr. To Long Thanh, Vietnam National University of Agriculture.
Dr. Linda Dixon, group leader with the Pirbright Institute in the UK, gives a keynote presentation on surveillance and control of African swine fever.
Co-organizers of the workshop included Dr. Beth Montelone, senior associate vice president for research at Kansas State University; Zackery Tipton, program manager with USDA Foreign Agriculture Service, Eric Coleman, program policy adviser, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; and Ericka Calderon, specialist with Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
“We are deeply grateful for the partnership and support from USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, K-State Olathe, Biosecurity Research Institute and KSVDL,” Dr. Shi said.
About the CBDE
The Center on Biologics Development and Evaluation (CBDE) at Kansas State University is dedicated to delivering cutting-edge services to our worldwide partners and clients across four key areas: A) Advancing bioprocess development for the commercialization of veterinary biologics; B) Offering contract manufacturing services for autogenous vaccines tailored for food animals; C) Conducting rigorous safety and efficacy evaluations of veterinary biologics; and D) Establishing a sustainable platform for international collaboration aimed at preventing and controlling transboundary animal diseases.
Dr. Steve Ensley, toxicologist with the KSVDL, leads a tour through part of the KSVDL and Veterinary Health Center, including this lab for clinical skills instruction involving large animals.