Researchers at Kansas State University have identified a new swine circovirus.
Its discovery is auspicious, as a related swine circovirus, porcine circovirus type 2, also known as PCV2, has had a devastating history in swine production. Associated diseases caused millions of dollars in losses globally in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Dr. Benjamin Hause works with grad student Rachel Palinski to identify a unique virus suspected of causing cases of swine disease.
The new circovirus — identified as porcine circovirus 3 — discovered by Dr. Benjamin Hause and Rachel Palinski, who is with the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, along with collaborators at Kansas State University, Iowa State University and Smithfield Hog Production, is different from other known circoviruses.
"The Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory was sent samples from sows with signs of clinical disease typically caused by PCV2 infection; however, the samples were negative for PCV2," said Dr. Hause, now an adjunct professor in the CVM. "Through further investigation, we identified an extremely novel, divergent new species of circovirus. We also performed polymerase chain reaction testing, or PCR, on random samples submitted to the lab to see how widespread this virus is in the U.S. swine herd. Twelve percent were positive for this new virus. We are hoping this is not the beginning of what could be a whole new epidemic of circovirus infections."
Porcine circovirus type 2 was first identified in Canada in the mid-1990s during sporadic outbreaks of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome, or PWMS, where young pigs fail to thrive and progressively lose body condition.
“PCV2 caused sporadic disease at first, but then there were massive epidemics of PMWS in Asia and Europe, and in North America in the early 2000s," Dr. Hause said. "When I started working in the industry in 2005, this was about the height of this disease, and it literally killed millions and millions of pigs."
Dr. Hause said that vaccination for porcine circovirus type 2 has successfully controlled the disease, but that it remains to be one of the most significant viruses of swine.
"Now we have a novel porcine circovirus that is distantly related to known circoviruses and that has been identified in sows with porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome, or PDNS, and reproductive failure," Dr. Hause said. "Porcine circovirus 2, which has previously been associated with these clinical presentations, was not identified here. This virus is clearly not a variant of PCV2, but a novel virus in its own right."
Dr. Hause said after they discovered the new virus, they were able to check for its presence in archived samples.
"We detected porcine circovirus type 3 in aborted fetuses and in archival diagnostic cases of PDNS lesions that previously tested negative for PCV2," Dr. Hause said. "Given the high economic impact of PCV2, this novel circovirus warrants further studies to elucidate its significance and role in porcine circovirus associated disease."
Five new students join VTPRK
Five new students in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University have been chosen for the largest veterinary loan forgiveness program offered by the state of Kansas: The Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas.
This year’s recipients are Elizabeth Farney, McPherson, Kansas; Shanlyn Hefley, Wellington, Kansas; Anna Hickert, Hays, Kansas; Meredith Schmidt, Overland Park, Kansas; and Ashley Zelenka, Wilson, Kansas.
“We are very pleased the state of Kansas continues to support this program,” Dean Tammy Beckham said. “We had a very talented pool of applicants, and the students who were chosen are very deserving of this award. These students are from Kansas and already appreciate how this program will help them to serve in a rural area where veterinarians are needed.”
The Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas was passed by the state Legislature in 2006 to provide a financial incentive to provide rural areas in Kansas with committed veterinarians. Program participants are eligible for up to $20,000 in loans per year to pay for college expenses and advanced training. Upon completion of their Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, each student is required to work at a full-time veterinary practice in one of the 91 Kansas counties with fewer than 35,000 residents. For each year the student works in rural Kansas, $20,000 worth of loans will be forgiven by the state. Students can work a maximum of four years through program, receiving up to $80,000 in loan waivers.
Each student in the Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas is required to participate in additional activities beyond what is required for their veterinary degrees. The scholars spend their summer breaks learning about foreign-animal disease preparedness, natural disaster preparedness, rural sociology and public health.
Back row (from left): Shanlyn Hefley, Anna Hickert and Ashley Zelenka. Front row: Meredith Schmidt, Dean Tammy Beckham and Elizabeth Farney.
College presents fall teaching awards
Three faculty members have been recognized for preclinical teaching excellence in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University. Drs. Zsolt Szladovits, Michael Dryden and Kenneth Harkin were each named as the respective top teachers for the first, second and third years of instruction, as voted on by each respective class of students at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.
“Our college’s teaching awards were originally began with the Parallel Paths Program and, later, a college group called the High Plains Drifters that wanted to recognize teaching excellence at every stage of the veterinary curriculum and thus prioritized the development of new teaching awards during the 2004 academic year,” explained Dr. Ronnie Elmore, associate dean for academic programs, admissions and diversity programs. “While the High Plains Drifters has since disbanded, the college is committed to the continuation of these awards. We have obtained multi-year annual plaques that are displayed in the lobby of Trotter Hall to identify the recipients of these awards on an annual basis, in addition to the plaques that are presented to each of the recipients.”
Dr. Szladovits was named as the recipient of the 2016 Merial Teaching Excellence Award, which is presented in recognition of outstanding instruction of first-year veterinary students. This is his third time receiving this award, having previously been honored in 2007 and 2011. He received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1998, and has previously received teaching awards at his alma mater at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary, where he taught anatomy before joining Kansas State University. He is an instructor in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology.
“Thank you for the hard work of class 2019 during their anatomy course, and I am very glad that I had the opportunity to facilitate this key learning process,” Dr. Szladovits said. “I feel very humbled by being recognized for teaching excellence; it is hard to imagine a better way of acknowledgement of the work I have been doing over the last year. I am extremely thankful for receiving this prestigious award and wish continued success for the entire class for the remainder of their course.”
Dr. Michel Dryden was presented with the 2016 Teaching Excellence in the Second Year Award in recognition of outstanding instruction of second-year veterinary students. He previous was honored with the second-year teaching award in 2006. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1982 and a DVM degree in 1984, both at Kansas State University. He later earned a master’s degree in 1988 and a Ph.D. in 1990, both from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. He currently is a University Distinguished Professor of Veterinary Parasitology in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
“This college has numerous highly competent and excellent educators and it is an honor to be recognized by the students as one those faculty,” Dr. Dryden said. “Our students deserve the best education we can possibly deliver. I understand and appreciate that this is a college of veterinary medicine and not a department of veterinary science, which to me means, that the doors open and lights turn on every day because we are first and foremost training the next generation of veterinarians.”
Dr. Harkin received the 2016 Teaching Excellence in the Third Year Award. He previously receiving the third-year teaching award in 2012.
“There are so many excellent teachers at the College of Veterinary Medicine deserving of this award, so I’m honored to receive the teaching award this year,” Dr. Harkin said.
Dr. Harkin earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1989 from Iowa State University and completed a residency at Michigan State University. He currently instructs fourth-year veterinary students in their clinical rotations through the internal medicine service and presents didactic lectures to third-year veterinary students in gastroenterology, hepatology, neurology and clinical hematology.
Dr. Zsolt Szladovits receives the first-year award from A&P Department Head Dr. Hans Coetzee.
DM/P Department Head Dr. M.M. Chengappa presents the second-year teaching award to Dr. Michael Dryden.
Dr. Ken Harkin accepts the third-year teaching award from interim department head Dr. Beth Davis.
Video Feature
Strategy Focus Teams complete next phase in Strategic Planning initiative
Member of the CVM Strategy Focus Teams talk about their participation in the process of Strategic Planning for the college.
Video produced by Kent Nelson, technology coordinator from Computing and Technical Support (CATS). See more CVM videos at our YouTube site: youtube.com/KSUCVM
NIFA grant supports BCI and CEEZAD collaboration
Officials at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) have announced the awarding of a $239,656 grant to a Kansas State University-based team headed by Dr. Brad White, professor of production medicine and interim director of the Beef Cattle Institute. Co-project directors are Dr. Juergen Richt, Regents Distinguished Professor and director of the Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases, and Dr. Derek Mosier, professor of veterinary pathology.
Kansas State University veterinarians Drs. A.J. Tarpoff and Robert Larson test new mobile technology while working with cattle in the field.
The grant application notes that production animal medicine plays a crucial role in rural communities, yet many areas may be underserved due to insufficient financial viability of small veterinary practices. Sustainable rural food animal careers are based on providing value to stakeholders in rural communities. Rural veterinarians provide value through improved ability to manage diseases present in food animals, and represent the first line of defense against high consequence emerging, zoonotic and transboundary animal diseases – such as foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever, African swine fever and avian flu -- that could cripple the production animal economy. The purpose of the project is to conduct organized workshops and create online modules that enhance education and career development for rural veterinarians.
The workshops will be held in Manhattan and the online modules will be accessible to rural production animal veterinarians and to anyone who has an interest in the topics. By providing resources and information to rural production animal veterinarians, Kansas State University’s project directors also hope to increase the visibility of the important role production animal veterinarians play in the assurance of food safety and food security, the protection of animal and environmental resources, and the economic viability of production animal agriculture, and as first line responders to emerging, zoonotic and transboundary animal diseases.
Dr. White said the collaborative grant “will allow us to work closely with veterinarians to utilize decision tools and new information to decrease the potential impacts of cattle diseases.”
Dr. Richt said the program will enable researchers to “fill a gap in the ability of rural veterinarians to recognize and respond to emerging zoonotic and transboundary animal diseases, which are a constant threat to U.S. agricultural systems.”
The economic consequences of an outbreak of a high-impact disease are devastating. Various models have been created to estimate the impact of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United States. Estimates for economic loss vary from $2.7 to $4 billion per year depending on intensity, severity and duration of the outbreak, with lesser estimates for regional outbreaks. A recent example is the 2015 outbreak of avian flu in in the Midwestern states. The control and eradication of the highly virulent avian influenza virus (HTN2, HTN8) for domestic poultry and turkey populations was estimated to have cost $4 billion.
The NIFA project will integrate training opportunities for production animal veterinarians teaching how to efficiently provide additional services to food animal clients and to expand their role as first responders while receiving financial compensation for the time involved. The workshops and training modules also teach management of low incidence, but high consequence diseases of production animals, and also high-incidence but low-consequence diseases. Both high- and low-incidence diseases are of critical importance for the long-term success of rural veterinary practices.
The overall goal of the NIFA project is to create career enhancement opportunities for rural production animal veterinarians. If rural veterinarians are not able to remain in practice due to economic reasons and lack of profitability, there will be no veterinarians in place to respond to either low- or high-consequence diseases.
Dean Tammy Beckham joins Gen. Richard Myers at Washington DC for panel discussions on the threat of bio/agroterrorism
The Bipartisan Policy Center and Kansas State University held panel discussions Oct. 13 on the threat of bio/agroterrorism, highlighting the importance of agriculture in biosecurity, as well as potential strategies, tactics, and policy solutions for the next administration. Dean Tammy Beckham and Gen. Richard Myers (now president of Kansas State University) both spoke at the event.
Dean Tammy Beckham (above) and newly-appointed Kansas State University President Gen. Richard Myers (below).
The 2015 bipartisan report of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Biodefense reported that, despite progress on many fronts, the nation remains highly vulnerable to biological threats.
A critical consideration in the national dialogue on biodefense includes the need to protect American’s food supply and agriculture economy.
A biological attack on the $1 trillion agriculture sector would have devastating economic, social, and political fallout, and it is critical to promote engagement and awareness in the biosecurity debate.
The panel discussions featured:
Tom Daschle Co-Founder, BPC Former Senate Majority Leader Panel Member, Blue Ribbon Panel on Biodefense @TomDaschle
Gen. Richard Myers Interim President, Kansas State University Retired Four-Star General, U.S. Air Force Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Mike Rogers Former Representative from Michigan Former Chairman, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence @RepMikeRogers
Dr. Tammy Beckham Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University @KState_VetDean
Dr. Asha George Co-Director, Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense Director of Biodefense Studies, Potomac Institute of Policy Studies
Dr. Robert Kadlec Deputy Staff Director, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
The following web page features videos of the panel discussions:
CVM announces 2016 class of Early Admission Scholars
A group of 34 undergraduate students now have a special opportunity to fulfill their passions for animal health. The CVMaccepted these students into its Early Admission Program during an afternoon ceremony Nov. 4 in Frick Auditorium in Mosier Hall.
Front row (from left): Taylor Duff, Monica Anderson, Rachael Weinstein, Nina Marchell, Amanda Hoffman, Michaella Wahl, Katherine Clarkson, Lana Herman, Valerie Mombello, Jessie Johannes and Kendra Christman. Middle row: Kyndall Norris, Gerae Haverkamp, Madeline Riede, Katie Condon, Savannah Parker, Abigail Larson, Amy Collins, Emily Carroll, Cecelia Biggs, Morgan Strader and Julia Smith. Back row: Grace Luebcke, Jackson McCoole, Jayden McCall, Zachary Fawver, Isaac Brunkow, Zackery Bieberly, Spencer Boaz, Cassidy Schlessiger, Zachary St. Clair, Adam Houghton, Ashton Harlan and Alyssa McCormick.
Since being established in 1999, the Early Admission Scholars program has recruited the best and brightest undergraduate students who want to study veterinary medicine. After acceptance into the program, satisfactory completion of the 64 hours of pre-professional requirements, and at least three years of undergraduate work at Kansas State University, the scholars are guaranteed admission into the College of Veterinary Medicine.
“Qualifying for this program is very special,” said Dr. Ronnie Elmore, associate dean for admissions and diversity programs. “These students represent the top 5 percent of Kansas State University students according to their college acceptance test scores. Being selected into the Early Admission Programs gives them the advantage of bypassing the regular applications process, which is very competitive. For only 112 positions in each incoming veterinary class, we usually receive more than 1,000 applications.”
Successful candidates in the program must maintain a 3.4 grade point average during completion of the pre-professional requirements. At the beginning of the third year of their undergraduate studies, these scholars may petition for enrollment in the first year of the DVM degree program.
The College of Veterinary Medicine assigns a veterinary student mentor to each Early Admit Scholar to stimulate career and academic development and to provide orientation and access to college activities. The pre-veterinary students attend regular meetings during the academic year to develop a sense of community and share their progress.
MPH students present field experiences for One Health Day
The idea is simple. Animal health and environmental health intertwine with human health in ways that are not always well understood.
To help raise public awareness on how these disciplines are connected, three students in the Master of Public Health program at Kansas State University gave public presentations on their One Health field experiences as part of One Health Day on Nov. 3.
Callie Paquette (bottom left), Ottawa, Kansas, addressed “Tularemia in Kansas, 2012-2015. Dr. Diane Larson (bottom right) spoke on “Handwashing at the State Fair, 2016.” Third-year veterinary student Sohaila Jafarian (top) discussed “Clean Water Interventions in Nicaragua, 2016.”
One Health Day was co-coordinated internationally by the One Health Commission, the One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono Team and the One Health Platform Foundation. The goal was to promote the One Health approach to addressing complex health problems in as many countries as possible. The event at Kansas State University was just one of a dozens of activities and events being held internationally to give scientists, practitioners, educators and advocates a powerful, unified voice for moving beyond current provincial approaches to emerging infectious diseases, food safety and security, antimicrobial resistance, invasive species, environmental pollution, loss of biodiversity, and many other problems.
“National and global events such as the Flint, Michigan, water crisis, Zika virus transmission, childhood obesity, and antibiotic resistance clearly indicate that challenges impacting human health are not confined to one locale or species,” said Dr. Ellyn Mulcahy, director of the Master of Public Health program. Dr. Mulcahy is also an associate professor in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Our students in the MPH program at K‑State learn, through interdisciplinary coursework and field experiences, that public health issues must be addressed with transboundary and translational solutions, and that one health is embedded in all areas of public health.”
In addition to the MPH program event in Manhattan, the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute, BioKansas and Kansas State University Olathe are partnering to hold activities from 4-7 p.m. at the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City. Activities include Collaborate2Cure, networking at a BioBreak and then a keynote presentation by world-renowned Zika expert, Dr. Stephen Higgs, who is the director of Kansas State University's Biosecurity Research Institute — a biosafety level-3 and biosafety level-3 ag facility that studies infectious diseases affecting the food supply. Dr. Higgs is also a faculty member in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology. His keynote address will broadcast in Manhattan after the MPH student presentations. These events are free and open to the public.
To learn more about the One Health Day events that were held in Manhattan, visit the MPH website: http://www.k-state.edu/mphealth/. Additional information about the global celebration is available at www.onehealthday.org
Hot Topic: Beef Cattle Institute adds resources for Veterinary Feed Directive changes
With a Jan. 1, 2017, deadline looming, veterinarians and producers now have more resources available to help them comply with the Veterinary Feed Directive being issued by the Food and Drug Administration.
In response to increasing demand, the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University developed additional free educational modules to complement its original set of modules released earlier this year. The new modules are pertinent to separate sectors of the beef industry.
In collaboration with the Kansas Department of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension, the institute has developed a new website, VFDInfo.org, which houses modules specific to producers, feed mill operators, veterinarians and distributors. Experts from each sector address concerns and questions to ease the transition under new regulations.
Experts include Mike Apley, professor of production medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University; Brian Lubbers, director of clinical microbiology at the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, also in the College of Veterinary Medicine; A.J. Tarpoff, beef extension veterinarian at Kansas State University; and Ken Bowers, dairy and feed safety, Kansas Department of Agriculture.
The website also hosts a sample Veterinary Feed Directive form as well as additional resources to guide users through any additional questions.
"These changes will be significant for the livestock and feed industry, and we are eager to provide guidance as much as possible," Bowers said. "Collaboration between these organizations has been valuable as we work to reach all producers, veterinarians and feed mills. The website is a great resource."
The Beef Cattle Institute utilizes collaborative multidisciplinary expertise to promote successful beef production through the discovery and delivery of actionable information and innovative decision support tools.
AASV chooses two CVM students for poster competition
A pair of second-year veterinary students have been selected to participate in the American Association of Swine Veterinarians’ (AASV) seventh annual Veterinary Student Poster Competition, sponsored by Newport Laboratories: Jordan Gebhardt, Cedar Springs, Michigan (middle left) and Laura Constance, Clyde, North Carolina (middle right). The competition will be held Sunday, Feb. 26, during the 2017 Annual Meeting in Denver.
Dr. Steve Dritz, Jordan Gebhardt, Laura Constance and Dr. Megan Niederwerder
Based upon scores awarded in the judging of abstracts submitted for the AASV Student Seminar, the top 15 poster abstracts have been chosen for judging, out of the 33 that were selected for poster presentation at the meeting. Laura and Jordan are both concurrent DVM/Ph.D. students. Their primary mentors are Drs. Megan Niederwerder and Steve Dritz, respectively, both swine researchers in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology.
“My project builds upon research conducted by K-State focused on a very relevant issue swine producers are facing – how to effectively and efficiently mitigate the risk of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) contamination within feed manufacturing facilities and prevent subsequent infection of animal herds,” Jordan said. “It is a collaborative project involving our college along with colleagues in the Department of Grain Science and Industry and Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University and colleagues at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. It is very practical research with the goal of establishing readily implementable protocols to reduce disease transmission within feed manufacturing facilities.”
Jordan explained that his research opportunities build directly upon what is learned in the classroom, and greatly enhance the educational experience and preparation for real-world problem solving. The title of his poster project is, “Evaluation of the effects of flushing feed manufacturing equipment with chemically treated rice hulls on porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) cross contamination during feed manufacturing.”
“It will be an honor to represent the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine at the upcoming AASV meeting, and I am very grateful for the help and support of the CVM and everyone involved,” Jordan said.
Laura’s project involves porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), which is an economically devastating swine disease endemic to many United States farms, costing producers around $665 million annually. The title of her poster is, “Comparison of morbidity and mortality after challenge with two North American PRRS virus isolates shows marked variation in time course and prevalence of clinical disease between isolates.”
“The objective of our study was to compare clinical disease between two types of PRRS virus in nursery piglets,” Laura said. “By characterizing disease caused by different PRRS viruses, we increase our knowledge of the potential impacts on swine production as well as increase our capacity for early recognition of virus introduction on the farm.”
A panel of three judges will conduct a brief interview with each of the 15 students selected to participate. The judges will evaluate the students' posters at the meeting on Sunday morning, Feb. 26. All posters will be available for viewing by the meeting attendees starting at noon on Sunday and continuing through Monday. The results of the poster competition will be announced during the AASV luncheon on Monday, Feb. 27. Newport Laboratories is sponsoring the scholarship awards as follows, 1st place poster: $500; 2nd and 3rd place: $400 each; 4th, 5th and 6th place: $300 each; and 7th-15th place: $200 each.
“It is an honor to be selected to present in this poster competition,” Laura said. “I am very excited by the prospect of presenting my data to a broader audience to further the characterization of the disease. This disease occurs in many farms in Kansas; therefore it is relevant to not only on a global or national basis, but also to the state in which I am currently living. By better understanding this disease, I can hopefully make an impact on local producers in detecting the virus and understanding how the disease is manifested in the piglets.”
Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory seeks Kansas cattle producers for bovine anaplasmosis study
The Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is looking for Kansas cattle producers to participate in a study to determine the prevalence of bovine anaplasmosis in cow herds within the state and to investigate management risk factors associated with blood test results.
Alumni Events, Development and Continuing Education
The Veterinary Medical Alumni Association as plans to announce another alumni recognition award at the upcoming annual conference for the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. See who this year's recipient is in this month's VMAA highlights.
Bovine anaplasmosis is a blood disease caused by Anaplasma marginale which can cause adult-animal sudden death, abortion, weight loss, and a reduction in performance. Animals that become infected and survive become lifelong persistently-infected carriers. As carriers, they often show few or no symptoms and serve as a source of infection to the rest of the herd. Because of the nature of the disease, some herds remain at an unknown infection status.
Several studies have been completed assessing the prevalence of the disease in several U.S. states, but none have been completed in Kansas. The increase in the number of positive cases in Kansas test submissions to the KSVDL from 2013 to 2015 suggests either an increase in bovine anaplasmosis awareness among veterinarians or producers or the prevalence of the disease has increased in certain areas of the state.
In addition to estimating the level of anaplasmosis in Kansas cow-calf herds, this study will also investigate the different A. marginale strains present in Kansas. Differentiation is important because strains differ in the severity of clinical signs they produce, and the only vaccine available contains only one strain. This strain may be different than those present in some areas of Kansas, which might help explain the lack of vaccine effectiveness that has been reported.
The study involves collecting blood samples from 16,100 adult bovines, which will represent 1,610 Kansas cow-calf operations. The samples will be stored, and because they will represent a large portion of the Kansas cow-calf industry, they can be used in the future to discover the prevalence and risk factors associated with several other important bovine diseases including bovine viral diarrhea, Johne’s disease, and bovine leukosis.
Understanding anaplasmosis prevalence and the management factors that contribute to its presence in cow-calf herds will be important for formulating both prevention and disease management plans in the near future. This information will not only be useful for Kansas herds, but herds throughout the United States.
The targeted sampling period will start Oct. 1, 2016 with a targeted endpoint of Jan. 31, 2017.
Kansas veterinary practitioners will be calling on their clients to participate in this study. If you are selected to participate, the KSVDL encourages you to say yes, as your participation is important for the success of the project.
More information is available by contacting Gregg Hanzlicek, veterinarian with the KSVDL at 785-532-4853 or email gahanz@vet.k-state.edu.
Support the All-University Campaign with a Pet Friendly License Plate
Did you know that if you have a Pet Friendly license plate, it will count as credit toward the All-University Campaign? If you're a faculty or staff member at K-State who wants an easy way to support the All-University Campaign and immediately have something to show for it, then visit your local Kansas tag office. You make a $50 annual gift that goes to support education regarding spaying and neutering in Kansas and veterinary student externships at animal shelters in Kansas, plus a one-time production fee to the tag office. In your All-University Campaign packet, just indicate that you have a current Pet Friendly plate.
Dr. K. Leann Kuebelbeck, Lithia, Florida, has been selected to receive a 2016 Alumni Recognition Award at the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) annual conference in Orlando, Florida, on Dec. 5.
Dr. Kuebelbeck was born in Tonganoxie, Kansas, where she grew up riding horses, and enjoyed barrel racing and pole bending. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree in 1989 and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1991, both from Kansas State University. She completed an internship and surgical residency at Peterson and Smith Equine Hospital in Ocala, Florida. She then moved to Brandon, Florida to co-found Brandon Equine Medical Center, then known as Surgi-Care Center for Horses, in 1995. She became the sole-owner of the practice in March 2009. Dr. Kuebelbeck's professional interests include both orthopedic and soft tissue surgery. She is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
More activities and accomplishments in the College of Veterinary Medicine:
Dr. Jianfa Bai was elected co-chair of AAVLD Laboratory Technology Committee at the 59th AAVDL Annual Meeting in October.
Dr. Jessica Meekins attended the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists Annual Meeting in Monterey, California, and presented an abstract (poster) entitled, “Intraocular Cytauxzoon Felis in a Domestic Shorthair Cat”
Dr. Greg Grauer was a speaker at the Metropolitan New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association in Newark, New Jersey, on Oct. 12, presenting, “Importance of proteinuria and hypertension in CKD and ACI-I: The good, bad, and ugly."
Drs. Mary Lynn Higginbotham and Raelene Wouda attended the Veterinary Cancer Society Annual Meeting Oct. 20-21. Dr. Wouda presented an abstract entitled, “Safety evaluation of combination carboplatin and toceranib phosphate in tumor bearing dogs: a phase 1 study.”
Dr. Susan Nelson presented the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine Pet Health rotation at the 2016 Primary Care Veterinary Educations Symposium at the University of Georgia Oct. 20-23.
Dr. Bob Larson presented, “Why we should use scientific literature in clinical practice” at the Merial Technical Services and Research meeting in Athens, Georgia, Oct. 25.
Dr. Mike Apley spoke at the AVMA conference in Madison, Wisconsin, Oct. 14. He presented on Therapy of CNS diseases in cattle, Pain control in cattle, and Upcoming changes in pharmaceutical regulations: The Veterinary Feed Directive; An interactive session with veterinarians and feed dealers. He also presented at the Purina Bovine Veterinary Nutrition Conference in Gray Summit, Missouri, on Oct. 25. Topics presented included veterinary feed directive, identifying sick cattle, and making antibiotic choices.
The Office of International Program recognized Dr. Walter Renberg for his outstanding service contribution to the Collegiate International Advisory Council. Dr. Renberg will receive a plaque in honor of his service on November 17th during the Internal Education Week ceremony.
Third-year student and VBMA member Laurel Thomas attended the AVMA’s Economic Summit Oct. 24 and 25. She shared information from the economic summit in the infographics below. She said the "takeaways" picture was sent to all of the students. The grow picture was sent to VBMA members and any other student who requests more information.
"A large portion of the summit focused on AVMA’s data collection process," Laurel said. "I filtered through the abundance of information and tried to present a message students could use right away. I was humbled by Dr. Peggy Schmidt’s invitation to attend. The summit was a great experience which I am likely to attend again when I own a veterinary hospital. For me, networking was also a very valuable part of the event. Dr. Schmidt introduced me to administrators from other veterinary schools and I was able to reconnect with several people who I met at the National VBMA Meeting and the AVMA Legislative Fly-In."
Dr. David Poole (spotlighted above) gave the 60th Semi-Annual Lecture at the Texas American College of Sports Medicine, Nov. 9, at the University of Texas, Arlington. His lecture was titled, "Muscle Microvascular Oxygen Transport: Challenges in Heart Failure." He was joined here by (from left) by Associate Dean and Professor Paul Fadel; Dr. Mathew Brothers; Dr. Michael Nelson; Dr. Poole; Professor Emeritus Peter B. Raven; Professor Mark Haykowsky; Associate Dean and Kinesiology Department Head David M. Keller.
Dr. James W. Carpenter was an invited speaker at an International Conference on Zoo and Wildlife Medicine in Quito (lectures) and Cuenca (wet labs), Ecuador, in September. He presented nine hours of lectures and assisted in teaching two days of wet labs, the latter where he helped demonstrate how to perform a health exam on a condor, as shown above.
Devin Clark, Procurement Officer I, (second from left) receives a 10-year pin from VHC Administrator Dr. Shirley Arck for his service to the state of Kansas. Devin worked for the Kansas Army National Guard at Ft. Riley prior to coming to K-State two years ago. Also in the picture are the CVM University Support Staff Senators, Roxann Blasi on the left, and Susan Hazelbaker on the right.
The Exotic Animal Medicine Club (EAMC) held its bi-annual Auction Exotica on Oct. 14, and it was incredibly successful. The auction generated $3,750 for use in EAMC activities. The club thanks Sara Alves’ family for donating a seven-night vacation in a two-bedroom villa at the Marriott Grand Chateau, Las Vegas. Also, they are grateful to Dr. David Poole for “his great job, his energy, and his humor as our auctioneer.” Although many club members assisted in this auction, special thanks was extended to Camille Webb, Michelle Liu, Peter Cannon, and Sara Alves for organizing the fun and successful event.
More pictures from American Royal in Kansas City
From the left, front row, are Mina Kalley, University of Missouri veterinary student - class of 2018; Kaitlin Haukos, Kansas State University class of 2017: Lauren Christensen, K-State class of 2017; Emily Quas, Missouri class of 2018, and Mallory Kilngenberg, Missouri class of 2018. Back row: Dr. Brian Vander Ley, DVM, PhD, MU Food Animal Clinic, and Dr. Bud Hertzog, who has been the veterinarian for the American Royal for the last 50 years.
Lauren Christensen and Kaitlin Haukos work with sick sheep. "One we treated and ended up diagnosing with either Mycoplasma or Anaplasmosis," Lauren said.
Lifelines is published each month by the Marketing and Communications Office at the College of Veterinary Medicine. The editor is Joe Montgomery, jmontgom@vet.k-state.edu.