Gdupdate 1302

teaming up for animal health

Update GD Animal Health:

partner in international projects

New oral fluid tests for pigs

Assuring dairy cattle welfare

proficiency testing schemes

programme 2014

02 oCtoBER 2013

GD Animal Health

Custom made animal health solutions GD Proficiency testing schemes R&D Veterinary laboratory GD Diagnostics Consultancy

w w w. g d d eve n t e r. c o m

| COLUMN

| CONTENT 04 GD’s all-in service to establish veterinary laboratories

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06 State-of-the-art applied

research on poultry health

08 Assuring dairy cattle welfare

10 GD Proficiency testing schemes 2014

12 News & Communications

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Teaming up for animal health As a new member of GD’s International team, I am proud to present this renewed GD Update. The magazine not only has a newly designed cover, but also features four extra pages covering our activities in the field of Research and Development (see pages 6-9).

Our motto “Teaming up for animal health” is now also clearly shown on the cover. After all, that’s what GD is all about. GD Animal Health has been, and still is a partner in many national and international animal health projects.

Our activities in projects vary from setting up new laboratories abroad, to data management and data analysis, courses on the prevention and monitoring of animal diseases, quality control training, and many other subjects.

GD is a partner in company-specific issues as well as largescale multidisciplinary veterinary surveillance projects. On pages 4 and 5 of this GD Update, you can read more about our new custom-made projects aiming at the development of new veterinary labs or the increase of lab capacity.

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Contact information GD international If you want to know more about what GD can do for you, please contact one of our staff members, responsible for international sales:

Gerard Wellenberg, PhD, BSc

Eveline Peereboom – de Haan, BSc

Head International and

Account manager

Special Accounts

Pharmacy

Annemiek Kolkman, BSc

Madelon Bolderman, MSc

Product sales manager

Account manager

­Diagnostics and PTS

Feed

phone In the Netherlands 0900-1770, Outside the Netherlands +31 (0)570-63 33 91 Fax + 31 (0)570-63 41 04 | E-mail info@gddeventer.com | Website www.gddeventer.com | Mail address GD, P.O. Box 9, 7400 AA Deventer, the Netherlands | Delivery address for samples and post mortem m ­ aterial GD, CMD, Arnsbergstraat 7, 7418 EZ Deventer, the Netherlands.

In order to implement our motto even more effectively internationally, the activities of GD relating to international affairs and the accounts for pharma, feed, water, diagnostics, autogenous vaccines and proficiency testing schemes (PTS) have been merged into a single department, led by yours truly since 1 August. In september Annemieke Spitse joined our team as International Service Coodinator. More about her on page 12.

In this edition you can also meet our new Animal Health Director Ynte Hein Schukken (page 11). Additionally, you can read about the special achievements of GD vets Karianne Lievaart-Peterson and Rene van den Brom (page 11), Sjaak de Wit and former GD vet Ben Kouwenhoven (page 7).

There is much more to tell, therefore I would like to encourage you to read this new version of GD Update. I hope you enjoy it!

GERARD WELLENBERG, PhD, BSc

GD Update | October 2013 |

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GD PrODUCTS | Copy: GERARD WELLENBERG PHD, BSC

GD’s all-in service to establish

veterinary

GD made an important contribution in setting up a quality assurance system for laboratories in Suriname.

GD Animal Health has developed a new product for companies and organizations that want to establish a veterinary diagnostic laboratory.

Together with our partners we offer all-in supportive projects to establish a veterinary lab with diagnostic methods and Quality Systems.

GD Animal Health continues to act as a partner in many international projects related to animal health and lab capacity building projects. We provide experts over the short term for privately funded projects abroad as well as for public projects funded by the EU and the Dutch government. We have been active in eastern and central Europe, Indonesia, India, Ethiopia, Finland, Ireland and Egypt. Individual experts have worked for longer periods in Libya, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Cambodia,

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Surinam and many other countries.

Successful projects involved risk-analysis studies, epidemiological studies, legal aspects of food safety related to animal products, IT infrastructure, capacity building of laboratories, training of vets and laboratory staff, assistance with ISO 17025 accreditation, etc. For many years GD has been a partner in companyspecific issues, as well as large-scale multi-disciplinary veterinary surveillance and monitoring projects.

veterinary lab project (modules) Recently GD focused on assis ting in the establishment of a veterinary diagnostic laboratory, including the implementation of diagnostic methods and Quality Systems.

The transfer of knowledge and support includes the following items, depending on the requirements of the customer: • Partnering in the design of the laboratory according to the specifications of the client • Assisting in local and international project management for setting up qualified veterinary labs • Facilitating lab safety requirements (safety levels, health aspects) • Assisting in required equipment and lab consumables

• T raining in Quality Systems (ISO 17025) and quality management related to personnel and test procedures (SOPs, test method validation, etc.)

• Training in maintaining the ISO 17025 Quality System (first-line controls, proficiency testing schemes, use of internal

laboratories • •

• •

• •

•

controls, reference samples, batch control of diagnostics/reagents/kits, etc.)

Providing technical support on interpreting lab results Introducing software, LIMS, reports of test results, data analysis and data management A ssisting with commercial aspects (cost prices, price lists, salaries, etc.)

A ssisting with veterinary back-office, training of technicians, training of lab staff and veterinarians (theoretical and practical courses at GD and on location) A ssisting with the set-up of websites and providing information via the web Supporting science-practical articles for vets in the field, promotion of test methods, etc.

Providing post-training services using GD Veekijker (technical support of technicians and vets by telephone or mail)

Examples of projects • I mplementing test methods for serology (ELISAs, etc.), immunology, bacteriology, molecular-biology (PCR, etc.), virology, pathology, (immuno)histology, toxicology and clinical chemistry

GD has assisted in projects and transferred knowledge to Suriname and Russia.

In Suriname, GD assisted in a project to establish a national veterinary laboratory that had the ability to support the Ministry for Agriculture and Food with

monitoring of OIE-listed diseases. This laboratory must support the veterinarians in diagnosing animal health problems and thus improving animal production.

Within a consortium of three partners, GD provided experts in the field of laboratory diagnosis, veterinary epidemiology and animal diseases. Over a period of 15 months the following subjects were addressed: •D eveloping a veterinary laboratory, including the design, the list of required equipment and assistance with the building process • T raining laboratory staff in techniques for serology, molecular-biology (PCR), bacteriology and quality management •A ssisting the Ministry of Agriculture with the design and implementation of an animal health monitoring programme by performing a risk assessment to establish which diseases were most important to be included in a survey • A ssisting in establishing the animal health monitoring programme, including the design of a baseline study based on epidemiological principles In Russia GD has also set up a veterinary laboratory together with FL TestPushchino. The set-up of this lab was part of a project of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation.

The FL Test-Pushchino lab was an existing lab focused primarily on food and feed research, but aiming to expand on the diagnosis of veterinary diseases. Diagnostic test methods on serology (poultry, swine and cattle) and PCR methods (swine and poultry) were implemented. In addition, the lab was trained to implement the ISO 17025 Quality System.

For more information, please contact: Gerard Wellenberg, g.wellenberg@gddeventer.com

The GD lab

In Suriname GD also gave training sessions.

GD Animal Health has one of the largest veterinary diagnostic laboratories in Europe. It has been accredited by the Dutch Accreditation Board (RvA) based on NEN-EN-ISO 17025 since 1993. GD is also accredited according to ISO 9001 and ISO 17043:2010. It employs specialists in the fields of (histo)pathology, microbiology, virology, molecularbiology, immunology, chemistry and toxicology.

GD Update | October 2013 |

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RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT | Copy: WIL LANDMAN, DVM, PhD and SJAAK DE WIT DVM, PhD

State-of-the-art applied research on

GD has unique research facilities in Deventer.

Poultry-health research is extremely valuable to the farming industry.

GD Animal Health has unique research facilities in Deventer and qualified personnel, from biotechnicians to scientists, assuring high-quality poultry-health research.

Doing research on poultry health provides knowledge on the pathogenesis of important diseases, which may help to develop new intervention strategies. For example, it reveals information about disease trends and risk factors, and it gives insight into the value of the prevention and treatment of specific diseases.

Besides having unique research facilities, GD carries out national monitoring programmes for a number of poultry diseases, has long-standing and close contact with

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the Dutch farming industry and performs specialized diagnostic work. This makes GD a very attractive partner for research due to the vast amount of practical information it possesses on animal health.

Three examples of GD’s innovative and high-quality applied research are outlined below. These examples are studies on the pathogenesis of the Escherichia coli (E. coli) peritonitis syndrome (EPS) in laying hens; the development of a horizontal

transmission model for Histomonas meleagridis, and pathogenicity and cross-protection studies for infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) variants.

EPS in laying hens EPS in laying hens is the major cause of mortality in laying hens. However, its pathogenesis was largely unknown. Therefore, in a series of experiments, the influence of the inoculation or exposure route in birds of different ages (23 and 33 weeks of age) was studied. Birds were inoculated or exposed to an aerosol of an E. coli strain that was obtained from layers with EPS in the field. Taking all experiments together, exposure of hens by the intravenous, intratracheal and intraperitoneal routes induced EPS in 84% (41/49), 80% (55/69) and 76% (16/21) of birds respectively, while aerosol and intravaginal exposure re-

poultry health sulted in EPS percentages of 57% (32/56) and 49% (28/57), respectively. Except for orally inoculated groups (7/56 = 13% EPS), in all other groups the EPS rates differed significantly from those of the placeboexposed groups. Neither the age of hens nor the presence of free yolk in the abdomen influenced the EPS rate. The results of the present study are suggestive of the respiratory and vaginal origin of EPS in the field. This finding may help to improve the prevention of EPS in the field. Moreover, the fact that EPS can be induced experimentally facilitates studying the effects of prevention measures, such as vaccination, using this animal model.

H. meleagridis transmission H. meleagridis is an unicellular parasite that may cause high mortality in turkey flocks (up to 80–100%). Severe inflammatory and necrotic lesions are found mainly in the liver and caeca. Although the horizontal transmission (transmission of pathogens from one animal to another) of H. meleagridis in experimental birds has been described earlier in the literature, quantification of the transmission parameters in such a model was lacking. Therefore, in an animal experiment in which only a percentage of the experimental birds was inoculated with the parasite, the speed of its transmission to

Sjaak de Wit inaugural member Hall of Honour WVPA On Thursday 22 August, Sjaak de Wit, senior scientist and poultry veterinarian at GD, received a very honorable distinction during the Congress of the World Veterinary Poultry Association (WVPA) in Nantes. This means Sjaak has become an inaugural member of the Hall of Honour of the WVPA. Also former GD poultry vet Ben Kouwenhoven (employee of GD between 1970 and 1995) received this distinction.

In the 52 years since the WVPA was founded, this distinction has been bestowed – worldwide – 52 times, mostly at the end of a long-standing scientific career at a university or research institute. GD is very proud that Sjaak has been awarded this special honour!

non-­inoculated susceptible contact turkey poults was determined. The mean latent period was found to be 1.8 days, the mean infectious period until death 13.6 days, and the mean infectious period until recovery 6.0 days. The basic reproduction number (R0), which is the number of cases one case generates on average over the course of its infectious period, was 5.0 and the transmission rate (ß), which is the number of effective contacts per unit of time, was 0.4 per day. These parameters are very useful as they facilitate studying the effect of intervention strategies aimed at curing or preventing the disease using this animal model.

Studies for IBV Worldwide, infectious bronchitis virus causes respiratory problems, drops in egg production, poor eggshell quality, drops in hatchability, nephritis and sometimes false layers. This ubiquitous virus has a remarkably high mutation rate and the number of types (serotypes or genotypes) of IBV strains that has been detected and reported worldwide seems to be increasing. At this moment, more and more countries have shown that multiple variant strains are circulating in their poultry.

For the field, it is very important to know which of the clinical signs they see are really caused by IBV and not by another factor. This requires pathogenicity studies. The knowledge from these studies is also important for performing vaccination-challenge experiments. These studies provide essential information whether a specific vaccine or a specific combination of vaccines are able to provide sufficient protection against challenge with a particular strain. By performing these studies, GD has been able to provide the international poultry industry and (inter) national authorities with essential knowledge for taking better decisions regarding the use or allowance of IBV vaccines.

For more information about GD’s poultry health research, please contact Sjaak de Wit (j.d.wit@gddeventer.com) or Wil Landman (w.landman@gddeventer.com).

GD veterinarian Sjaak de Wit (left) has become an inaugural member of the Hall of Honour of the WVPA.

GD Update | October 2013 |

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RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT | Copy: HELEN DE ROODE, MA

Assuring dairy cattle

Animal welfare is top of the agenda of many countries these days. Demand is increasing for a scientifically sound and efficient protocol to monitor animal welfare. In this context, together with the Animal Production Systems Group from Wageningen University & Research, GD Animal Health studied the value of routine herd data to assess the level of welfare among dairy cattle. Researcher Marion de Vries told GD Update about the findings.

“In many countries people are placing an ever greater priority on animal welfare”, says De Vries. “Not only governments, but also parties in the chain and retail organizations are looking for reliable instruments to monitor animal welfare. However, the problem is that to ensure a certain

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level of animal welfare, the condition of the animals must be regularly assessed.

The visits that are required for this take a great deal of time and thus cost money. In the study, we wanted to look for a solution for this problem, with a focus on dairy cattle.”

Existing protocol From 2004 to 2009, governments, research institutes, farming organizations, animal protection bodies, parties in the chain and retail businesses in Europe worked together on a project called Welfare Quality.

The result of the project is a scientifically sound protocol that allows the well-being of animals on any farm in the world to be established. De Vries: “The Welfare Quality protocol is based on concrete measurements of the animal itself. Observers that carry out the protocol assess, for example wounds, cleanliness of the pelt, nose and eye secretions, behaviour, body condition and lameness. However, the fact that the system goes hand in hand with long farm visits (six to seven hours per dairy-cattle herd in the Netherlands) works as a limiting factor in the implementation of the protocol in practice.”

welfare

herds from the database of GD Animal Health and other national databases, such as the Dutch identification and registration system, the rendering plant, the milk quality assurance company and the cattle improvement syndicate. “Using thorough data analysis, we assessed for each indicator in the Welfare Quality protocol for dairy cattle what the value was of the routine herd data”, says De Vries.

Conclusion It turns out that many operating figures have the potential to predict the level of welfare in a dairy herd. “Routine herd data can be used as a form of screening for identifying farms with low levels of animal welfare, possibly reducing the number of farm visits. What’s more, routine herd data are also valuable for estimating animal welfare at sector level.”

According to De Vries, the study represents an initial step in answering the question of how we can effectively monitor the welfare of animals more efficiently at lower cost. “It looks like it should be possible to use the proposed system to assess animal welfare at dairy farms on the basis of routine herd data.” However, such predictions may not always be cor-

rect: “A farm might be indicated as having a problem, while that is not actually the case. For individual farms, the outcome must always be verified with a visit.”

Further research “Further research is necessary: the screening method is at this moment still not ready for practice. Our results must be tested against external data, and what’s more, experts need to think about what constitutes a good or a bad score. When does a dairy farm score badly on lameness – if it has over 25% lame animals, or is a different threshold preferable? And on how many indicators must a farm score badly to qualify for a visit? How do the various indicators relate to each other and do all indicators have the same weight?

The challenge is to process the scores for the various indicators in such a way that they lead to a single well-being score.”

“The results of our study are very promising – it’s really got legs”, decides De Vries.

“Possibly also for eventually following trends at a sector level. Existing data turn out to be an effective predictor of the well-being of dairy cattle and that means we’ve taken a big step towards a reliable and affordable welfare monitor.”

Study into a new protocol An important aim of the study that De Vries carried out was to look for a less time-consuming and thus affordable welfare protocol for dairy cattle. “We focused mainly on the question as to whether it is possible to estimate the welfare of dairy cows using existing data on milk quality, milk production, fertility and herd mortality. In many developed European countries, such operating figures are frequently gathered.”

The study visited 196 Dutch dairy farms between November 2009 and March 2010.

“At all these farms the welfare level was determined using the Welfare Quality protocol. We are the first to carry out this protocol on such a large scale.” After the farms were visited, the routine herd data relating to demography, management, milk production, milk composition and fertility were extracted for the same

Marion de Vries: “Routine herd data can be used as a form of screening for identifying farms with low levels of animal welfare.”

GD Update | October 2013 |

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PTS | Copy: ANNEMIEK Kolkman, BSC

GD Proficiency testing schemes 2014 Proficiency testing is an inter-laboratory study to determine the performance of individual

Month January

Proficiency testing scheme

Catalogue no.

PTS for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) antibody detection in serum

VLDIA234*

PTS for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) RNA detection in porcine serum and tissue suspensions via Nucleic acid Amplification Techniques (NAT), e.g. PCR

VLDIA290

PTS for Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) antibody detection in serum

VLDIA294

PTS for Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) DNA detection in porcine serum via Nucleic acid Amplification Techniques (NAT) e.g. PCR

VLDIA285

PTS for Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV) antibody detection in serum

VLDIA225*

PTS for Mycoplasma gallisepticum/synoviae (Mg/Ms) antibody detection in serum

VLDIA226*

PTS for Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV) RNA detection via Nucleic acid Amplification Techniques (NAT) e.g. PCR

VLDIA296

PTS for Mycoplasma gallisepticum/synoviae (Mg/Ms) DNA detection via Nucleic acid Amplification Techniques (NAT) e.g. PCR

VLDIA303

PTS for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) antibody detection in milk and/or serum

VLDIA256*

PTS for Brachyspira hyodysenteriae detection in porcine feces via Nucleic acid Amplification Techniques (NAT) e.g. PCR

VLDIA291

PTS for Bovine Virus Diarrhoea (BVD) RNA detection in serum and tissue suspensions via Nucleic acid Amplification Techniques (NAT) e.g. PCR and/or antigen ELISA

VLDIA286

PTS for Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV)/Gumboro antibody detection in serum

VLDIA172*

PTS for Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) antibody detection in serum

VLDIA219*

PTS for Small Ruminant Lentiviruses (SRLVs)/Maedi Visna Virus (MVV)/Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus (CAEV) antibody detection in serum

VLDIA235*

PTS for Avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV)/Turkey Rhinotracheitis (TRT) antibody detection in serum

VLDIA255*

PTS for Avian REO Virus (ARV/REO) antibody detection in serum

VLDIA277*

PTS for Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT) antibody detection in serum

VLDIA292*

PTS for Avian Influenza Virus (AI) antibody detection in serum

VLDIA232*

PTS for Salmonella (SA) antibody detection in chicken serum

VLDIA233*

More information

PTS for Salmonella (SA) antibody detection in porcine serum

VLDIA171*

If you want to know more about our proficiency testing schemes, please contact us via pts@gddeventer.com.

PTS for Swine Influenza Virus (SIV) antibody detection in serum

VLDIA295

laboratories for specific tests and to monitor laboratories’ continuing performance. GD Animal Health offers laboratories the option of participating in international proficiency testing February

schemes (PTS).

The demand for external quality control is becoming more and more important. Taking part in a PTS is a valuable part of a laboratory’s quality-control management.

Why participate?

There are five good reasons to participate in a proficiency testing scheme: 1 Evaluating the performance of the laboratory 2 Maintaining/achieving accreditation to ISO 17025 3 Providing additional confidence 4 Identifying inter-laboratory differences 5 Identifying problems

March

April

ISO 17043:2010 GD Animal Health has been officially accredited according to the international guideline ISO 17043:2010 for the organization of proficiency testing schemes in the field of antibody detection. All other PTS offered by GD are organized according to this guideline. This accreditation ensures the technical competence of GD as your PTS provider.

August

October

* Is officially accredited according to the international guideline ISO 17043:2010

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Copy: EDITORS | NEWS & COMMUNIACTIONS

GD vets appointed as European specialist Since July 6 2013, GD veterinarians Karianne Lievaart-Peterson and Rene van den Brom have been officially registered as European specialist healthcare small ruminants (Diplomate of the European College of Small Ruminant Health Management).

The requirements such specialists should

meet are stated on the website of the ECSRHM (www.ecsrhm.eu). Karianne and René, together with GD vet Piet Vellema and former GD vet Daan Dercksen, are currently the only European health specialists small ruminants in the Netherlands.

GD participated in MERS research GD researchers Jet Mars and Kees van Maanen participated in an international research team, headed by prof. dr.

Marion Koopmans of the RIVM institute that found a relationship between the coronavirus MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and dromedaries.

Antibodies against MERS have been found in the blood of dromedaries in Oman. MERS has so far claimed 46 lives, mainly from the Middle East. Nearly 100 people showed clinical signs. Besides these findings, many things are still unknown, such as whether these MERS patients have been in contact with dromedaries, or if they used dromedary products like milk. Further research, with specific serological microarrays developed by RIVM, has been announced to examine more animals from the Middle East.

Karianne Lievaart-Peterson and Rene van den Brom

New structure GD International & Special Accounts

The research has been published in the scientific journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases and the research project and its findings attracted a lot of media attention, including the BBC, the Canadian Press, the New York Times and Associated Press.

International & Special Accounts

Account Pharma

Account Feed

Account Water, Diagnostics & Proficiency testing schemes

After the retirement of Dr. Ton de Gee (former manager international projects at GD), the activities of GD Animal Health relating to international affairs and the accounts for pharma, feed, water, diagnostics, autogenous vaccines and proficiency testing schemes have been merged into a single department.

Dr. Gerard J. Wellenberg, former senior scientist at GD’s R&D department, has become the new head of this department.

Gerard and his team will focus on increasing collaborations at an international level. In addition to its national activities, GD intends to focus more and more on international activities and to increase its international network.

International services (sample analyses, etc.)

Please meet Ynte Hein Schukken Since 1 August, Ynte Hein Schukken has taken up the position of Animal Health Director at GD Animal Health in Deventer. He joined Managing Director Jan Jansen as a board member. Schukken will concentrate on the market side of the business and collaborate with all GD departments to reinforce and expand on GD’s activities in the Netherlands and abroad.

More information: www.gddeventer.com.

Ynte Hein Schukken

GD Update | October 2013 |

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NEwS & COMMUNiaCTiONS | Copy: EDITORS

PLEaSE MEET aNNEMiEkE SPiTSE

Annemieke Spitse

Annemieke Spitse started as a member of International Services at GD Animal Health on 2 September 2013. In this position she will be responsible for the management of test samples coming from abroad to be analysed at the GD lab, the management of courses and training given by GD experts, and other international tasks. Annemieke is looking forward to meeting you and supporting you in a positive and fruitful collaboration with GD Animal Health.

Contact Annemieke at A.Spitse@gddeventer.com.

MOrE iNfOrMaTiON? on our website www.gddeventer.com you will find information about our products, services and various GD projects as well as the latest information about submitting samples to GD. Furthermore, we have an e-letter to keep you informed about new tests, recent publications by GD employees, proficiency testing schemes and much more. you can register for our e-letter on the website.

GD, po Box 9, 7400 AA Deventer, the Netherlands, t. +31 570 63 33 91, F. +31 570 63 41 04 www.gddeventer.com info@gddeventer.com

STUDiES fOr PHarMaCEUTiCaL COMPaNiES For years, GD Animal Health has partnered pharmaceutical companies worldwide by performing in-vivo and in-vitro laboratory and field studies on biologicals and chemicals for poultry, pigs, cattle and small ruminants. These studies are conducted by qualified, specialized and experienced personnel in accordance with international standards and requirements (e.g. EP monographs, VICH and OIE guidelines) and may serve for registration of veterinary products or publication. Optionally, these studies can be performed to meet GMP, GLP and GCP standards. Studies include: • Safety and efficacy studies of live and inactivated vaccines • Safety and efficacy studies of antibiotics and other chemical veterinary products • Studies to obtain vaccine or challenge-strain candidates

• Production and control of Master Seeds and Working Seeds • Control of final products (e.g. Batch Release testing) • Development of animal models • Surveys on the prevalence of (emerging) agents GD Animal Health is unique in having multidisciplinary laboratories, a stateof-the-art animal facility, a post mortem examination room and R&D support all on one site. The laboratories are ISO 17025, ISO 9001 and ISO 17043 accredited.

Because GD has intense contacts with veterinarians and farmers all over the Netherlands, field studies can be enrolled and large amounts of samples can be analysed. For multi-centre trials, samples originating from countries within the EU can be sent to GD as well. For more information regarding studies or the facilities of GD, please contact Eveline Peereboom de Haan at e.peereboom@gddeventer.com.

fiVE NEw OraL fLUiD TESTS fOr PiGS GD Animal Health has expanded the number of available oral fl uid tests for pigs.

The total number of validated tests in our Happy Bite programme is nine. The new tests for Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo) are unique, as other labs do not offer similar corroborated tests.

In 2012, GD introduced oral fl uid tests for PCV2 and PRRSV (by PCR) as well as antibodies (by ELISA). Recently five new tests have been adapted, validated and introduced. These are Infl uenza-A PCR (general and subtyping) and ELISA-tests for M. hyo, App and Swine Infl uenza virus antibodies.

Specific adaptation of the tests for use in oral fl uids is necessary because various disturbing components are existent in oral fl uids. Moreover, the concentration and types of antibodies in oral fl uids vary significantly from those in blood. The benefit of the PCR test for Swine Infl uenza virus is that the virus can be detected in oral fl uids during the acute phase of infection, but hardly ever in blood samples.

Happy Bite, the easy way to test for pathogens in pigs by investigating oral fluids.

So this easy and animal-friendly way of testing various pathogens in pigs is now available for: • PRRSV (ELISA and PCR) • Circo (ELISA and PCR) • Mycoplasma (ELISA) • Infl uenza (ELISA and PCR + subtyping) • App (ELISA)