Keynote Speakers
Tom Alexander Memorial Lecture
By Dr. D.L. (Hank) Harris, Iowa State University
Pig Health Assurance: Underlying Principles and Future Direction
In honour of our colleague and friend, the late Dr. Tom Alexander, the IPVS 2010 organizing committee has initiated what we hope and anticipate will become the opening lecture for all future Congresses: the Tom Alexander Memorial Lecture. The lecture will set the theme for the Congress in addition to exploring topical or substantive issues facing the global swine industry or veterinary profession. We are honoured that Dr. D.L. (Hank) Harris, friend and colleague of Tom Alexander, will give this inaugural opening address in Vancouver.
The work of Tom Alexander primarily centred on controlling swine diseases to benefit the breeding stock and commercial pig producer; and his discoveries and keen insight led to the principles of health assurance used world-wide in the industry today. An overview of his contributions to pig disease research and production, beginning with his involvement as an organizer of the first IPVS Congress in 1969, and exemplified by his paper delivered at that meeting concerning the development of disease-free pigs, will be followed by a look to the future.
Keynote lecture
By Dr. David Fraser, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of British Columbia
Animal Welfare and the Veterinary Profession in a World of Changing Values
Public attitudes toward animals have undergone a major shift during the past half century. Practices and technology that were welcomed in the 1960s as progressive ways of housing and managing animals are increasingly being questioned and rejected. What is the role of veterinarians in this world of changing values?Lead Speakers
Monday, July 19th
13:45-14:15
Track: Reproductive/Sow Disorders
“Application of advanced AI technologies to improve the competitiveness of the pork industry”
Lead Speaker: Dr. George R. Foxcroft
Summary: Opportunities exist to make further advances in AI technologies to improve the genetic impact of elite sires in the pork industry relative to other food-animal species. The overall production efficiency of the breeding herd is highly dependent on, 1) the reproductive capacity (fertility) of the boars used for natural mating or AI, and 2) the genetic merit of these boars for the performance of terminal line offspring. The use of AI boars with relatively poor performance in terms of farrowing rate and litter size born can limit the productivity of thousands of females. Although all boars, and ejaculates from these boars, are not of equal quality, the effectiveness of standard semen analysis used in commercial boar studs is limited compared to other food-animal species. Furthermore, the practice in many countries of using large numbers of sperm per AI dose, and the pooling of semen from several boar ejaculates, limits the genetic impact of superior sires. Collectively, these inefficiencies in AI use in the pork industry represent a major disadvantage to pork producers in a global food-animal marketplace. Options for addressing these issues include single-sire evaluations of fertility and use of reduced numbers of sperm for homospermic inseminations. Ultimately, adoption of single fixed-time, post-cervical, insemination protocols will allow the genetic impact of a small percentage of very elite sires to be disseminated across the pork industry.
Biography: George Foxcroft obtained both his BSc and PhD degrees from the University of Nottingham England. After holding a faculty position at the University of Nottingham from 1974 to 1988, he moved to Canada in 1988 to an NSERC-Industry Research Chair at the University of Alberta and was appointed to a prestigious Tier I Canada Research Chair in Swine Reproductive Physiology in 2001. He leads the Swine Reproduction-Development Program at the University of Alberta, and since 2007 has been Co-Director of the NSERC EmbryoGENE Strategic Research Network. George has trained over 40 PhD/MSc students, and in the last 10 years alone has published over 100 papers and reviews covering the entire R & D spectrum.
Monday, July 19th
13:45-14:15
Track: Circovirus
“Porcine Circovirus Type 2: Success and Failure”
Lead Speaker: Dr. Caroline Fossum
Summary: Vaccination against PCV2 appears to efficiently reduce the incidence of PCV2 associated disease (PCVD), in particular the postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). There are however frequent reports describing the appearance of new PCV2 genogroups from various parts of the world, indicating that PCV2 still is circulating in the pig population. Also other circular DNA viruses have been proposed to contribute to PCVD but still very little is known about the disease process. The failure to resolve why PMWS became an emerging disease will be discussed in relation to its successful prevention by vaccination against PCV2.
Biography: Caroline Fossum (PhD) Professor in Immunology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden. She has during the last ten years received national and international grants for studies of PCV2 at the cellular and molecular levels as well as to follow the emergence of PMWS in mainland Europe and Sweden. She has also been a partner in the EU-STREP Consortium “Control of Porcine Circovirus Diseases: Towards Improved Food Quality and Safety” and chairperson within the immunology subcommittee within this consortium.
Monday, July 19th
13:45-14:15
Track: Nutrition/Feeding/Gut Physiology
“Role of Nutrition and Intestinal Adaptation in Weanling Pig Health”
Lead Speaker: Dr. Douglas Burrin
Summary: The growth rate of the pig is most rapid during the neonatal and weaning periods. Nutrition and gastrointestinal function play a critical role in the survival, health and growth of the young pig during this transition from suckling to weaning. The high metabolic rate and cellular turnover of gut tissues result in substantial first-pass utilization of dietary nutrients, especially amino acids, to maintain gut function. The changes in the diet composition and gut microbiota after weaning are associated with increased gut growth and metabolism, which may limit the systemic availability of dietary nutrients. Strategies aimed at optimizing gut metabolism and supplementing key gut-nutrients in support of gut function may improve growth.
Biography: Doug Burrin received his training in animal science at Purdue University (B.S.) and the University of Nebraska (Ph.D.). He is an associate professor at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) in Houston. His research on nutritional and hormonal regulation of gut development has impacted both pediatric gastroenterology and swine nutrition. Dr. Burrin developed an in vivo model in the neonatal pig using novel stable isotopic tracers to quantify the intestinal metabolic fate of major dietary nutrients. His work has advanced the understanding of amino acid nutrition by highlighting the quantitative significance of gut on the dietary requirements. His group established that an important gut hormone, glucagon-like peptide 2, links enteral nutrition to neonatal intestinal growth.
Tuesday, July 20th
08:30-09:00
Track: Public Health/Food Safety
“Pork Safety: Past Achievements and Future Challenges”
Lead Speaker: Dr. Peter R. Davies
Summary: Foodborne disease, particularly due to biologicial hazards, is a prominent concern in both developed and developing nations. In developed countries there have been substantial advances in improving the safety of pork. This progress is attributable both to changes in pork production practices and improvements in meat hygiene in the post harvest sector. However, important challenges remain, particularly regarding the control of enteric bacteria that are normal flora or commensal organisms in health pigs. This paper will review the past achievements in pork safety and discuss ongoing challenges and opportunities for further advancing pork safety into the future.
Biography: Dr. Davies received his BVSc degree from the University of Melbourne in 1975, and PhD from the University of Sydney in 1983. He has seven years of clinical veterinary experience in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Brazil, as well as 4 years of government veterinary experience in Australia. He has been involved in swine health research since 1987, with a focus on the epidemiology of infectious diseases, including foodborne pathoogens and zoonoses, as well as disease surveillance systems. He is currently Professor of Swine Health and Production at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota. Previous positions include the Allen D. Leman Chair of Swine Health and Productivity, University of Minnesota and MAF Professor of Public Health and Food Safety, Massey University, New Zealand. From 2000-2007 he was a member of the International Scientific Committee of the International Research Center in Veterinary Epidemiology, Copenhagen, Denmark. Dr. Davies has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international scientific meetings on swine health and production, veterinary epidemiology and food safety.
Tuesday, July 20th
08:30-09:00
Track: PRRS
“Progress in Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV): What we know about PRRSV, from basic to applied science: A Historical perspective”
Lead Speaker: Dr. Jane Christopher-Hennings
Summary: This presentation will review achievements related to PRRSV diagnosis and control and areas needing additional research to fulfill the theme of IPVS, “Sharing ideas—Advancing Pig Health”. There has been a wealth of information gathered over the last 20 years that started with basic knowledge leading to application in the field. Some of these highlights will be shared with special emphasis on diagnosis and control within boar studs.
Biography: Dr. Christopher-Hennings was trained in the U.S., receiving BS and MS Degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a DVM from the University of Minnesota. She was in private veterinary practice in South Dakota and at South Dakota State University (SDSU) in a post doctoral position, each for 6 years. She is currently on Faculty at SDSU where she is oversees the Molecular Diagnostics testing. During her time at SDSU, starting in 1990, “Mystery Swine Disease” was just identified and she worked with researchers at SDSU and other collaborators at the University of Minnesota in establishing the etiology (PRRSV). She worked on the initial characterization of the virus by performing C-sections for obtaining gnotobiotic pigs to confirm Koch’s postulates in identifying the cause of the disease and developed one of the first PCR based tests for describing the pathogenesis and identification of PRRSV in boars and semen.
Tuesday, July 20th
08:30-09:00
Track: Respiratory Diseases
“Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infections in pigs: update on epidemiology and control”
Lead Speaker: Dr. Dominiek Maes
Summary: Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae), the primary pathogen of enzootic pneumonia, occurs worldwide and causes major economic losses to the pig industry. The organism adheres to and damages the ciliated epithelium of the respiratory tract. M. hyopneumoniae is primarily introduced into a herd by purchasing (subclinically) infected animals and/or, less frequently, by airborne transmission within short distances. Once in the herd, M. hyopneumoniae may be transmitted by direct contact from infected sows to their offspring or between pen mates. The current state of knowledge on epidemiology of M. hyopneumoniae, including transmission, infection and seroconversion dynamics will be described. Affected pigs show chronic coughing, are more susceptible to other respiratory infections and have a reduced performance. The importance of (virulence) differences between M. hyopneumoniae strains and the interactions of M. hyopneumoniae with parasitic, bacterial and viral respiratory pathogens will be discussed. Control of the disease can be accomplished in a number of ways. First, management practices and housing conditions in the herd should be optimized. Strategic medication with antimicrobials active against M. hyopneumoniae and, preferably, also against major secondary bacteria may be useful during periods when the pigs are at risk for respiratory disease. Finally, commercial bacterins are widely used to control M. hyopneumoniae infections. The main effects of vaccination include less clinical symptoms, lung lesions and medication use, and improved performance. However, bacterins provide only partial protection and do not prevent colonization of the organism. Different vaccination strategies (timing of vaccination, vaccination of sows, vaccination combined with antimicrobial medication) can be used, depending on the type of herd, the production system and management practices, the infection pattern and the preferences of the pig producer. Finally, research on new vaccines, including aerosol and feed-based vaccines as well as subunit and DNA vaccines will be discussed.
Biography: Dominiek Maes obtained his DVM (1993) and PhD (1998) degrees from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Ghent (Belgium). He has also a MSc degree in herd health and veterinary epidemiology from Utrecht University (1998). Thereafter, he has worked as post-doc at the College of Veterinary Medicine in Minnesota (US). He is currently professor swine medicine at the department of reproduction, obstetrics and herd health at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Ghent University. He is President-elect of the European College of Porcine Health Management (ECPHM) and president of the Belgian branch of IPVS. His research mainly focuses on respiratory disease, reproduction and veterinary public health. He has published more than 150 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has more than 250 presentations on national and international conferences.
Wednesday, July 21st
08:30-09:00
Track: Enteric Diseases
“Dysentery and Ileitis – High time to tackle the difficult science behind these diseases”
Lead Speaker: Steven McOrist
Summary: Advancements in molecular research such as the genetic sequencing of the entire Lawsonia and Brachyspira genomes have provided good information on metabolic pathways. Also research has enabled methods for understanding the epidemiology of ileitis. But we still need new technology to find effective solutions against these important enteric diseases that will only come if funding and research is developed for investigation of the actual pathogenesis mechanisms of these bacteria.
Biography: Steven McOrist has worked in research and academic roles for the global pig industry for over 30 years, focusing on enteric bacterial diseases. He has taught enteric diseases and pig medicine in the UK, Australia and the USA. He has performed full-time technical roles and consultancies with Chinese, European and Australian pig agribusiness groups. He is now Director of Swine Research at the new veterinary school at the University of Nottingham in England.
Wednesday, July 21st
08:30-09:00
Track: Welfare / Housing / Environment
“Social behavior in swine and its impact on welfare”
Lead Speaker: Dr. Jeremy Marchant-Forde
Summary: Pigs are highly social animals. Being social can confer benefits but can also have disadvantages, especially when rearing pigs in a commercial setting. The most challenging aspect of social behavior in swine is that of aggression.The impact of aggression can be both immediate and long-lasting, even impactingoffspring, but with a greater understanding of the pig's natural behavior and the mechanisms involved in aggressive behavior, we can affect husbandry changes that ameliorate aggression's effects and safeguard the pig's health and well-being.
Biography: I was raised in Suffolk, U.K., spending as much time as I could at my cousin’s 250-sow, farrow-to-finish farm. I graduated with a BSc from the University of Bristol and a PhD in sow welfare from the University of Cambridge Veterinary School, under the supervision of Prof. Don Broom. After a Post-Doc working on farrowing systems, in conjunction with ADAS Terrington, I moved to a faculty position at De Montfort University, spending time as a visiting scientist at the University of British Columbia, Canada and at Purdue University, U.S.A. I moved tomy currentposition as Research Animal Scientist with the USDA-ARS, Livestock Behavior Research Unit in 2001, based in West Lafayette, Indiana where I am also an Adjunct Professor in Purdue’s Department of Animal Sciences. My particular research interests focus on social behavior of swine, including aggression and maternal behavior, and the impacts of stress on animal welfare.
