Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service Research Articles

Application of a Standardized Impact Monitoring Protocol (SIMP) to assess biological weed control projects in the State of Idaho, USA

In the USA, the lack of systematic post-release assessments of weed biological control projects demonstrating quantitative effects of biological control agents on target weed densities, population biology, and/or vegetation responses remain a concern. While there are numerous quantitative assessments, overall conclusions are limited in scope by the spatial scale covered, duration of study, potentially confounding factors, or weed parameters measured. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service is the regulatory agency responsible for biological control agent releases. USDA APHIS requires post-release impact monitoring of target weed populations as part of release permits issued for new biological control agents. However, large scale, long-term impact assessments are rarely conducted for a variety of reasons. To address this problem, biocontrol practitioners developed a standardized impact monitoring protocol (SIMP) for the State of Idaho in 2007. The intent was to collect ecological data which are sufficiently robust for quantitative analysis, while minimizing time spent in the field to make data collection appealing to citizen scientists and land managers. SIMP has since been implemented for ten weed biocontrol systems, with more than fifteen years of monitoring data for some systems. SIMP data are collected along permanent transects and include weed density and size parameters, categorical vegetation community and biocontrol agent abundance data. Data are repeated measures, which are well suited for dynamic population modeling and can be coupled with environmental factors (e.g., climate or soil data) to analyze how processes like climate (and climate change) can drive variation in weed biocontrol agent interactions. SIMP data can be combined with detailed weed, nontarget plant and/or biocontrol agent surveys to add analytical data. Finally, SIMP has also been implemented for two weeds for which biological control agents have not yet been introduced to provide weed and community vegetation data prior to releases.

Coxiella burnetii in domestic doe goats in the United States, 2019-2020.

Coxiella burnetii is a bacterial pathogen capable of causing serious disease in humans and abortions in goats. Infected goats can shed C. burnetii through urine, feces, and parturient byproducts, which can lead to infections in humans when the bacteria are inhaled. Goats are important C. burnetii reservoirs as evidenced by goat-related outbreaks across the world. To better understand the current landscape of C. burnetii infection in the domestic goat population, 4,121 vaginal swabs from 388 operations across the United States were analyzed for the presence of C. burnetii by IS1111 PCR as part of the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services' National Animal Health Monitoring System Goats 2019 Study. In total, 1.5% (61/4121) of swabs representing 10.3% (40/388) (weighted estimate of 7.8, 95% CI 4.4-13.5) of operations were positive for C. burnetii DNA. The quantity of C. burnetii on positive swabs was low with an average Ct of 37.9. Factors associated with greater odds of testing positive included suspected Q fever in the herd in the previous 3 years, the presence of wild deer or elk on the operation, and the utilization of hormones for estrus synchronization. Factors associated with reduced odds of testing positive include the presence of kittens and treatment of herds with high tannin concentrate plants, diatomaceous earth, and tetrahydropyrimidines. In vitro analysis demonstrated an inhibitory effect of the tetrahydropyrimidine, pyrantel pamoate, on the growth of C. burnetii in axenic media as low as 1 μg per mL. The final multivariable logistic regression modeling identified the presence of wild predators on the operation or adjacent property (OR = 9.0, 95% CI 1.3-61.6, p value = 0.0248) as a risk factor for C. burnetii infection.

Surveillance for highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) in a raptor rehabilitation center-2022.

An ongoing, severe outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) A H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has been circulating in wild and domestic bird populations throughout the world, reaching North America in 2021. This HPAI outbreak has exhibited unique characteristics when compared to previous outbreaks. The global distribution of disease, prolonged duration, extensive number of species and individual wild birds affected, and the large impact on the global poultry industry have all exceeded historical impacts of previous outbreaks in North America. In this study, we describe the results of HPAI surveillance conducted at The Raptor Center, a wildlife rehabilitation hospital at University of Minnesota (Saint Paul, MN, U.S.A.), from March 28th-December 31, 2022. All wild raptors admitted to the facility were tested for avian influenza viruses using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. All non-negative samples were submitted to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories for confirmatory HPAI testing and genetic sequencing. During the study period, 996 individual birds representing 20 different species were tested for avian influenza, and 213 birds were confirmed HPAI positive. Highly pathogenic avian influenza surveillance conducted at The Raptor Center contributed 75% of the HPAI positive raptor detections within the state of Minnesota, located within the Mississippi flyway, significantly augmenting state wildlife surveillance efforts. The viral genotypes observed in birds sampled at The Raptor Center were representative of what was seen in wild bird surveillance within the Mississippi flyway during the same time frame. Wildlife rehabilitation centers provide an opportune situation to augment disease surveillance at the human, wildlife and domestic animal interface during ongoing infectious disease outbreaks.

Modeling long-distance airborne transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza carried by dust particles

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is continuously causing significant economic losses with massive poultry depopulations. Airborne transmission of HPAI was suspected, as initial bird mortalities were reported near air inlets of poultry houses. In addition, infected farms were distant, indicating that the viruses carried by dust particles might help the viruses travel for long distances in the environment. The objective of this study focused on simulating the airborne transmission of HPAI by using computational modeling to assess the risk of airborne and deposited avian influenza (AI) carried by poultry-litter dust particles. The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) modeling was used in this study. Data from 168 infected cases in the Mid-Western area of U.S. were obtained from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Watt Poultry. The concentration simulation modeling was performed to estimate the airborne and deposited AI concentration carried by PM2.5 dust particles. Results showed that concentrations of airborne AI, deposited AI, and combined AI transmitted to other farms in a day were lower than the minimal infective dose for poultry. In most of the scenarios, the predicted probability of infection showed that Iowa-infected farms and turkey poultry houses had the highest infection probability. The findings may provide an understanding of the risk of airborne HPAI virus carried by dust particles and suggest the factors that influence long-distance airborne transmission.

SAFARIS: a spatial analytic framework for pest forecast systems.

Non-native pests and diseases pose a risk of economic and environmental damage to managed and natural U.S. forests and agriculture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) protects the health of U.S. agriculture and natural resources against invasive pests and diseases through efforts to prevent the entry, establishment, and spread of non-native pests and diseases. Because each pest or disease has its own idiosyncratic characteristics, analyzing risk is highly complex. To help PPQ better respond to pest and disease threats, we developed the Spatial Analytic Framework for Advanced Risk Information Systems (SAFARIS), an integrated system designed to provide a seamless environment for producing predictive models. SAFARIS integrates pest biology information, climate and non-climate data drivers, and predictive models to provide users with readily accessible and easily customizable tools to analyze pest and disease risks. The phenology prediction models, spread forecasting models, and other climate-based analytical tools in SAFARIS help users understand which areas are suitable for establishment, when surveys would be most fruitful, and aid in other analyses that inform decision-making, operational efforts, and rapid response. Here we introduce the components of SAFARIS and provide two use cases demonstrating how pest-specific models developed with SAFARIS tools support PPQ in its mission. Although SAFARIS is designed to address the needs of PPQ, the flexible, web-based framework is publicly available, allowing any user to leverage the available data and tools to model pest and disease risks.

The Need and a Vision for a Diagnostic Assay Validation Network

Plant biosecurity depends heavily on early detection of biological pest and disease threats and accurate diagnosis of causal agents. The information from these activities is disseminated and communicated with decision makers to promote effective mitigation. In the United States, most land-grant university, state, and private diagnostic and expert pest identifier labs are successfully networked via the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA APHIS PPQ; https://www.aphis.usda.gov/ ), the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN; https://www.npdn.org ), and the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN; https://www.nationalcleanplantnetwork.org/ ). These organizations provide access to training, shared protocols, and standardized communications. For example, the NPDN has secure communications tools that network leadership built into its IT infrastructure and deploys a formal communications process and protocol for regulatory and high-risk samples. Additionally, the diagnostic networks adopt protocols from regulatory organizations such as the USDA-APHIS, European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO), North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO), and other international and national plant protection organizations (NPPOs). However, plant health diagnosticians also need access to validated protocols for endemic and nonregulated organisms. Although there is strong networking of diagnostic laboratories, plant disease diagnostic assay development and validation are siloed, representing a critical gap in our biosecurity infrastructure, especially for new or emerging pathogens. Most assays are developed in independent research labs and then chosen independently by the end-use laboratory. Assay developers, those who provide reference materials, labs that can provide ring testing for validation, and assay end users could be connected and integrated for more streamlined operations. Terminology and validation protocols need to be standardized within the United States and harmonized with our trade partners to ensure understanding. The ideal would be availability of standard, taxon-specific validation protocols, essential reference materials, and appropriate control materials for use to quickly develop and deploy assays in emergencies, as well as for day-to-day testing. This perspective article provides a summary of principles of assay validation, fitness-for-purpose concepts, and the need for continuous evaluation of assay performances. We describe the existing capacity and resources needed to efficiently develop, validate, and use diagnostic tests, as well as the inefficiencies and resource shortfalls currently faced. We propose development of a Diagnostic Assay Validation Network (DAVN) system to coordinate resources at the national level and harmonize with our partners at the international level. Here, we outline a project to set up the DAVN with the objectives of standardizing terminology and statistics and facilitating location of reference materials used in diagnostic assay development and validation via a portal of tools designed by and for the plant disease research and extension community. Although many of the concepts are also relevant to insects and other pests, the focus of this article is primarily plant pathogens. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

Salad Days: Pairwise Gene Edits Food to Topple Nutrition Barriers

Salad Days: Pairwise Gene Edits Food to Topple Nutrition Barriers

Business-centric data solutions for safeguarding animal agriculture in the United States of America.

Business-centric solutions to data-related problems often yield the greatest positive impacts and improvements for private enterprises but are challenging to design and implement at scale within government agencies. The core mission of the Veterinary Services of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service is to safeguard animal agriculture in the United States of America, and effective data management underpins these efforts. As this agency works to assist data-driven decision-making in animal health management, it continues to use a blend of best practices from Federal Data Strategy initiatives and the International Data Management Association framework. This paper describes three case studies that focus on strategies to improve animal health data collection, integration, reporting and governance for animal health authorities. These strategies have enhanced the way USDA's Veterinary Services execute their mission and core operational activities for prevention, detection and early response to support disease containment and control.

Failure by design: lessons from the recently rescinded light brown apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana) eradication program in California.

This article was motivated by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announcement that on 17 December 2021 it rescinded Federal Orders of 2 May 2007 that regulated (what was believed to be) a new outbreak of the light brown apple moth (LBAM, Epiphyas postvittana (Walker)) in the mainland United States. Our article follows from, and builds on, a 2013 article published by Carey and Harder that outlined major concerns about the LBAM eradication program including the need, cost, safety, practicality, and feasibility of the program and the public opposition to it. The program began with an emergency order based on USDA claims of billions of dollars in potential crop losses and the need to circumvent safety review processes to urgently prevent the pest's establishment. The program ended with the realization by government decision-makers, 14 years after initiating the program, that LBAM posed no quarantine-level threat in the first place and with no evidence of any economic damage done by the insect. This article summarizes the mistakes made in devising and carrying out what has ultimately proven to be one of the most oversold, overhyped, misguided, ill-advised, unnecessary, and costly programs in the recent history of insect eradication programs in California. Termination of the LBAM program by USDA-APHIS presents an opportunity to review the program to identify lessons learned and provide recommendations to help avoid similar mistakes in future invasive species response programs. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Monitoring Laboratory Occupational Exposures to Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a Tier 1 overlap select agent and subject to the select agent regulations (42 CFR §73 and 9 CFR §121). It is a gram-negative, motile, soil saprophyte, and the etiologic agent of melioidosis. B. pseudomallei infection can produce systemic illness and can be fatal in the absence of appropriate treatment. Laboratory exposures involving this organism may occur when appropriate containment measures are not employed. Current disease treatment inadequacies and the risk factors associated with melioidosis make this an agent of primary concern in research, commercial, and clinical laboratory environments. This study presents data reported to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Select Agents and Toxins for releases involving B. pseudomallei in 2017-2019 that occurred in Biosafety Level (BSL)-2 and BSL-3 laboratories. Fifty-one Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)/CDC Form 3 release reports led to the medical surveillance of 275 individuals. Entities offered post-exposure prophylaxis to ∼76% of the individuals impacted in the presented events. Laboratory safety can be improved by implementing appropriate safety precautions to minimize exposures. Most of the incidents discussed in this evidence-based report occurred during work conducted in the absence of primary containment. None of the releases resulted in illness, death, or transmission to or among workers, nor was there transmission outside of a laboratory into the surrounding environment or community. Effective risk assessment and management strategies coupled with standard and special microbiological policies and procedures can result in reduced exposures and improved safety at facilities.

A Serosurvey for Ruminant Pestivirus Exposure Conducted Using Sera From Stray Mexico Origin Cattle Captured Crossing Into Southern Texas.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program (CFTEP) monitor a quarantine zone along the Texas border to prevent the introduction of stray livestock carrying cattle fever ticks entering the United States from Mexico. Stray cattle collected by CFTEP are checked for ticks and several infectious disease-causing pathogens, but not for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV). BVDV is one of the most economically impactful viruses affecting US cattle producers. BVDV is present in all parts of the world, but it has been demonstrated that another distantly related pestivirus, HoBi-like pestivirus (HoBiPev), can also cause BVD. To date, HoBiPev has not been detected in the United States, but is commonly found in Brazil, and sporadically in Europe and Asia. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of pestiviruses, with a specific focus on HoBiPev, in stray cattle. Virus neutralization (VN) assay was used to determine seroprevalence (or antibody titers) of BVDV-1, BVDV-2, and HoBiPev. Approximately 50% (67 of 134) of the samples were seropositive for pestiviruses; all 67 positive samples were positive (50%) for BVDV-1, 66 samples of the 67 were positive (49.3%) for BVDV-2, and the same 66 samples of the 67 were also positive (49.3%) for HoBiPev. Due to the antigenic cross-reactivity among Pestiviruses, the comparative antibody against each pestivirus was calculated from all VN-positive samples. Titers were clearly higher against BVDV-1, and only one sample had a titer clearly higher against BVDV-2. No sample had an antibody titer higher for HoBiPev, and while this does not prove the absence of HoBiPev, it does provide evidence that the prevalence of HoBiPev is less predominant than BVDV-1. Additionally, data from these samples provide evidence on the susceptibility of animals that may enter into the United States, with ~50% of the animals seronegative for bovine pestiviruses. This cattle population provides a unique opportunity to evaluate and monitor changes in seroprevalence of economically important cattle diseases affecting the cattle industry.

Top Ten Most Important U.S.-Regulated and Emerging Plant-Parasitic Nematodes

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are important pests that cause an estimated ten billion dollars of crop loss each year in the United States and over 100 billion dollars globally. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture maintains and updates the U.S. Regulated Plant Pest list. Currently, the number of PPNs regulated by APHIS includes more than 60 different species. This review focuses on the top ten most economically important regulated and emerging plant-parasitic nematodes and summarizes the diagnostics of morphological and some molecular features for distinguishing them. These ten major previously described nematode species are associated with various economically important crops from around the world. This review also includes their current distribution in the U.S. and a brief historical background and updated systematic position of these species. The species included in this review include three PPNs considered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as invasive invertebrates Globodera pallida, Globodera rostochiensis, and Heterodera glycines; four regulated PPNs, namely Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, Meloidogyne fallax, Ditylenchus dipsaci, and Pratylenchus fallax; and the three emerging PPNs Meloidogyne chitwoodi, Meloidogyne enterolobii, and Litylenchus crenatae mccannii.

Modeling Rangeland Grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae) Population Density Using a Landscape-Level Predictive Mapping Approach.

Since the mid-19th century, grasshoppers have posed a substantial threat to North American rangelands as well as adjacent croplands and have the potential to cost the economy millions of dollars in annual damages. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have gone to great lengths to ensure that rangeland grasshopper populations remain below an economic impact threshold across the western United States. However, current grasshopper forecasting efforts by the USDA are based solely on the previous year's grasshopper density and do not take region-specific environmental factors (e.g., climate and topography) into account. To better understand the effects of climate and landscape heterogeneity on rangeland grasshopper populations, we assessed the relationship between grasshopper density survey data from across 56 sites between 2007 and 2017 for four counties in north central Wyoming with 72 biologically relevant geographic information system (GIS)-based environmental variables. A regression model was developed to predict mean adult grasshopper density from 2012 to 2016, which was then used to forecast grasshopper density in 2017. The best-fit predictive model selected using Akaike's Information Criterion (AICc) explained 34.5% of the variation in mean grasshopper density from 2012 to 2016. October precipitation and past mean grasshopper density from 2007 to 2011 were among the best predictors of mean grasshopper density in 2012-2016. Our results also suggest that rangelands in central Sheridan County, southwest Johnson County, and southeast Washakie County are more prone to grasshopper outbreaks. Most importantly, this study demonstrated that both biotic and abiotic environmental variables influence grasshopper density and should be considered in future forecasting efforts.

Stray Mexico origin cattle captured crossing into Southern Texas carry Babesia bovis and other tick-borne pathogens

Cattle fever ticks, Rhipicephalus microplus and R. annulatus have been eradicated from the United States and inspectors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program (CFTEP) monitor the quarantine zone along the Texas border to prevent the introduction of livestock carrying cattle fever ticks from Mexico. Stray livestock apprehended by CFTEP in the zone are checked for ticks and tested for infectious disease-causing pathogens but are not evaluated for evidence of infection with tick-borne pathogens. We tested blood samples collected from stray cattle by CFTEP inspectors for evidence of infection with tick-borne pathogens. As a comparison group representing U.S. resident cattle, we tested blood samples that had been sent to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) for unrelated testing. Both sets of blood samples were evaluated using the same specific and broad-spectrum PCR assays. For the border cattle the overall prevalence of infection with one or more tick-borne pathogen was 58.5 % (79/135) with many co-infections, including 30 cattle positive for Babesia bovis and/or Babesia bigemina (22.2 %) and 77 cattle positive for Anaplasma marginale (57 %), three of these animals were also positive for Borrelia theileri. No resident cattle represented by the TVMDL samples were infected with either of the Babesia spp., or with Borrelia theileri, but three were positive for Theileria orientalis and 7.3 % (7/96) were positive for A. marginale. These data show that cattle originating in Mexico have a higher prevalence of infection with tick-borne pathogens relative to resident U.S. cattle and specifically, a proportion are infected with bovine Babesia, which is absent from U.S. cattle populations. Consequently, these stray cattle may be a reservoir of tick-borne pathogens and if populations of Boophilus ticks become reestablished in areas where they had previously been eradicated, could pose a significant risk to the U.S. Cattle industry.

First report of Cactodera milleri Graney and Bird, 1990 from Colorado and Minnesota.

In 2019, Cactodera milleri cysts were discovered from soil samples collected from a Chenopodium quinoa field, located in Mosca, Alamosa county, Colorado, USA. Approximately 200 lemon shaped cysts and several hundred juveniles were recovered from the affected quinoa plants. The same species was also identified from several counties in Minnesota from samples submitted over the years by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture as part of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) efforts to survey states for the presence of Pale Potato Cyst Nematode. The cysts and juveniles (J2) were recovered from soil samples through sieving and Baermann funnel extraction. The nematode species was identified by both morphological and molecular means as Cactodera milleri (Graney and Bird, 1990). To our knowledge this represents the first report of Cactodera milleri from Colorado and Minnesota.

Molecular and morphological characterization of a first report of Cactodera torreyanae Cid del Prado Vera & Subbotin, 2014 (Nematoda: Heteroderidae) from Minnesota, the United States of America

Cactodera torreyanae Cid del Prado Vera & Subbotin, 2014 cysts were discovered during a Pale Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) survey conducted by Minnesota Department of Agriculture as part of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) efforts to survey states for the presence of PCN. The soil samples were collected from a potato field, located in Karlstad, Kittson County, Minnesota, USA. Two out of 175 vials submitted for identification to the Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory (MNGDBL) contained few cysts and juveniles of C. torreyanae. Cysts were dark brown in color, lemon-shaped to elongated with distinct vulval cone. Vulva with denticles present around fenestra, cyst length to width ratio between 1.6 and 2.3 and anus distinct. The juveniles had rounded stylet knobs, some sloping slightly posteriorly. The molecular analysis included sequence and phylogenetic analysis of ITS rRNA, D2-D3 expansion segments of 28S rRNA and COI of mtDNA genes. The nematode species was identified by both morphological and molecular means as Cactodera torreyanae. To the best of our knowledge this represents the first report of Cactodera torreyanae from the United States and first report of this cyst nematode species from potato fields. Definite host plant for this nematode remains unknown.

Dose Effect of Phytosanitary Irradiation on the Postharvest Quality of Cut Flowers

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of electron beam irradiation on the postharvest quality of cut flowers. Cut flowers were irradiated with electron beam at 100, 200, 400, 600, 800, 1,000, and 2,000 Gy with a 10 MeV linear electron beam accelerator to evaluate their irradiation tolerance. Postharvest quality was determined by monitoring fresh weight loss, flower longevity, flower diameter, flowering rate, visual quality of flowers and leaves, and chlorophyll content. Cut flowers showed a radiation-induced damage with increasing the irradiation dose. Flower longevity and fresh weight of cut flowers decreased when the irradiation dose was increased. Flower bud opening was also inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. The effective irradiation doses for 10% reduction of postharvest quality (ED10) values were 144.4, 451.6, and 841.2 Gy in the ‘Medusa’ lily, ‘Montezuma’ carnation, and ‘Rosina White’ eustoma, respectively. Although tolerance of cut flowers to electron beam irradiation vary according to species, cultivars, or maturity stage conditions, it is conceivable that ‘Montezuma’ carnation and ‘Rosina White’ eustoma could be tolerated and maintained overall postharvest quality up to 400 Gy, the generic irradiation dose approved by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) for postharvest phytosanitary treatments. Key words: electron beam irradiation, flower export, irradiation tolerance, quality evaluation, quarantine

Facilitating collaborative animal research: The development and implementation of a Master Reciprocal Institutional Agreement for Animal Care and Use.

Ensuring appropriate review, approval, and oversight of research involving animals becomes increasingly complex when researchers collaborate across multiple sites. In these situations, it is important that the division of responsibilities is clear and that all involved parties share a common understanding. The National Institutes of Health Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare and the United States Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service require an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to review the care and use of animals in research, and both agree that it is acceptable for one IACUC to review the work taking place at multiple institutions. With this in mind, several Harvard-affiliated hospitals and academic centers developed the Master Reciprocal Institutional Agreement for Animal Care and Use (Master IACUC Agreement) to support collaboration, decrease administrative burden, increase efficiencies, reduce duplicative efforts, and ensure appropriate protections for animals used in research. Locally, the Master IACUC Agreement has fostered greater collaboration and exchange while ensuring appropriate review and oversight of research involving animals. As multisite animal protocols become more prevalent, this Agreement could provide a model for a distributed, national network of IACUC reliance.

The proposed APHIS regulation modernization could enhance agriculture biotechnology research and development in the USA

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is one of three agencies that govern the importation, interstate movement, or environmental release of certain genetically engineered (GE) organisms. APHIS regulations are in 7 CFR part 340, originally issued in 1987 (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/downloads/7_cfr_340.pdf) and based on the premise that a GE crop could pose a plant pest risk. A major revision was proposed June 6, 2019 (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/fedregister/BRS_20190606.pdf), with public comments accepted for 60 d. Members of the Society for In Vitro Biology (SIVB)—especially within the plant section—are impacted by the current rules and will be impacted by changes. Therefore, the public policy committee studied the changes and prepared a response that was reviewed by the board of directors and submitted to APHIS. APHIS received 6186 comments overall. In general, the SIVB welcomes the proposed revisions, which recognize established scientific guidelines and principles for plant pest risk assessment. In addition, they recognize the safety record accumulated over multiple decades of current GE mechanisms of action (MOA), so the proposed rules include an exemption for new events with established MOA’s in a previously reviewed crop. Further, the proposed rules focus on DNA function and impact rather than its source organism with regulatory review triggered by potential for increased plant pest risk. Most importantly, the proposed revisions codify a light regulatory approach for many applications of genome editing, because these applications result in plants that could otherwise have been developed through traditional breeding techniques or found in nature. If implemented appropriately in the final rule, we find these changes remove many current barriers, and thus are likely to stimulate university and business “startup” innovation. The SIVB recognizes the need for exemption for further model species and gene delivery organisms. Such concerns were adequately expressed by the submitted response. Remaining hurdles for innovative plant incorporated protectants are still problematic. Nevertheless, the SIVB applauds the efforts to update APHIS rules in a scientifically defensible manner. The detailed response is shared below.

Mycoplasma ovis infection in domestic sheep (Ovis aries) in the United States: Prevalence, distribution, associated risk factors, and associated outcomes

Mycoplasma ovis is a hemotropic bacterium reported to infect sheep, goats, and deer species. Infection in these species can result in anemia, jaundice, and ill-thrift. Although of worldwide distribution, only rare reports of this bacterium in the United States exist. The objectives of this retrospective study were to identify the prevalence and distribution of M. ovis, and identify associated demographic and management risk factors, and reproductive and production outcomes associated with infection on domestic sheep (Ovis aries) operations in the United States. As part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services’ National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Sheep 2001 and 2011 studies, blood was collected and sera banked from 21,369 ewes in 2001 and 13,128 ewes in 2011. Participating premises were located in 22 states across the United States for each sample year. In 2015 the USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Disease Research Unit received aliquots of these sera, and DNA was extracted and analyzed by PCR for the presence of M. ovis genomic DNA. Flock presence and mean within-flock prevalence of M. ovis were 73.3% and 23.2%, respectively. Model selection using Mallow’s Cp Criterion was used to determine which variables significantly affected flock presence and within-flock prevalence. The final flock presence model included flock size, year of blood collection, region, and vaccine administration. The final within-flock prevalence model included year of blood collection, interaction between flock size and region, and interaction between reported abortions and grazing with sheep from other operations. Medium and large operations had a higher flock presence and within-flock prevalence. Flock presence was higher in operations that administered any vaccines. Operations that reported any abortions and grazed with sheep from other operations had a higher within-flock prevalence.