US Veterinarians Research Articles

Zoonoses-specific resources, collaborative networks, and enhanced communication can help US veterinarians tackle zoonotic diseases: results from a national survey.

Increased incidence of zoonoses, coupled with veterinarians' occupational exposure, led to this study examining the knowledge of licensed US veterinarians on zoonoses and their disease prevention practices. This online survey supported by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians received 466 responses from 36 US states; 67% of the respondents were female, and 72.5% were small animal medicine practitioners. The One Health concept was familiar among 82% of respondents, 51.3% knew of continuing education training on zoonoses, and 68% had attended such a training in the last 5 years. Respondents were unaware of which zoonoses to report to public health departments. For 3 out of 8 questions on standard operating procedures, statistically significant differences in protocols followed among small, large, and mixed animal medicine practitioners were observed. Most respondents believed they play a critical role in zoonoses prevention but would like more information on zoonotic diseases. Results indicate that assisting veterinarians with regularly updated information on zoonoses, providing targeted education and training to adhere to standardized infection control measures, and increasing communication with public health agencies and physicians may help prevent and reduce incidence of zoonoses.

Work-life balance is essential to reducing burnout, improving well-being.

To assess levels of burnout, well-being, and mental health of veterinarians and compare them to those of nonveterinarians by use of validated instruments, and to identify the predictive values of techniques individuals can use to help reduce burnout and/or improve well-being and mental health. An online survey of 4,636 veterinarians from a random sample of 40,000 US veterinarians provided by the AVMA. The study was fielded from September 11 to October 9, 2023. Burnout and well-being of veterinarians were generally consistent with that of employed US adults. Serious psychological distress was more common among veterinarians than in the general population. Veterinarians on average were more likely to score higher in neuroticism than nonveterinarians, and neuroticism was a predictor of low well-being, poor mental health, and burnout. Work-life balance, an effective coping mechanism for stress, and working in a positive clinic culture were among the significant factors that predicted good well-being and mental health and reduced burnout. The higher percentage than the norm of veterinarians with serious psychological distress was a concern. Focusing on maintaining a good work-life balance and adopting a reliable coping mechanism can potentially help reduce distress. Veterinary medicine is an inherently stressful profession. The purpose of this study was to identify key factors that contribute to burnout, well-being, and mental health and to determine what behaviors and management techniques help reduce stress and burnout and contribute to well-being and mental health, thus improving job satisfaction and personal fulfillment.

Veterinarians' perspectives of pain, treatment, and diagnostics for bovine respiratory disease in preweaned dairy calves.

Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in preweaned dairy calves. Early detection and therefore treatment are essential to minimize animal welfare concerns, particularly given that recent research also demonstrates that BRD is painful. Veterinarians are essential to ensuring calves with BRD receive appropriate treatment, but little to no research exists regarding veterinarians' perspectives about BRD detection and treatment in dairy calves. This is a critical step to determine education and outreach needs that can target BRD treatment to improve calf welfare. Thus, the objectives of the current study were to describe US veterinarians' current detection methods and treatment practices for BRD in preweaned dairy calves, understand veterinarians' rationale for treatment decisions, and identify gaps in knowledge regarding treatment and management of calf BRD. An online survey was sent to two veterinarian-focused list-serves and newsletter. Final responses (n = 47) were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative analyses. On-farm necropsy was the diagnostic tool most considered "extremely important" (26, 55.3%). All veterinarians indicated that BRD was at least mildly painful. However, only 53% of veterinarians (n = 25) assess pain in preweaned calves with BRD in order to make treatment decisions. Furthermore, of the veterinarians that assessed pain, 40% (n = 10) reported that their knowledge of pain assessment and treatment was adequate, but most (n = 24) considered a calf's pain-level at least "moderately important" to make BRD treatment decisions. The most important ancillary therapy for antimicrobials were NSAIDs (21, 44.7%). The ancillary therapy most often considered "extremely important" for treating BRD was NSAIDs. Qualitative analysis identified the following as factors that influenced veterinarians' willingness to provide analgesia: the farm's willingness to administer drugs, clinical signs, perceived severity of pain, the need for anti-inflammatories, and the presence of fever and comorbidities. This study included a small sample size and an extremely low response rate; results should therefore be interpreted with caution. Despite this limitation, important gaps in knowledge were identified, including pain assessment and consideration when making treatment decisions, and diagnostic tools. Addressing these needs in future research and outreach efforts could help ensure appropriate and timely treatment of calf BRD, including pain mitigation.

Development of a bovine continuing education program for early-career veterinarians to address clinical service shortage

There is currently a shortage of production animal veterinarians worldwide. Access to adequate continuing education (CE) increases retention of health-care workers in rural areas. However, little information is available about the preferences of bovine veterinarians in their first years after graduation. Our objective was to design a readily available CE program tailored for recent veterinary graduates working in bovine medicine. For this, we conducted a cross-sectional survey to identify early-career bovine veterinarian needs and their preferences to access CE conducted while practicing full time. Subsequently, we conducted a second survey to triangulate their responses with the opinions of experienced veterinarians, where the experienced veterinarians ranked the relevance of the CE topics that resulted from the early-career veterinarian survey. We received a total of 132 valid responses from US veterinarians in their first 5 years after graduation, and 32 responses associated with bovine veterinarians with 10 or more years of experience. Our results showed that a combination of distance education and workshops to practice hands-on skills was the preferred method for accessing CE among early-career veterinarians. Furthermore, recent graduates were willing to commit 1 to 2 h/wk to distance education. From the list of 20 topics identified by early-career veterinarians, the experienced veterinarians ranked "calf/heifer management" and "immunology and vaccinology" as the most relevant ones for practice. With the information gathered from these surveys, we designed, implemented, and piloted a 180-h CE program on bovine health management that is delivered over 2 yr through asynchronous distance education and annual hands-on workshops. Participant feedback has been very positive. Overall, the survey results will serve to develop CE programs targeted to bovine veterinarians in their first years of practice. Future research is needed to evaluate this program's success in retaining the bovine veterinary workforce within the United States, particularly in rural underserved areas.

Canine and feline core vaccinations: US veterinarians' concerns and perceived impact of COVID-19 antivaccination views on veterinary medicine.

Assess US veterinarians' perceptions regarding vaccine concerns (their own and owners') and the association between owners' vaccine concerns and COVID-19 antivaccination sentiments. Members of the Veterinary Information Network. An electronic survey distributed via the Veterinary Information Network data collection portal. 1,341 US veterinarians completed the survey. Top veterinarian concerns for vaccinating a healthy adult dog were anaphylaxis, soreness at injection site, and lethargy; for cats, these concerns included vaccine-associated sarcoma, lethargy, and soreness at injection site. Veterinarians reported that the most common concerns mentioned by owners included that the pet does not go outside, that vaccinations are unnecessary, that vaccinations can lead to chronic or severe illness, and cost. Veterinarians reported an increased number of dog and cat owners reluctant about or resistant to the idea of rabies vaccines and core vaccines since the time that COVID-19 vaccines became widely available. There was an association between veterinarians' perceptions of local COVID-19 antivaccination sentiments and the increase in the number of vaccine-resistant or -concerned clients. There appears to be little overlap between veterinarians' primary concerns related to vaccinations and their perception of dog and cat owners' primary concerns. The fact that the number of resistant clients is positively associated with the presence of veterinarians' perceptions of a local COVID-19 antivaccination sentiment suggests that human antivaccination sentiments impact pet owners' views of companion animal vaccinations. A better understanding of the cognitive biases that impact owners' vaccine decisions can help veterinarians better communicate with vaccine-reluctant clients and increase vaccination compliance rates.

US veterinarians' perceptions of discussing COVID-19 vaccination with animal owners during routine visits

COVID-19 vaccination uptake is disproportionately lower among rural, politically conservative, and underserved individuals in the United States. Engaging this population requires leveraging unique potential human health advocates, like veterinarians. Between September and October 2021, 103 veterinarians responded to open-ended prompts to assess providers' willingness and potential barriers to discussing COVID-19 vaccination within a veterinary visit.Veterinarians perceived they had a public health role in providing reliable and accurate COVID-19 information, including information related to approved vaccines. However, veterinary practitioners were aware of numerous potential barriers to having such discussions within a clinical visit (e.g., scope of practice concerns, shifting focus away from the animal, politicization of vaccination). Findings indicate policy efforts, aligned with the One Health initiative, are needed to address the role of veterinary medicine in human health care following catastrophic events, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, veterinarians require tailored vaccine materials that can be utilized within the clinic or community setting.

All causes of death among veterinarians in the United States during 1979 through 2015

To assess proportionate mortality from all causes for male and female US veterinarians during 1979 through 2015. Death records for 11,620 veterinarians. For this proportionate mortality ratio (PMR) study, information for veterinarians who died during 1979 through 2015 was obtained from AVMA obituary and life insurance databases and submitted to a centralized database of US death records to obtain underlying causes of death. Decedent data that met records-matching criteria were imported into a software program for calculation of PMRs for all causes stratified by sex and indirectly standardized for age, race, and 5-year calendar period with 95% CIs. 11,620 decedents consisted of 11,049 (95%) males and 571 (5%) females with a median age at death of 77 years. Proportionate mortality for all veterinarian decedents was higher than expected for melanoma (PMRs, 2.1 and 2.2 for males and females, respectively), suicide (PMRs, 2.1 and 3.5 for males and females, respectively), and transportation injuries (PMRs, 1.7 and 1.6 for males and females, respectively). Proportionate mortality for all decedents was lower than expected for respiratory cancers (PMRs, 0.6 and 0.5 for males and females, respectively), diabetes mellitus (PMRs, 0.7 and 0.4 for males and females, respectively), heart disease (PMRs, 0.9 and 0.6 for males and females, respectively), and respiratory disorders (PMRs, 0.7 and 0.6 for males and females, respectively). Results indicated proportionate mortality from malignant melanoma, transportation injuries, and suicide for male and female veterinarians was higher than the general population. These data may help stakeholders improve veterinarian workplace safety and health guidelines.

Leishmaniasis in the United States military veterinary patient population.

To describe the presence of Leishmania infection within the animal population receiving care from US Army Veterinary Services. 629 canine, feline, and equine patients of US Army Veterinary Services from 2014 to 2017. Personnel at the US Army Public Health Center ran a query within the Remote Online Veterinary Record system using previously validated search terms (eg, liesh, leish, and lesh) and returned data on any patient for which the master problem list included those terms. Next, a query was run to identify all leishmaniasis testing. Records identified by queries were reviewed manually, and data were collected on patient signalment, indication for and type of testing, location of testing, and previous locations or country of the patient. Only dogs (n = 378), not cats or horses, had been tested for leishmaniasis, 54 (14.3%) of which tested positive for Leishmania infection. More specifically, 39 of 104 (37.5%) privately owned dogs tested positive, compared with 15 of 274 (5.6%) government-owned dogs. Overall, 186 dogs had no clinical signs, 12 (6.5%) of which tested positive. Forty-four of the 54 (81%) test-positive dogs were located in or had traveled to an endemic area. The prevalence of leishmaniasis in the various subpopulations of dogs suggested the need for additional prevalence studies. Many animals travel in and out of the US, and repeated introduction of Leishmania spp could lead to this vector-borne disease becoming endemic in the US animal and human populations. Consequently, US veterinarians need to ensure proper testing and follow-up to protect one health.

Compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress among full-time veterinarians in the United States (2016-2018).

To determine prevalences of low compassion satisfaction (CS), high burnout (BO), and high secondary traumatic stress (STS) scores among full-time US veterinarians and estimate effects of selected demographic, employment-related, and education-related factors on those scores. 5,020 full-time veterinarians who participated in the 2016, 2017, and 2018 AVMA Census of Veterinarians surveys. Data were obtained from census surveys regarding demographic, employment-related, and education-related factors, and scores assigned to items from a professional quality-of-life instrument designed to measure CS and compassion fatigue (ie, BO and STS) were compared between and among various demographic and employment groups. Overall, 35.5% of veterinarians were classified as having low CS scores, 50.2% as having high BO scores, and 58.9% as having high STS scores. Controlling for other variables, high educational debt was associated with low CS, high BO, and high STS scores. Veterinarians who spent ≥ 75% of their time working with dogs or cats had higher BO and STS scores than did those who spent < 25% of their time. Veterinarians with more experience and higher annual incomes had higher CS scores and lower BO and STS scores. Women had higher BO and STS scores than did men, but no gender differences were observed in CS scores. Several variables were identified that may put veterinarians at higher risk than others for compassion fatigue and low CS. These findings may be useful in the development of resources and targeted initiatives to support and defend veterinarian well-being.

Characteristics associated with negative attitudes toward mental illness among US veterinarians.

To explore associations between demographic, occupational, and mental health characteristics and negative attitudes toward mental illness among veterinarians. Cross-sectional survey. 9,522 veterinarians employed in the United States. Data from a previously conducted voluntary, anonymous, web-based survey were used. Negative attitude was defined as slight or strong disagreement with 2 statements: "Treatment can help people with mental illness lead normal lives" (treatment effectiveness) and "People are generally caring and sympathetic to people with mental illness" (social support). Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with negative attitudes. Of the 9,522 respondents, 6,585 (69.2%) were female, 4,523 (47.5%) were 40 to 59 years old, 291 (3.1%) had a negative attitude toward treatment effectiveness, and 4,504 (47.3%) had a negative attitude toward social support. After adjusting for other variables, negative attitude toward treatment effectiveness was significantly more likely in males, those with 10 to 19 (vs 1 to 9) years of practice experience, solo practitioners, those in government (vs "other") practice, those with evidence of serious psychological distress, and those reporting suicidal ideation after veterinary school and significantly less likely in those receiving mental health treatment. A negative attitude toward social support was significantly less likely in males and significantly more likely in 40 to 59 (vs 20 to 39) year olds, childless respondents, solo practitioners, those without membership in a veterinary association, those with evidence of serious psychological distress, those reporting depression during or after veterinary school, and those reporting suicidal ideation after veterinary school. Characteristics such as age, sex, practice setting, and mental illness history might be useful to consider when targeting interventions to support and educate veterinarians about mental illness.

US Veterinarians' Knowledge, Experience, and Perception Regarding the Use of Cannabidiol for Canine Medical Conditions.

Due to the myriad of laws concerning cannabis, there is little empirical research regarding the veterinary use of cannabidiol (CBD). This study used the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) to gauge US veterinarians' knowledge level, views and experiences related to the use of cannabinoids in the medical treatment of dogs. Participants (n = 2130) completed an anonymous, online survey. Results were analyzed based on legal status of recreational marijuana in the participants' state of practice, and year of graduation from veterinary school. Participants felt comfortable in their knowledge of the differences between Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and marijuana, as well as the toxic effects of marijuana in dogs. Most veterinarians (61.5%) felt comfortable discussing the use of CBD with their colleagues, but only 45.5% felt comfortable discussing this topic with clients. No differences were found based on state of practice, but recent graduates were less comfortable discussing the topic. Veterinarians and clients in states with legalized recreational marijuana were more likely to talk about the use of CBD products to treat canine ailments than those in other states. Overall, CBD was most frequently discussed as a potential treatment for pain management, anxiety and seizures. Veterinarians practicing in states with legalized recreational marijuana were more likely to advise their clients and recommend the use of CBD, while there was no difference in the likelihood of prescribing CBD products. Recent veterinary graduates were less likely to recommend or prescribe CBD. The most commonly used CBD formulations were oil/extract and edibles. These were most helpful in providing analgesia for chronic and acute pain, relieving anxiety and decreasing seizure frequency/severity. The most commonly reported side-effect was sedation. Participants felt their state veterinary associations and veterinary boards did not provide sufficient guidance for them to practice within applicable laws. Recent graduates and those practicing in states with legalized recreational marijuana were more likely to agree that research regarding the use of CBD in dogs is needed. These same groups also felt that marijuana and CBD should not remain classified as Schedule I drugs. Most participants agreed that both marijuana and CBD products offer benefits for humans and expressed support for use of CBD products for animals.

Suicide among veterinarians in the United States from 1979 through 2015.

OBJECTIVE To assess proportionate mortality ratios (PMRs) for suicide among male and female US veterinarians from 1979 through 2015. DESIGN PMR study. SAMPLE Death records for 11,620 veterinarians. PROCEDURES Information for veterinarians who died during 1979 through 2015 was obtained from AVMA obituary and life insurance databases and submitted to a centralized database of US death records to obtain underlying causes of death. Decedent data that met records-matching criteria were imported into a software program for calculation of PMRs for suicide stratified by sex and indirectly standardized for age, race, and 5-year calendar period with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS 398 deaths resulted from suicide; 326 (82%) decedents were male, 72 (18%) were female, and most (298 [75%]) were ≤ 65 years of age. The PMRs for suicide for all veterinarian decedents (2.1 and 3.5 for males and females, respectively), those in clinical positions (2.2 and 3.4 for males and females, respectively), and those in nonclinical positions (1.8 and 5.0 for males and females, respectively) were significantly higher than for the general US population. Among female veterinarians, the percentage of deaths by suicide was stable from 2000 until the end of the study, but the number of such deaths subjectively increased with each 5-year period. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results of the study indicated that PMRs for suicide of female as well as male veterinarians were higher than for the general population. These data may help to inform stakeholders in the creation and implementation of suicide prevention strategies designed for veterinarians.

Development of a taxonomy of practice-related stressors experienced by veterinarians in the United States.

OBJECTIVE To develop a comprehensive taxonomy of practice-related stressors experienced by US veterinarians. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SAMPLE A subset of 1,422 US veterinarians who provided written (vs selected) responses to a question in a previous survey regarding practice-related stressors. PROCEDURES Using grounded theory analysis, 3 researchers inductively analyzed written survey responses concerning respondents' main practice-related stressors. In 5 iterations, responses were individually coded and categorized, and a final list of practice-related stressor categories and subcategories was iteratively and collaboratively developed until theoretical and analytic saturation of the data was achieved. RESULTS A taxonomy of 15 categories of broad practice-related stressors and 40 subcategories of more specific practice-related stressors was developed. The most common practice-related stressor categories included financial insecurity (n = 289 [20.3%]), client issues (254 [17.9%]), coworker or interpersonal issues (181 [12.7%]), and work-life balance (166 [11.7%]). The most common subcategories were clients unwilling to pay (118 [8.3%]), low income (98 [6.9%]), cost of maintaining practice (56 [3.9%]), and government or state board policies (48 [3.4%]). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE This study provided a comprehensive list of the types of practice-related stressors experienced by US veterinarians, building a foundation for future research into relationships between job stress and mental health in this population. Frequency data on the various stressors provided an initial understanding of factors that might be contributing to high stress rates among US veterinarians.

Survey of attitudes toward and experiences with animal abuse encounters in a convenience sample of US veterinarians.

OBJECTIVE To survey practicing veterinarians regarding their perceptions of and experiences with cases of suspected or confirmed animal abuse and related state laws. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. POPULATION Members of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN; n = 34,144) who were in veterinary practice at the time of the survey. PROCEDURES A survey was designed and distributed online to all VIN members from January 26 to February 28, 2015. Responses were compiled, and binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors that influenced decisions or perceptions regarding animal abuse encounters and related legislation. RESULTS 1,209 completed surveys were received (3.5% response rate); 1,155 (95.5%) surveys were submitted by currently practicing veterinarians. One thousand five (87.0%) practicing veterinarians reported having encountered at least 1 case of animal abuse while in practice; 561 (55.8%) of these veterinarians indicated that they had reported at least 1 case. The most common reasons selected for reporting abuse were to protect the animal, ethical beliefs, and to protect other animals in the household. The most common reasons selected for not reporting the abuse were uncertainty that the animal had been abused, belief that client education would be better, and belief that the injury or illness was accidental versus intentional. Most respondents were unaware of the current status of laws in their state regarding animal abuse reporting. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested a need for state and national veterinary and humane-law enforcement organizations to increase communication and education efforts on recognition and reporting by veterinarians of animal abuse and the related laws.

Egg residue considerations during the treatment of backyard poultry.

The purpose of this digest was to provide US veterinarians guidance on the responsible treatment of backyard poultry flocks. The treatment of backyard poultry can be a daunting task for veterinarians because only limited resources are available; however, it is likely to become an increasingly common task owing to the increasing popularity of backyard poultry throughout the United States, especially in urban and suburban areas. Although backyard poultry flock owners may consider their birds pets, the FDA considers them food-producing animals, and veterinarians should follow all regulations that pertain to food-producing animals when administering or prescribing drugs to those birds. The lack of FDA-approved drugs for use in laying hens frequently necessitates the use of drugs in an extralabel manner in backyard poultry. Unfortunately, information regarding the depletion of drug residues in eggs from hens treated with various drugs in an extralabel manner is sparse or lacking, and veterinarians need to be cognizant of this issue, especially when the eggs from treated hens are intended for human consumption.

Risk factors for suicide, attitudes toward mental illness, and practice-related stressors among US veterinarians.

To evaluate the prevalence of suicide risk factors, attitudes toward mental illness, and practice-related stressors among US veterinarians. Cross-sectional survey. 11,627 US veterinarians. Between July 1 and October 20, 2014, a Web-based questionnaire was made available through the Veterinary Information Network (VIN), VIN News Service, JAVMA News, and email messages to US veterinarians sent by a veterinary medical association, agriculture or livestock department, or health department of each state (except Maine) and Puerto Rico. Of 11,627 respondents, 3,628 (31%) were male. Modal age category was 30 to 39 years, and modal range for years practicing veterinary medicine was 10 to 19 years. There were 7,460 (64%) respondents who primarily practiced small animal medicine, and 4,224 (36%) who were practice owners. There were 1,077 (9%) respondents with current serious psychological distress. Since leaving veterinary school, 3,655 (31%) respondents experienced depressive episodes, 1,952 (17%) experienced suicidal ideation, and 157 (1%) attempted suicide. Currently, 2,228 (19%) respondents were receiving treatment for a mental health condition. Only 3,250 of 10,220 (32%) respondents somewhat or strongly agreed that people are sympathetic toward persons with mental illness. The most commonly reported practice-related stressor was demands of practice. In this survey, approximately 1 in 11 veterinarians had serious psychological distress and 1 in 6 experienced suicidal ideation since leaving veterinary school. Implementing measures to help veterinarians cope with practice-related stressors and reducing barriers veterinarians face in seeking mental health treatment might reduce the risk for suicide among veterinarians.

Methods of fertility control in cats: Owner, breeder and veterinarian behavior and attitudes.

Fertility control is important for population management of owned and unowned cats, provides health benefits at the individual level and can reduce unwanted sexually dimorphic behaviors such as roaming, aggression, spraying and calling. This article reviews the available evidence regarding European and American veterinarian, owner and pedigree cat breeder attitudes toward both surgical sterilization and non-surgical fertility control. It additionally presents new data on veterinarians' and pedigree cat breeders' use of, and attitudes toward, alternative modalities of fertility control. Within the United States and Europe, the proportion of cats reported to be sterilized varies widely. Published estimates range from 27-93% for owned cats and 2-5% for cats trapped as part of a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program. In some regions and populations of cats, non-surgical fertility control is also used. Social context, cultural norms, individual preferences, economic considerations, legislation and professional organizations may all influence fertility control decisions for cats. Particularly in Europe, a limited number of non-surgical temporary contraceptives are available for cats; these include products with regulatory approval for cats as well as some used 'off label'. Non-surgical methods remove the risk of complications related to surgery and offer potential to treat more animals in less time and at lower cost; they may also appeal to pedigree cat breeders seeking temporary contraception. However, concerns over efficacy, delivery methods, target species safety, duration and side effects exist with current non-surgical options. Research is under way to develop new methods to control fertility in cats without surgery. US and European veterinarians place high value on three perceived benefits of surgical sterilization: permanence, behavioral benefits and health benefits. Non-surgical options will likely need to share these benefits to be widely accepted by the veterinary community.

345 Patterns of S.aureus and MRSA colonization and infection in US swine veterinarians

ObjectivesDetermine the incidence and prevalence of nasal colonisation of swine veterinarians with S. aureus in the USA, and quantify associations between risks of S. aureus colonisation and infection and exposure...

Heartworms, macrocyclic lactones, and the specter of resistance to prevention in the United States

In order to provide a background to current concerns relative to the possible resistance of heartworms to macrocyclic lactones, this review summarizes various studies in which lack of efficacies (LOEs) have been observed in dogs on macrocyclic lactone preventives relative to the United States of America. Some of these studies have been published in the peer-reviewed literature, others have appeared in various reports to the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the USA as New Animal Drug Application (NADA) summaries, and one appeared as a letter to US veterinarians. This review also discusses reports relating to the potential problem of heartworm resistance in microfilariae and third-stage larvae, as well as molecular markers associated with resistance to macrocyclic lactones within Dirofilaria immitis. As more work is being done in this area of great concern relative to the protection of dogs from infection using this class of preventives, it seems timely to summarize what is known about heartworms, their potential resistance to treatment, and the means of selecting for resistance genes in populations of this helminth in the laboratory and in the field.

A national study of US bird banders for evidence of avian influenza virus infections

Background Previously we have found that Midwestern US wildlife biologists, poultry farmers, veterinarians, and duck hunters have had evidence of avian influenza virus infections (AIVs). Objectives We sought to evaluate a national sample of US bird banders for previous evidence of AIV infection. Study design Controlled, cross-sectional serological survey. Results In 2009 and 2010 we enrolled 157 registered bird banders from 40 US states and compared their enrollment data and serological results with 78 adult age-group matched controls from Iowa. On average, the bird banders had 15 years of wild bird exposure, banded 20 days per year, worked chiefly in 1 of the 4 North American flyways, and banded 300 individual birds of 5 different species per season. While handling birds, only 15% of banders reported wearing gloves. Three bird banders and 1 control had evidence of previous infection (1 AIV each) with A/BWTE/Ohio/07/495762-6(H7N3), A/Ty/MN/38391-6/95(H9N2) or A/CK/NJ/7290-2/95(H11N3) by microneutralization assay. There was no evidence of previous infection with a representative sample of H4, H5, H6, H8, or H10 AIVs. Participants were followed for influenza-like-illness for a median of 7 months and 4 (3 bird banders) submitted self-collected eye, nasal, and throat influenza-like-illness swab specimens, 1 of which collected in November of 2009, yielded a pandemic H1N1 influenza A virus. Conclusion Despite reports of conjunctivitis and upper respiratory symptoms while bird banding, we found sparse evidence that US bird banders had infections with AIVs.