NVDC newsletter

November 2019

In this issue:

SVMBS Faculty Take Home Awards from AAVLD Annual Meeting
Changes in Organization of the Diagnostic Center
New Tests in the Veterinary Diagnostic Center
NVDC Approved for All Foreign Animal Disease Test Reporting

SVMBS Faculty Take Home Awards from AAVLD Annual Meeting

Dr. David Steffen, Dr. J. Dustin Loy, and Dr. Rodney Moxley were all awarded honors for their contributions to the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) and to advancement of science.

Dr. David Steffen was awarded the E.P Pope Award. This is AAVLD’s highest award, presented to an individual who has made noteworthy contributions to the AAVLD and the field of veterinary diagnostic laboratory medicine. Dr. Steffen grew up on a farm in northeast Nebraska, earned a BS degree in animal science from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and a DVM from Iowa State University. He practiced veterinary medicine for one year in Iowa, and then earned a PhD in pathology and pathobiology from Kansas State University. Dr. Steffen joined North Dakota State University as a diagnostic pathologist and assistant professor. He was ACVP board certified in anatomic pathology at that time. He returned to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1995 as a diagnostician and faculty member. Currently, he is a professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, serving as a diagnostic pathologist and Quality Management System section head for the Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center. Dr. Steffen served for years on numerous AAVLD committees (Pathology, Executive Board, Executive, Constitution by-Laws, Publications, and Government Relations) and in the House of Delegates. He also served as AAVLD Vice President (2007) and President (2009) and as associate editor of the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation (1996-2013). Dr. Steffen’s expertise focuses on investigating the genetic causes of congenital defects in cattle, having made several discoveries. In the Diagnostic Center, he is a national point source for these investigations.

Dr. J. Dustin Loy received the Award for Excellence in Diagnostic Microbiology. Dr. Loy is a veterinary diagnostic microbiologist and case coordinator in the Veterinary Diagnostic Center. He received his DVM and PhD from Iowa State University and is a Diplomate American College of Veterinary Microbiologists (Bacteriology/Mycology, Virology and Immunology specialties). He is also section leader and faculty supervisor for the bacteriology and molecular diagnostic sections. Dr. Loy’s research interest includes development and validation of novel molecular and proteomic diagnostic methods, pathogenesis and ecology of opportunistic bovine respiratory and ocular pathogens and enteric diseases of swine. Among Dr. Loy’s contributions to diagnostic laboratory medicine, he has identified differences among Mannheimia haemolytica isolates, which identify them as pathogens or commensals. He has done extensive work with Moraxella spp. in characterizing the genome of both Moraxella bovis and M bovoculi. He continues to develop additional molecular diagnostic tests, including multiplex PCR testing.

Dr. Rodney Moxley was awarded the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation Best Full Manuscript Award for his manuscript entitled “Investigation of congestive heart failure in beef cattle in a feed yard at moderate altitude in western Nebraska”. Dr. Rodney Moxley is a Charles Bessey Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He obtained his DVM in 1978 and his PhD in Pathology in 1983, both from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and was selected as an Honorary Member of the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists in 2019. He teaches Veterinary General, Cellular, and Molecular Pathology in the Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine at UNL. Research in his laboratory addresses the detection, prevention and control of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in cattle, and the pathogenesis of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) infections of swine. Dr. Dale Grotelueschen, Dr. David Steffen, Dr. Tom Edwards, and former UNL faculty member Dr. David Smith are coauthors on the paper.

Changes in Organization of the Diagnostic Center

The Veterinary Diagnostic Center continues to grow. The recent growth has occurred mainly in our serology and molecular diagnostic sections. Up until now, one laboratory manager has overseen these sections. We are dividing the sections and will have a manager for each section. Dr. Duan Loy will oversee the molecular diagnostics section. We have hired a new manager for the virology/serology section. Dr. Korakrit Poonsuk will join us from Iowa State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Dr. Poonsuk received his DVM and Master’s degrees from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand and a PhD in Veterinary Microbiology from Iowa State University. The laboratory section managers in the Diagnostic Center are responsible for daily operation of their respective sections. Additionally, they analyze and interpret results of analyses and report them to the case coordinators. Their responsibilities also include development and validation of new tests, problem solving and troubleshooting. They are responsible to their sections for meeting the requirements of our Quality Management System.

Between the two sections, the Veterinary Diagnostic Center offers 51 different serologic tests and 76 different PCR tests. Included in these tests are panels for bovine bacterial and viral respiratory disease, bovine enteric disease, feline respiratory disease, swine enteric diseases, and equine herpesviruses.

New Tests in the Veterinary Diagnostic Center

We have added three new multiplex PCR tests; Pinkeye Multiplex, Listeria Multiplex, Abortion Multiplex.

The Pinkeye Multiplex can detect Moraxella bovis, Moraxella bovoculi, Mycoplasma bovis, Mycoplasma bovoculi, and IBR virus. Included in the fee for this test is aerobic culture to attempt to identify an isolate for an antimicrobial sensitivity (separate charge). Conjunctival swab is the specimen of choice.

The Listeria Multiplex will detect Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria ivanovii. We have seen some L. ivanovii in cattle, but mainly small ruminants (abortion and enteric disease). This test is validated on brain and other tissues. We are still working on validation of feces as a substrate for this test.

The Abortion Multiplex can detect BVD, IBR, Leptospira interrogans, and Neospora sp. Specimens for use in this test include brain, heart, lung, kidney liver, and spleen.

NVDC Approved for All Foreign Animal Disease Test Reporting

The National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) is a network of veterinary diagnostic laboratories across the United States which was established to coordinate testing during foreign animal disease (FAD) and high-consequence-disease diagnostic investigations and outbreaks. As the NAHLN has evolved, they established a system of reporting results to the centralized NAHLN Laboratory Management System via electronic messaging. From an information technology standpoint, this is no small feat. Each FAD has its own set of instructions for the electronic messages and messaging for each FAD must meet strict quality standards. The Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center has met the requirements for messaging results of all of the foreign animal diseases requested by the NAHLN. This list now includes foot and mouth disease, Classical swine fever (Hog Cholera), African swine fever, swine influenza, pseudorabies, virulent Newcastle disease, avian influenza, swine influenza, and vesicular stomatitis.