Weekly Update: MN CWD-positive deer farm depopulated; Cellular activity revived in pig brains after death; First H5N6 reported in Cambodia
Lauren Bernstein

Local

CWD-positive deer farm depopulated

Last week, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (BAH) announced that a Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) positive deer farm in Crow Wing County was depopulated in the continued effort to manage potential spread to the area’s wild deer. This was the last CWD-positive farm in Minnesota that still had live animals, and as of last week, it is no longer in operation.

BAH has monitored the farm since CWD was first detected there in 2016. The MN Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has tested over 8,600 deer in a CWD management zone around the farm, and announced the detection of a positive wild deer near the property earlier this year.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded the euthansia efforts through its indemnity program, and will work with DNR to monitor and inspect the farm’s property for the next five years. The farm cannot be restocked during that time. BAH reports that all CWD-positive farms in Minnesota are now empty.

Star Tribune

MPR News

National

Cellular activity revived in pig brains after death

The journal Nature recently published a groundbreaking article that could change neuroscience research and previously held beliefs that brain function is irreversibly lost when deprived of oxygen. Yale University researchers successfully restored cellular brain function and brain circulation in 32 pig brains hours after they were slaughtered, blurring the line between life and death and introducing ethical questions into the protection of animal welfare and the implications for human organ donation.

Building upon previous studies which have found viable cells post mortem, Yale researchers spent six years developing the technology to determine whether cells could remain viable in an intact brain. Four hours after death, the brains were connected to a system which circulated a blood substitute containing oxygen, nutrients, and anti-seizure drugs into the brains for six hours. The result was not a living brain; rather, a cellularly active one. Researchers found working synapses, normal medication responses, preservation of cellular structure, and a delay or reduction in cell death.

Bioethicists on the team have been quick to clarify that the brains did not regain consciousness, nor was this ever the goal. Had they detected signals associated with such awareness, the team would have anesthetized the brains immediately. The team is also quick to distinguish temporary preservation of basic cell functions from preserving awareness, thought, or personality. The goal is to enable brain diseases, like Alzheimer’s, to be studied on intact organs in laboratory settings.

NPR

Nature

International

Cambodia reports first H5N6 outbreak

On Thursday, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) released a statement citing the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture reported its first detection of H5N6 in poultry. This is a new strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) for Cambodia, though it has been reported in at least eight other Asian countries. Among those is China, who also reported human infection associated with the virus.

On March 25, active surveillance conducted by the National Animal Health and Production Research Institute, the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations found the virus in 10 birds at Daunkeo live bird market in Takeo province. Ninety other susceptible birds were culled to control the spread of the virus. Additional control measures include animal movement restrictions, surveillance outside of and within the containment and protection zones, and disinfection. No additional cases have been reported and officials have not yet determined the origin of the virus.

Avian influenza viruses are highly contagious and constantly changing viruses that are widespread in birds. Most are low pathogenic (LPAI) and result in mild disease, but HPAI viruses can develop from LPAI, causing rapid spread, high mortality, and devastating effects on trade and the poultry industry. Once the virus has entered a poultry flock, usually from an aquatic wild bird reservoir, the virus can spread rapidly via fecal-oral or aerosol routes. Humans may become infected during close contact with infected birds. Infected birds are usually not treated, and depopulation is mandatory in HPAI-free countries. HPAI or LPAI that contain H5 or H7 must be reported to OIE.

CIDRAP

OIE: Event report

OIE: Avian Influenza (PDF)

Lauren Bernstein

Lauren Bernstein

Lauren received her BS in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee. Following a Rotary International site visit to South Africa as an undergraduate student, she decided to focus her prospective veterinary career on public health, specifically on issues involving diseases at the human-animal-environment interface. She completed her veterinary education at the University College Dublin, School of Veterinary Medicine. When she's not in the office, she enjoys yoga, embracing the outdoor activities in Minneapolis, and finding excuses to talk about her rescue cat.