USAHA/AAVLD Committee on Food and Feed Safety



USAHA/AAVLD Committee on Food and Feed SafetyChair: Patrick McDonough, NYRobin Anderson, TX; Chris Ashworth, AR; James Averill, MI; Deanna Baldwin, MD; Richard Benton, MS; Karyn Bischoff, NY; Richard Breitmeyer, CA; Deborah Brennan, MS; Beverly Byrum, OH; Wendy Cuevas-Espelid, GA; Ignacio dela Cruz, MP; Dubraska Diaz-Campos, WA; Kathy Finnerty, NY; Tam Garland, TX; Robert Gerlach, AK; Laura Goodman, NY; Jerry Heidel, OR; Joseph Hill, SC; Susanne Hinkley, NE; Christine Hoang, IL; Donald Hoenig, ME; Danny Hughes, AR; John Huntley, AZ; Jarra Jagne, NY; Sandra James-Yi, IL; Ghazala Jawad, NC; Annette Jones, CA; Ellen Kasari, CO; Susan Keller, ND; Donna Kelly, PA; Joe Kendall, AB; Hailu Kinde, CA; Daniel Kovich, DC; T.R. Lansford, TX; Dale Lauer, MN; Elizabeth Lautner, IA; Bill Layton, MT; Gene Lollis, FL; Bret Marsh, IN; David Marshall, NC; Patrick McDonough, NY; Katherine McNamara, VT; David Meeker, VA; Shelley Mehlenbacher, VT; Brenda Morningstar-Shaw, IA; Nicole Neeser, MN; Gene Niles, CO; Sandra Norman, IN; Ogi Okwumabua, WI; Kenneth Olson, IL; Stephanie Ostrowski, AL; Lanny Pace, MS; Elizabeth Parker, TX; Amar Patil, NJ; David Pyburn, IA; John Ragan, VA; Shelley Rankin, PA; Renate Reimschuessel, MD; Grant Rezabek, OK; M. Gatz Riddell, AL; Roxana Sanchez-Ingunza, KS; John Sanders, WV; Joni Scheftel, MN; David Schmitt, IA; John Shaw, DC; Richard Sibbel, IA; Kathryn Simmons, DC; Harry Snelson, NC; Stan Stromberg, OK; Anil Thachil, NY; Larry Thompson, MO; Bob Tully, KS; Shauna Voss, MN; Liz Wagstrom, DC; Doug Waltman, GA; Robert Wills, MS; Ross Wilson, TX; Nora Wineland, MO; Raquel Wong, HI.The Committee met on October 15, 2017 at the Town and Country Hotel in San Diego, California from 1:30-5:30 p.m. There were 23 members and 33 guests present. At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. McDonough welcomed any students that may be attendance for the meeting and encouraged them to participate in the discussions during the afternoon; he briefly reviewed the afternoon’s agenda and reviewed the mission statement of the Food and Feed Safety Committee.Presentations and Reports Vet-LIRN Update: Recent recalls and the 2017 Vet-LIRN’s Pilot AMR ProjectRenate Reimschuessel, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Dr. Reimschuessel reviewed the creation and activities of the FDA’s Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN), and then reviewed a few of the recent recalls that the Vet-LIRN has been involved with. The Vet-LIRN: In late 2010, the Center for Veterinary Medicine’s (CVM) Office of Research initiated a project, the Vet-LIRN, to collaborate with veterinary diagnostic laboratories to exchange scientific information, build laboratory capacity for routine and emergency response and train scientists. The overall goal for CVM is for participating laboratories to be ready, willing, and able to help investigate potential problems with animal feed and animal drugs providing a rapid response to reports of animal injury.?The Vet-LIRN network is comprised of 40 laboratories and conducts between 30-50 in-depth case investigations per year. Recent cases include pet food recalls due to pentobarbital and excess thyroid hormone.?Vet-LIRN is also collaborating with CDC on a Campylobacter outbreak in progress. Vet-LIRN also conducts method development/validation projects and proficiency testing.?A new project for Vet-LIRN in 2017 is a pilot study in which twenty Vet-LIRN laboratories are conducting antibiotic susceptibility testing of select veterinary pathogens isolated from clinical specimens; this project stems from the fact that Vet-LIRN was named, along with NAHLN, as a partner in the president’s “Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria” initiative. Additionally, four Vet-LIRN laboratories will be obtaining whole genome sequences of a subset of these isolates.?Sequence data will be used to compare phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility with predicted susceptibility based on resistance genes.?This data will provide a good foundation for tracking the patterns of susceptibility in clinical veterinary pathogens over time to facilitate prudent and appropriate antimicrobial use.Vet-LIRN has leveraged the resources of state-of-the-art veterinary diagnostic laboratories in a remarkably cost-effective way to provide FDA with rapid information regarding potential animal feed related contamination events.Also, Reimschuessel provided an update of the investigation of jerky treats associated with Fanconi Syndrome in dogs; while new dog cases have dropped off, they still do not have a cause for this problem. It was noted that jerky manufacturers have been making manufacturing process changes that might have had the effect of reducing the case load.Recent Multistate Foodborne Outbreaks and the Growing Impact of Whole Genome Sequencing Matthew Wise, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Dr. Wise presented an overview of foodborne diseases in the United States as a “Changing Landscape;” he reviewed how CDC detects outbreaks with the PulseNet network of surveillance and laboratory testing. This activity leads to the generating of hypotheses about the source of an outbreak of foodborne disease. He then described the process of testing the hypotheses to determine if a food is the cause of an outbreak. Next Wise showed how the CDC group was transitioning to Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) for outbreak investigation by showing the conceptual framework for the current approach of pulsed field get electrophoresis (PFGE) subtyping of bacterial isolates cultured from investigations, i.e., the strengths and limitations of PFGE-based subtyping. He presented an example of the 2010 outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis Infections linked to shell eggs. He showed how WGS provides a higher resolution view of the bacterial genome thus strengthening the lines of evidence used to link outbreaks to a food source.Using a series of investigations, Wise illustrated how the CDC was implementing WGS:Listeria monocytogenesTransitioned to routine sequencing of all isolates in 2013Outbreak detection is now largely based on WGSSalmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coil (STEC)Outbreak detection still based on PFGE, WGS used for further subtyping Moving to routine sequencing of Salmonella and STEC in the coming yearsWGS is already having a major impact on outbreak investigations on a day-to-day basis. Wise presented a hypothetical scenario of closely related Salmonella identified throughout the production chainWise presented details of recent foodborne outbreaks to the committee:Outbreak of Salmonella Infections Linked to Imported Maradol PayayasOutbreak of Salmonella Infections Linked to Imported Maradol Payayas: Role of WGSOutbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Soft Raw Milk CheeseSTEC O157 Infections Linked to Soynut ButterOutbreak of Salmonella I,4,[5],12:i- Infections Linked to Chicken, 2016-2017Outbreak of Salmonella Newport Infections Linked to Ground Bbeef, 2016-2017Final thoughts on WGS:WGS is not black and whitePFGE was “binary” but sequencing data are “continuous”How close is close? What constitutes “closely related” bacterial strains?Interpretation can vary by the organism or outbreak vehicleWGS is already improving our ability to detect, triage, investigate, and solve foodborne (and zoonotic) outbreaksAlthough sequencing has been a great new tool, epidemiologic data has become even more important in maximizing the impact of these new subtyping methods such as WGS.Multistate Outbreaks Linked to Animal Contact and Raw Milk Consumption—United States, 2017Megin Nichols, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Dr. Nichols reviewed several multistate outbreaks linked to animal contact and focused on the Salmonella Heidelberg infections linked to contact with calves. CDC, several states, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) are reopening the investigation of a multistate outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg infections. Since 2015, 46 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Heidelberg have been reported from 14 states. Fourteen (30%) people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Illnesses started on dates ranging from January 27, 2015 to July 11, 2017. Fifteen (33%) people in this outbreak are children under the age of 5 years. Epidemiologic and laboratory investigations linked ill people in this outbreak to contact with calves, including dairy bull calves. Additional information can be found at: CDC and multiple states are investigating a multistate outbreak of human Salmonella infections linked to contact with pet turtles. Thirty-seven people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Agbeni have been reported from 13 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from March 1, 2017 to August 3, 2017. Of 33 people with available information, 16 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Twelve (32%) ill people are children five years of age or younger. Epidemiologic and laboratory findings link the outbreak of human Salmonella Agbeni infections to contact with turtles or their environments, such as water from a turtle habitat. CDC and multiple states are investigating ten separate multistate outbreaks of Salmonella infections in people who had contact with live poultry in backyard flocks. These outbreaks are caused by several DNA fingerprints of different Salmonella bacteria: Salmonella Braenderup, Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Hadar, Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i-, Salmonella Indiana, Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Litchfield, Salmonella Mbandaka, Salmonella Muenchen, and Salmonella Typhimurium. The outbreak strains of Salmonella have infected over 1,000 people in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Illnesses started on dates ranging from January 4, 2017 to July 31, 2017; 215 ill people have been hospitalized. One death has been reported. Epidemiologic, traceback, and laboratory findings link the ten outbreaks to contact with live poultry, such as chicks and ducklings, from multiple hatcheries. In interviews, 498 (74%) of 672 ill people reported contact with live poultry in the week before illness started. Contact with live poultry or their environment can make people sick with Salmonella infections. Live poultry can be carrying Salmonella bacteria but appear healthy and clean, with no sign of illness. Nichols then discussed outbreaks linked to nonpasteurized milk consumption in the United States first reviewing outbreaks occurring from 2007–2012. The number of outbreaks linked to drinking nonpasteurized milk is increasing, i.e., there were 30 in 2007–2009, and 51 in 2010–2012. These outbreaks sickened nearly 1,000 people and 73 people were hospitalized. More than 80% of outbreaks occurred in states where selling nonpasteurized milk was legal.Despite risks of infection, raw milk consumption continues. Thus Nichols reviewed the perceived health benefits of drinking raw milk by reviewing ciaims made about lactose intolerance, allergies and asthma, that there were fewer estrogenic hormones, the concentrations of vitamins/nutrients, and finally the public’s misperception of risk of drinking unpasteurized milk. Likely also involved in the choice to drink raw milk are individual taste and texture preferences, and concerns for animal welfare. The findings from the scientific literature have shown that there is no scientific evidence to support statements that benefits of consuming raw milk outweigh health risks; moreover, pregnant women, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to severe outcomes of infection that may be acquired via the consumption of raw milk. Pasteurization reduces the risk of disease. Also, additional studies regarding the biologic mechanisms behind raw milk and reduced allergies are needed, this is not a causal relationship.Nichols spoke about the Nonpasteurized Milk Regulation, and how in states in which sale of nonpasteurized milk is illegal, milk often obtained through other means such as the internet sale of raw milk. She then reviewed the cases of infection in Texas this year with Brucella RB51 that are linked to the consumption of raw milk from a Texas dairy.In closing Nichols outline the essential components for the response to illness and outbreaks resulting from food or animal contact are as follows:On-going relationships with animal agenciesHave access to integrated human, food and animal surveillanceProtocols for conducting joint response investigationsAgreements for sharing biological samples and lab resultsEstablished lines of communication with animal and food industryPlans for unified communication messagingNeed to build linkages and TRUST before an outbreak, disaster or pandemic occurs.One Health at Cornell: New Master of Public Health (MPH) program - An Innovative, Trans-disciplinary Professional Training Program in Public Health and One Health Karyn A. Havas, Cornell UniversityDr. Havas presented an overview of Cornell University’s new Master of Public Health (MPH) program. Cornell University accepted their inaugural Master of Public Health class in the fall of 2017. The initiation of this program recognizes Cornell’s strengths in providing education drawing on a wide array of expertise and experience, which ranges from farm-to-fork in the Food Systems for Health concentration and across the human and animal realm for the Infectious Disease Epidemiology concentration. The purpose of this new academic program is to promote the sustainable and equitable health and well-being of people in New York State, the United States, and around the world through education, research and practice. The program was established to ensure students applied core public health competencies throughout the education process. Her presentation provided an overview of this new Public Health program at a premiere U.S. academic institution. Details of the MPH program may be found at Modeling the Transboundary Survival of Foreign Animal Disease Pathogens in Contaminated Feed Ingredients Scott Dee, Pipestone Applied ResearchDr. Scott Dee presented the results of a research project whose goal was to model and evaluate virus survival in feed ingredients under conditions simulating importation to the U.S. from China and Europe. Where necessary due to biosafety constraints, his research group chose surrogate viruses for some of the viral classes that were being evaluated. The abstract of his presentation is provided at the end of this report, “Evaluation of the survival of viral pathogens in contaminated feed ingredients using transboundary shipment models.”Plastic PollutionKaryn Bischoff, Cornell UniversityDr. Bischoff presented the many problems that our world faces from the sheer amount of plastic that is manufactured and used/discarded yearly around the globe. More than three million metric tons of plastic are manufactured annually, and between a third and a half of that is used in disposable packaging and containers. Up to 13 million tons end up in the ocean each year, and of that it’s estimated that only 0.3 million tons are visible on the surface. Plastic entrapment and ingestion by wildlife is common, and the presence of additives like bisphenol A and phthalates, as well as lipid-soluble contaminants like persistent organic pollutants and mercury compounds, can contribute to the toxicity of ingested plastic. Extensive weathering leads to partial breakdown of plastic and the formation of microplastics (< 5mm) and nanoplastics (< 100 nm). Particles of microplastic have become ubiquitous across the globe, where they can be detected in sea water, fresh water, soils, and dust. They are present in seafood, in particular, and there is concern for the effect that the high surface area of these particles on the bioavailability of the associated lipophilic contaminants. PL 115-43: Securing our Agriculture and Food Act John P. Sanders, Jr., Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Dr. Sanders provided the committee with an overview of the Act ( ), and related that the law tasks the DHS Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs with:Providing oversight and management of the Department’s responsibilities pursuant to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9–Defense of United States Agriculture and Food [HSPD-9].Providing oversight and integration of the Department’s activities related to veterinary public health, food defense, and agricultural security.Leading the Department’s policy initiatives relating to food, animal, and agricultural incidents, and the impact of such incidents on animal and public health.Leading the Department’s policy initiatives relating to overall domestic preparedness for and collective response to agricultural terrorism.Coordinating with other Department components, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as appropriate, on activities related to food and agriculture security and screening procedures for domestic and imported products.Coordinating with appropriate Federal departments and agencies.Other activities as determined necessary by the Secretary.The Strategic Vision of the Food, Agriculture and Veterinary Defense Branch is to advance the defense of the U.S. food, agriculture, and veterinary systems against terrorism and other high-consequence events that pose a high risk to homeland security. The Branch serves as DHS’s principal agent for all food, agriculture, and veterinary matters and endeavors to ensure the security of our Nation’s food, agriculture, and human and animal health in the face of all hazards through cooperation and collaboration with DHS offices, and components; other federal departments and agencies; state, local, territorial, and tribal governments; the academic community; and the private sector.The Strategic Goals of the Branch are to provide oversight and management of DHS responsibilities under HSPD-9; to provide oversight and integration of DHS activities relating to veterinary public health, food defense, and agricultural security; to lead DHS policy initiatives related to food, animal, and agricultural incidents and evaluate the impact of such incidents on animal and public health. Also, it leads DHS policy initiatives related to overall domestic preparedness for and collective response to agricultural terrorism; it coordinates with DHS components on activities relating to food and agriculture security and screening procedures for domestic and imported products; and it coordinates with appropriate federal departments and agencies with responsibilities for protecting the health and security of the Nation’s animals, plants, and food mittee Business: During the business meeting Dr. McDonough discussed the mission statement for the committee and requested additional feedback about the statement and whether any changes were needed.The current mission statement is as follows as provided on record from the USAHA office: “The purpose of the joint USAHA, American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) Committee on Food and Feed Safety (FFS) is to provide a national forum to discuss current and emerging issues and information pertaining to all aspects of food and feed safety and related veterinary diagnostic testing of foods of animal origin.?The Committee should recommend food and feed safety policies to protect animal and human health.”This is the statement currently on the website; this version perhaps portrays the Committee as two separate committees:“The purpose of the Committee on Food Safety is to serve as a focal point for consideration of food safety issues within USAHA, to recommend food safety policies and promote resolutions that will better protect the health and welfare of the consuming public, and to be active in all areas of risk assessment associated with food safety issues concerning food products of mammalian and avian origin.The purpose on the Committee on Feed Safety is to provide a national forum for debate on the means to minimize chemical, microbiological and physical contamination in the feed of food producing animals. It is essential that all affected groups and industry be involved in these deliberations. It is the goal of the Committee to provide specific procedures using the latest available knowledge for the reduction and enhancement of animal foods.”Here is one attempt to combine the above two statements and present it as one committee:“The purpose of the joint USAHA/AAVLD Committee on Food and Feed Safety (FFS) is to provide a national forum to discuss current and emerging issues and information pertaining to all aspects of food and feed safety and related veterinary diagnostic testing of foods of animal origin. The FFS group should recommend food safety policies and promote resolutions that will better protect the health and welfare of the consuming public, and should be active in all areas of risk assessment associated with food safety issues concerning food products of mammalian and avian origin. Also, the FFS group should provide a national forum for debate on the means to minimize chemical, microbiological and physical contamination in the feed of food producing animals ultimately seeking to provide specific procedures for the reduction of contaminants to enhance foods of animal foods.”McDonough then encouraged the members of the Committee to review the Strategic Plans of the USAHA and the AAVLD to have a continual review of how well we are meeting the goals of the two organizations with our Committee activities.Lastly before adjourning the meeting at 5:30 p.m., he brought an idea to the membership to do have teleconferences at some interval during the year to keep everyone engaged and more active in conducting the activities of the Committee and to meet the mission of the Committee.Evaluation of the Survival of Viral Pathogens in Contaminated Feed Ingredients Using Transboundary Shipment ModelsScott Dee1*, Fernando V. Bauermann2, Megan C. Niederwerder6, Aaron Singrey2, Travis Clement2, Marcelo de Lima 2,3 Gilbert Patterson4, Steve Dritz5, Mike Tokach7, Jason Woodworth7, Cassandra Jones7, Jon DeJong1, Gordon Spronk1, Jane Christopher-Hennings2, Bob Rowland5, Eric Nelson2, Diego Diel2Pipestone Applied ResearchAnimal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, South Dakota State UniversityUniversidade Federal de Pelotas, RS, BrazilCenter for Animal Health in Appalachia, Lincoln Memorial UniversityDepartment of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State UniversityKansas State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Kansas State UniversityDepartment of Animal Sciences and Industry, College of Agriculture, Kansas State UniversityAbstractThis study evaluated survival of important viral pathogens of swine or their surrogates in contaminated feed ingredients during simulated transboundary transportation. Based on global significance, 11 viruses were selected, including Foot and Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV), Classical Swine Fever Virus (CSFV), African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV), Influenza A Virus of Swine (IAV-S), Pseudorabies virus (PRV), Nipah Virus (NiV), Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV), Swine Vesicular Disease Virus (SVDV), Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV), Porcine Circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and Vesicular Exanthema of Swine Virus (VESV). To model the survival of FMDV, CSFV, PRV, NiV, SVDV and VESV, surrogate viruses with similar physical properties and stability were used, and those consisted of Senecavirus A (SVA) for FMDV, Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) for CSFV, Bovine Herpesvirus Type 1 (BHV-1) for PRV, Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) for NiV, Porcine Sapelovirus (PSV) for SVDV and Feline Calicivirus (FCV) for VESV. Remaining assessments involved the actual pathogen. Controls included complete feed (positive and negative controls) and stock virus positive controls (virus only, no feed matrix). Virus survival was evaluated using either a Trans-Pacific or Trans-Atlantic transboundary model, involving representative feed ingredients, transport times and environmental conditions, with samples tested by PCR, VI and/or swine bioassay. Select viruses (SVA, FCV, BHV-1, PRRSV, PSV and PCV) maintained infectivity during transport, while others (BVDV, VSV, CDV and IAV-S) did not. Survival was maximized in conventional soybean meal, lysine hydrochloride, and vitamin D. The ASFV survival phase is currently underway and results will be presented at the conference. These results demonstrate survival of certain viruses in specific feed ingredients (“high-risk combinations”) under conditions simulating transport between countries. This work supports previously published data on the survival of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus in feed and provides further evidence indicating that contaminated feed ingredients may serve as risk factors for foreign animal and endemic diseases. ................
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