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Newsletter Volume 5 Issue 17 1 September 2025 |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
From the President From the Editor Public Health In the News Food Safety In The News Advocacy and Committee News
Announcements Continuing Education Resources |
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AAFSPHV President Pamela Abney, DVM |
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Thank you for your membership in AAFSPHV and your continuing support of organized veterinary medicine, public health, and food safety. Your support helps keep our voice heard in the national policy arena and beyond, which is more important than ever in these truly challenging times.
In a personal note, since the beginning of my veterinary career, I have been involved in organized veterinary medicine. It wasn’t long before I realized the value of giving back to my profession through donations of time, energy, and ideas. Lifelong friendships were forged as I enjoyed the camaraderie of my colleagues while working to advance the profession by solving problems and navigating the multitude of issues affecting us all.
I feel so fortunate that I still get so much satisfaction from my involvement in organized veterinary medicine. If you are interested and able, I ask you to consider service on our Board and/or one or more of our committees. Our membership, education, communication, awards, and student outreach committees are all seeking volunteers.
Please let me hear from you. As your President, I want to know what is important to you. What can we do together to protect, preserve, and advance our advocacy efforts in animal and public health?
Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you and the profession we hold dear.
Dr. Pamela Abney
President@aafsphv.org
301-604-1519 |
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Communications Specialist Mandy Sorensen, DVM, MPH |
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From the Editor Hello members,
In today's edition there are continued calls for speakers for events in 2026, nominations for Public Health Veterinarian of the Year and AAFSPHV Director of Education, Research, and Extension, as well as a call for comments on two presentations on cell-cultivated meats from our AVMA Food Safety and Advisory Committee representative, Dr. Scott Brooks. We've also got a request for topics of discussion at the January AVMA House of Delegates session from our AVMA Delegate, Dr. Kristen Clark. Many of these calls expire September 15. Please be sure to scroll down to learn more and share your thoughts, nominations, and expertise!
Below are some items that might be of particular interest:
Rabies Vaccine Failures in Dogs and Cats - A recently published study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association reports on rabies vaccine failures in dogs and cats, and evaluates the economic and public health burdens of nonvaccination. Read the JAVMA article here.
Salmon and Roadway Runoff - An interesting new study in Environmental Science and Technology looks at blood-brain and blood-gill barrier disruption in Coho salmon exposed to roadway runoff and 6PPD-quinine. Read the article here.
FoodNet Surveillance Scaled Back - This week several outlets reported that FoodNet, a food safety surveillance network that works with the FDA, USDA, and 10 state health departments, will be reducing their surveillance programs to require reporting of only Salmonella and Shiga-toxin producing E. Coli. Reporting Cyclospora, Listeria, Campylobacter, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia will be optional. Read the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) article here.
Join the Next ZOHU Call on September 3 - The next ZOHU call will happen 9/3 from 2-3pm Eastern Time. These calls are an outstanding opportunity to learn the latest! Visit this link to register.
Job Board - The job board is updated weekly, and there are a number of interesting roles such as State of California One Health Veterinarian, which is open until filled. FSIS Supervisory Veterinary Medical Officer/Public Health Veterinarian roles are open until 9/26/25 in a number of cities as well. Be sure to submit a resume in the new 2 page format if applying for federal roles! Other roles include opportunities in academia, industry, and international opportunities when they arise. If you're hiring, feel free to send postings to editor@aafsphv.org so I can make sure to share them with fellow members.
One Health Heroes - We have been partnering with Dr. Brittany Lancellotti of Your Vet Wants You To Know to bring public health information to pet owners and veterinary professionals twice monthly in a segment called 'One Health Heroes'. You can listen to episodes here on Apple Podcasts or here on Spotify. It's a great experience and platform, and If you'd be interested in sharing your expertise on a One Health topic on the podcast, please email me at editor@aafsphv.org
To continue to support our members, and provide access to high quality continuing education, we're updating the CE calendar regularly, so take a look. As always, if you have news, ideas, CE or job opportunities, or concerns you'd like to share, please send them my way at editor@aafsphv.org. I'd love to hear from you!
Thank you for all the incredibly valuable work you do! |
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PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE NEWS |
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Chagas Disease, an Endemic Disease in the United States
Beatty, N. L., Hamer, G. L., Moreno-Peniche, B., Mayes, B., & Hamer, S. A. (2025). Chagas Disease, an Endemic Disease in the United States. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 31(9), 1691-1697. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3109.241700.
Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi parasites, is considered endemic to 21 countries in the Americas, excluding the United States. However, increasing evidence of T. cruzi parasites in the United States in triatomine insects, domestic animals, wildlife, and humans challenges that nonendemic label. Several triatomine species are common in the southern United States, where they transmit T. cruzi and invade human dwellings. Wildlife, captive animals, and companion animals, especially dogs, are commonly infected with T. cruzi parasites in this region and serve as reservoirs. Autochthonous human cases have been reported in 8 states, most notably in Texas. Labeling the United States as non–Chagas disease–endemic perpetuates low awareness and underreporting. Classification of Chagas disease as endemic, in particular as hypoendemic, to the United States could improve surveillance, research, and public health responses. Acknowledging the endemicity of Chagas disease in the United States is crucial for achieving global health goals.
Read more
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Commensal Escherichia coli inhibits the growth and modulates the fitness, virulence, and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella Heidelberg in vitro
Khan, Y. R., Edison, L. K., Denagamage, T., & Kariyawasam, S. (2025). Commensal Escherichia coli inhibits the growth and modulates the fitness, virulence, and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella Heidelberg in vitro. Microbiology spectrum, e0333624. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03336-24
Nontyphoidal Salmonella (NTS) are major foodborne pathogens primarily transmitted to humans through contaminated poultry products. Increased antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in NTS, including Salmonella Heidelberg (SH), has recently become a public health issue. Current control measures are inadequate, emphasizing the need for novel approaches to mitigate NTS colonization in poultry and contamination of poultry products. We hypothesized that commensal Escherichia coli can reduce antibiotic-resistant NTS colonization in the chicken intestines by modulating the fitness, virulence, and AMR potential of Salmonella. To test this hypothesis, we co-cultured a commensal E. coli strain (EC47-1826) isolated from a commercial broiler chicken and an antibiotic-resistant SH strain (SH18-9079) isolated from the liver of a turkey and analyzed their transcriptomes using RNA-sequencing. Our analysis revealed 4,890 differentially expressed genes in SH when co-cultured with commensal E. coli. After filtering the expression data, we found 193 genes were significantly upregulated, while 202 genes were downregulated. Notably, several genes involved in bacterial growth, pathogenicity and virulence, biofilm formation, metal-ion homeostasis, signal transduction and chemotaxis, stress response, transmembrane transport of xenobiotics, and cellular metabolism were downregulated by as much as 86-folds in SH as compared to the control. Furthermore, this study revealed the downregulation of genes associated with AMR and drug efflux in SH by up to 12 folds. These findings highlight that commensal E. coli may reduce the fitness, persistence, virulence, and AMR dissemination of SH, implying that E. coli strains could be utilized to mitigate antibiotic-resistant SH in poultry, ultimately enhancing food safety.
Read More |
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What to know From the CDC H5 Bird Flu webpage:
"On July 7, 2025, CDC streamlined H5N1 bird flu updates with routine influenza data updates and updated reporting cadences to reflect the current public health situation. As such, the following changes were made to this page: Data on the number of people monitored and tested for bird flu are reported monthly.
USDA data on HPAI detections in animals will no longer be reported on the CDC website. These data can be found on USDA's website. CDC will continue to report any additional human cases of H5 bird flu here and in FluView."
Visit the CDC's H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation page |
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New World Screwworm Current Situation and Resources |
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Latest Updates:
On August 15, 2025, an updated New World Screwworm Response was issued by USDA. You can read the full press release here.
USDA APHIS also held a webinar last month for veterinarians that is now available to watch on Youtube.
The September 3rd ZOHU call will also feature a presentation on New World Screwworm. You can register here. Screwworm Resources: New World Screwworm remains a threat and was last detected 370 miles south of the US-Mexico border, and all veterinarians should be sure to know the signs and how to report potential infestations. Below are some resources on identifying, treating, and reporting cases that may be helpful. A great, concise article from the AVMA on NWS diagnosis, treatment, and how to report cases can be found here. The USDA APHIS page on New World Screwworm can be found here.
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension New World Screwworm Fact Sheet can be found here.
USDA APHIS Training Module 41 on New World Screwworm can be found here. This is highly recommended viewing for all veterinarians. |
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ADVOCACY AND COMMITTEE NEWS |
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AAFSPHV Board Representative, AVMA HOD Kristen Clark, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
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| AVMA Delegates Seeking Input on Topics for Next AVMA Session Greetings AAFSPHV members!
As your Delegate to the AVMA, I am seeking your input for our upcoming Regular Annual Session that will take place this January in Chicago, during which we plan to continue with the Veterinary Information Forum (VIF) to encourage robust discussions on key topics facing the veterinary profession.
The VIF continues to be an opportunity to take the pulse of what's happening within the profession and provides a forum for important discussions within the HOD and our Reference Committee meetings.
We are seeking your input on suggested food safety or public health topics for the January VIF. Other topics are also welcomed. We'd like your feedback on what topics are currently of most importance to our members. Please respond with any suggested topics by Friday, September 12th. The AVMA House Advisory Committee (HAC) will then select the VIF topics for the Winter HOD VIF discussions. All submissions will be retained for future consideration even if they are not selected for our upcoming winter meeting.
Thank you for your input!
Kristen Clark
AAFSPHV Delegate |
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AVMA Food Safety Advisory Committee Representative
Scott Brooks, DVM, MPVM, MS, DACVPM |
| Cell Cultivated Meat - AVMA Food Safety Advisory Commitee (FSAC) Request for Comments by Sept 15 FSAC has been charged with reviewing the topic of human foods made with cultured animal cells (a.k.a. cell cultivated meat). To view presentations and for details, please visit Dr. Brooks' post on the AAFSPHV Message Board.
After reviewing the attachments, if you have comments for FSAC related to the food safety/public health science of the topic, please provide them by Sept 15, 2025. |
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Executive Vice President, Katherine Waters, DVM, MPH, DACVPM |
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Call For Nominations for AAFSPHV Board of Directors Seat |
The AAFSPHV is seeking candidates for the following Board of Directors position for a 3-year term from Nov 2025 - Sept 2028:
Director, Education, Research, and Extension
DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS: Oct 1 2025
We welcome self-nominations. Information about this position is listed below. Directors are members of the governing board. Meetings are held via Zoom for 1 hour once a month. This Director should plan to participate in our standing committee on Student Outreach.
Members who would like to nominate themselves or another member should fill out the nomination form by clicking here
. AVMA membership is required for our Governing Board members.
Questions? Contact Katherine Waters at executivevp@aafsphv.org
AAFSPHV Bylaws concerning Directors: ARTICLE XI: DIRECTORS
Section 1: The minimum number of Directors of this association shall be six, with one Director from each of the following employment sectors: Federal (Civilian), State/Local, Uniformed Services, Private, Education/Research/Extension, and At-Large.
Section 2: The terms of office for the current Directors shall be three years and their terms shall be staggered.
Section 3: The Directors will serve as members of the Governing Board and will provide specialized employment sector advice, support, and assistance in determining the policies and pursuing the objectives of the association.
Section 7: All members of the Governing Board shall be current AVMA members.
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AAFSPHV Director, Education/Research/Extension Will Sander, DVM, MPH, DACVPM |
| Call for Nominations for Public Health Veterinarian of the Year
The American Association of Food Safety and Public Health Veterinarians (AAFSPHV) is currently seeking nominations for our Public Health Veterinarian of the Year award.
Each year, the AAFSPHV recognizes a veterinarian who has gone above and beyond in their contributions to the important fields of veterinary public health and food safety. The Public Health Veterinarian of the Year award recognizes a veterinarian’s outstanding accomplishments in the field of public health, including the field of food safety. The nomination form is found on the AAFSPHV website here. Self-nominations are encouraged!
For consideration, nomination forms must be received electronically through the AAFSPHV website no later than September 12, 2025.
Please consider nominating a worthy individual who has contributed to these important fields! Sincerely, Will Sander
AAFSPHV Director of Education/Research/Extension |
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| Call for Speakers for AVMA, USAHA, and ACVPM Events in 2026 AAFSPHV, in partnership with the National Association of Federal Veterinarians (NAFV)
organizes speakers for the AVMA and USAHA annual meetings each year. We are
putting out a call for speakers for our food safety symposia at AVMA 2026 in Anaheim,
CA and USAHA 2026 in Madison, WI. We also need speakers for the monthly webinars
we provide in partnership with ACVPM.
AVMA and USAHA are scheduled as in-person events. Speaker benefits are at the
discretion of the AVMA for the AVMA Convention. USAHA is a volunteer speaking
event.
Areas of interest are talks around the theme of “It’s a Small World – Emerging Diseases
and the Interdependence of Global Food Safety and Food Security.” Some examples might be, wet markets, prevention of emerging diseases and their impact on global food safety/food security, etc.
We welcome submissions outside of these topic areas as well and look forward to your
participation.
Those who wish to be considered should fill out the Speaker's Bureau Form in the Member Center by end of business on Wednesday, October 1st .
If you have a topic in mind but would like more information, questions can be sent to
pres-elect@aafsphv.org
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President-Elect Jane Lewis, DVM, MS, DACVPM |
| Membership and Admissions Committee Seeking Volunteers
This committee shall be responsible for actively recruiting members and determining eligibility for membership. Time commitment: this committee has been inactive and will need to meet via Zoom 1-2 times a month for 3 months to develop a member recruitment and retention strategy. After 3 months, meetings will be as needed. If interested, contact Jane Lewis at jmlvet94@gmail.com |
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Experiencing hardship?
The AVMA offers reduced dues or dues exemption for qualified applicants.
To learn more and apply click here |
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Not One More Vet offers a variety of resources to support veterinary professionals including micro-grants for those experiencing hardship. To learn more about the resources NOMV features, visit them here.
To learn more about micro-grants, click here. |
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ACVPM Continuing Education Webinar- Aquatic Livestock Health Management This presentation will focus on the importance of aquaculture as a livestock commodity in the United States; management of aquaculture at the farm, region and country levels; the role of competent authorities in the health management of aquaculture; and disease status determinations.
When: 24 September at 1pm Pacific Time/4pm Eastern Time
Where: Zoom Webinar
Cost: Free! (a benefit of being an active or emeritus ACVPM Diplomate, an ACVPM candidate, or an active member of AAFSPHV, NAFV, NASPHV, or USAHA)
CE Hours: This webinar has been granted up to one hour of CE credit by RACE. Participants must be active members of the ACVPM or its partner organizations and must participate for at least 50 minutes of the webinar to receive a one hour CE certificate.
To Register for the Webinar: Click HERE
Can't Make an ACVPM Webinar? - If you have to miss an ACVPM webinar, you can still watch many at your leisure by visiting their Youtube page. There is no CE credit for watching after the live the event. You can visit this link to see available recordings.
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Looking for more CE or have a CE event you'd like to share?
View our full calendar here
To share an upcoming event, please email me at editor@aafsphv.org |
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Please follow AAFSPHV on Social Media. We just joined bluesky |
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AAFSPHV News Brief Vol 5 Iss 17 www.aafsphv.org |
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