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Veterinarians and laboratory diagnosticians are fielding reports of death losses in cat populations linked to avian influenza infections.

Beginning in 2022, an H5N1 subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza (abbreviated as HPAI) virus caused death losses in domestic turkeys and chickens in South Dakota and elsewhere in the United States, an outbreak that continues. The HPAI virus causes respiratory and multiple organ failure in affected birds, typically appearing as increased numbers of dead birds in large commercial operations, as well as smaller backyard flocks. Deaths in wild birds, typically migrating waterfowl but also other bird species, have been observed at the same time, as well as spillover of the virus into mammals, such as raccoons, foxes, skunks, and other species.

In Spring 2024, the HPAI virus began infecting dairy cows, causing drops in milk production and other signs of illness. Unlike infections in other species, widespread death losses have not been associated with HPAI infections in dairy cows.

About the same time as its emergence in dairy cows, the HPAI virus was implicated in deaths of domestic cats in the vicinity of affected farms. Most affected cats showed neurologic signs, such as tremors or seizures, for a short period of time before dying.

Since that time, three cases of substantial death losses in groups of outdoor domestic cats in South Dakota have been described. In each of these cases, there has been no apparent link to dairy cows, other livestock, or domestic poultry.

ADRDL will be implementing a new password policy on May 15.

Update your password by logging into your ADRDL Client Web Portal https://adrdl.sdstate.edu/login.php

Password must have a minimum length of 15.
Password must contain upper case and lower case letters.
Password must contain at least 1 special character. [!@#^&()]
Password Must contain at least 1 number

You will need to create a new password and then login again.

Update Profile ---- new password:
https://adrdl.sdstate.edu/formUpdateProfile.php

Questions? Contact ADRDL IT:
sdsu.adrdlit@sdstate.edu

Changes to Rabies Testing at SD ADRDL

Rabies testing – changes to billing procedures.
Please note the following changes to the billing for animal rabies testing specimens sent to the South Dakota Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (ADRDL).

Human Exposure to Wildlife
Effective Sept. 1, 2023, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks will only pay testing fees for wildlife animal species that have posed a risk of human exposure to rabies. This includes live wildlife species that have bitten, scratched, or otherwise exposed a person or persons. In the past, Game, Fish and Parks had paid testing fees for all wildlife species, regardless of human exposure risk.

Human Exposure to Domestic Animals
The South Dakota Department of Health will continue to pay testing fees for domestic animal species that have posed a risk of human exposure to rabies.

Animal-only or No Exposure
Specimens for rabies testing animals that have exposed other animals, or have not exposed either people or animals, will be billed to the submitting clinic, regardless of whether the specimen comes from a wildlife or domestic animal species.

Prior to testing, veterinarians and submitters need to fill out the ADRDL rabies submission form (/sites/default/files/file-archive/2019-05/Rabies-Diagnostic-Requisition-Form.pdf) completely and with appropriate detail about human exposures. Information from this form is used to contact people with possible exposures and ensure they get prompt, appropriate treatment should the specimen test positive for rabies. Supplying sufficient detail on the submission form also ensures that testing fees are appropriately charged.

Please call the ADRDL at 605-688-5171 with questions.

South Dakota Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory
South Dakota Game Fish and Parks
South Dakota Department of Health
South Dakota Animal Industry Board

Dr. Tamer Sharafeldin Joins ADRDL as New Pathologist; Brings Poultry Expertise

Dr. Tamer Sharafeldin is the ADRDL's new pathologist, beginning his work at ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ on June 1. Dr. Sharafeldin received his professional pathology training and his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. While his work will include all the routine casework coming through the diagnostic lab, Dr. Sharafeldin brings a particular expertise in poultry diseases to ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ. He has wide experience with a variety of poultry production systems including turkey and layer production as well as game birds in Minnesota and Pennsylvania. He is one of the pioneers who studied the pathogenesis and the immune response of turkey arthritis/tenosynovitis reovirus. He has a nationally recognized turkey reovirus research program that received research grants to study and develop turkey reovirus vaccines.
Tamer is working with colleagues at ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ to expand poultry diagnostics in support of turkey and layer production systems in the upper Midwest. "The ADRDL has an already-strong reputation for diagnostics development. By submitting poultry cases to ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ you're not only benefiting from diagnostic service from an experienced avian pathologist, but you're also helping support the development of more diagnostics here at ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ."
Contact Dr. Sharafeldin with questions at 605-688-5171.

Approach to COVID-19 Similar to Battling Swine Pathogens

One of the most important things to understand is the concept of herd immunity. Individual animals can become immune by recovering from an earlier infection or through vaccination. Some animals cannot become immune due to their age, stress (weaning, environmental conditions), co-infections and for this group herd immunity is a crucial method of protection.
Once a certain threshold of the population is immune, herd immunity gradually eliminates a disease from a population. The term "herd immunity" implies that it must have been developed in livestock but actually it was a term first developed in the 1930s to describe a phenomena observed after a significant number of children had become infected and immune to measles, the number of new infections temporarily decreased, including among susceptible children. It was soon realized. Read the article by Dr. Chris Chase (National Hog Farmer).

BVDV Persistent Infection, Novel Bosavirus Characterized in Bison through ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ Work

As part of an investigation of reproductive losses in an American bison herd, faculty and staff at ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ's ADRDL characterized for the first time persistent infection with Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV), as well as a novel bosavirus in bison.
Following reproductive problems in a bison herd during the 2018-19 calving season, investigators collected samples from the breeding herd as well as 4 animals with failure to thrive. Serology, virus isolation, metagenomic sequencing and pathology was performed.
All 26 animals examined serologically had titers to BVDV Type 1 (range 1:512 to 1:8192, with 17 with titers greater than 1:1000) and BVDV Type 2 (range 1:64 to 1:8192, with 7 greater than 1:1000), despite the lack of recent BVDV vaccination. Metagenomic sequencing on pooled nasal swabs and serum identified co-infection of BVDV and bovine bosavirus. The BVDV genome was most similar to the BVDV type 1a vaccine strain Oregon C24V with 92.7% identity in the coding region. Bosavirus was also identified but its clinical significance is unknown.
Pathology examination did not reveal any gross lesions. On histopathology, two BVDV positive animals had lymphoid depletion in the ileocecal valve lymphoid region. A female PI bison had a decrease in primary follicles in the ovary, and a male PI bison showed evidence of decreased spermatogenesis in the testes.
Serum from these same animals collected two months later remained positive for BVDV and bosavirus, with one animal co-infected with both BVDV and bosavirus. These results suggest that both viruses can persistently infect bison. While the etiological significance of bosavirus infection is unknown, the ability of BVDV to persistently infect bison has implications for BVDV control and eradication programs.
Investigators from ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ on the project included Drs. Angela Pillatzki, Ben Hause and Chris Chase. They can be contacted at 605-688-5171 for more information.

Food Safety Lab Gains "Same As" Status, Adds Salmonella enteritidis Test

Recent additional accreditation by the ADRDL's Food Safety Microbiology Lab is contributing to an easier path for South Dakota's meat processors to ship their products across state lines.
In June 2021, the South Dakota Meat Inspection Program, led by the state's Animal Industry Board (AIB), entered into an agreement with the USDA/FSIS to enter the Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program (CIS). Under CIS, state-inspected plants can operate as federally-inspected facilities, under specific conditions and ship their products in interstate commerce and internationally.
To be part of this agreement, the AIB needed to demonstrate their inspection procedures and policies are the "same as" those utilized by the USDA. This includes laboratory testing.
Faculty and staff with the Food Safety Microbiology Lab worked to gain ISO 17025:2017 accreditation for test procedures for Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). This higher level of accreditation mirrors that of USDA/FSIS labs in California, Missouri and Georgia, and puts ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ's lab in the same class as just a handful of other state labs.
Additionally, the lab is now offering Salmonella enteritidis (SE)-specific testing. The test process used is the Romer Labs RapidChek SELECT™ Salmonella enteritidis Test System, which utilizes highly selective media and lateral flow strips to screen for SE. Positive samples are confirmed via immunomagnetic separation (IMS) and rapid serotyping rule-out at NVSL. The test has been validated on drag swabs, egg pools and chicken carcass rinses, is compliant with the NPIP program and is a test method equivalent for the FDA SE Egg Safety Rule (21 CFR Parts 16 and 118). Lab staff will run samples that arrive Monday – Wednesday with negative results available in 48 hours.
Food Safety Microbiology Lab staff include section leader Dr. Joy Scaria, research associate Laura Ruesch, and senior microbiologists Kara Hendrickson-Guttum and Zach Lau.