ILHAC Research Priorities: 2024

A cooperative effort between Iowa’s livestock industry, the State of Iowa and the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine, the Council advisory board identifies high impact animal disease research projects.  Researchers actively pursue innovative solutions in animal health, food safety, and security that proactively address disease concerns threatening Iowa’s livestock industry.

All Poultry

1. Avian Influenza infections – Low Path Avian Influenza (LPAI) and High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI) epidemiology, prevention and control, research to identify routes of infection.
2. Antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic substitutes in poultry production
3. Vaccine Availability and application: one vaccine versus two killed injections
4. Animal well-being

Turkeys

1. Reovirus
2. Clostridium – Dermatitis
3. ORT (Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale)

Layers and Broilers

1. E. coli Peritonitis (#1 disease raised by veterinarians in egg production)
2. Infectious Coryza
3. Clostridial infection:  necrotic enteritis and Focal Duodenal Necrosis (FDN)
4. Food Safety – Salmonella spp. (SE)
5. Internal Parasites – including Coccidiosis and round worms.  It is believed these challenges will only become greater with the increased prevalence of Cage-free production.  At the present time, there are no treatments available.
6. Campylobacter hepatitis and Spotty Liver Syndrome – lack of real-time PCR for diagnosis
7. Erysipelas and Pasteurella multocida
8. Enterococcus septicemia, inclusion body hepatitis are growing concerns in broilers and broiler breeders.

Dairy Cattle

1. Animal Well-being Issues
   1. Mastitis
   2. Lameness
   3. Respiratory Disease
   4. Discover or develop an FDA approved analgesic for food-producing animals
2. Johne’s Disease
3. Mycoplasma bovis
4. Antimicrobial Resistance (monitoring antibiotic use, looking for information/data to counteract misinformation, prevention control treatment, proof that drugs (antibiotics) are used properly, variability of normal dose)

Beef Cattle

1. Anaplasmosis
2. Digital Dermatitis (hairy heel wart)
3. Trichomiasis (surveillance, identification/verification-cost effective manner)
4. Animal well-being issues
5. Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD)/Mycoplasma bovis
6. Cryptosporidiosis

Swine

1. PRRS
2. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae
3. Escherichia coli F18
4. Seneca Valley Virus
5. PEDv
6. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
7. Animal Well-being (analgesics for pain relief)
8. Swine Influenza (new vaccine technologies-intranasal product)

Sheep and Goats

1. Parasitic disease in sheep and goats
   • Effective use of dewormers while preventing parasite resistance.
   • Effective management techniques to control parasite disease.
   • DNA research for parasite resistance and correlating this with fecal egg counts to establish parasite resistance EBV’s.
2. Development and production of an effective sheep foot rot vaccine that could be produced and sold in the U.S.A.
3. Coccidiosis prevention in young lambs and feeder lambs. Effectiveness of amprolium versus lasalocid in the feed.
4. Abortion causes in sheep and goats, including Cache Valley Fever.
5. Mycoplasma ovipnuemoniae — Prevalence, economic importance, conditions that produce disease, and vaccine potential.
6. Genetic tibular dysplasia in Polypay sheep.

IVMA Concerns: Research Priorities for all species

1. Respiratory Diseases in livestock
2. Antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic stewardship
3. Anthelmintic and antiparasitic – including ectoparasite control
4. Animal well-being issues of lameness and pain control
5. Neonatal diarrhea in livestock