Institute Programs

Mission
From the Director
Institute Programs
Collaborators
APHI Laboratory

Programs under the APHI Umbrella

At the present time, there are six programs within the APHI.  Each program, its acronym and coordinator, are given below. 

Program Information

Program for Economically Important Infectious Animal Diseases

The goals of the Program for Economically Important Infectious Animal Diseases include initiating, conducting, and promoting research activities on infectious animal diseases that have economic impacts through the use of a multidisciplinary, integrative approach.  Both basic and applied aspects of disease research are incorporated.  Furthermore, research is prioritized through the PEIIAD Advisory Group, which includes representatives from the livestock industry, animal health (including governmental) decision-makers, and researchers from other institutions.  Many diseases prioritized for research at PEIIAD are those designated as “List A- Immediate action and response” or “List B- Reportable” by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), because these designations carry significant import/export impacts.

PEIIAD personnel remain active in assisting developing countries in formulating and implementing regional and national animal health monitoring and disease control programs. Personnel continue to participate in national and international coalitions for the promotion of animal health and development of control regulations for specific diseases of global economic importance. These activities served to promote a positive collaborative spirit between researchers in the US and abroad, to maintain an expert in these topics, to continually update and advance the knowledge of international animal disease issues and solutions, and to offer a venue for promotion of North American interests in import/export regulations and markets.  APHI, through the PEIIAD also serves as a national entity for developing risk analysis models for animal movement and food safety.

Integrated Livestock Management Program

The Integrated Livestock Management (ILM) Program began in 1996 and joined the Animal Population Health Institute in 2001.  The ILM's mission is to provide creative solutions for the challenges that face livestock industries through research, information dissemination, and training programs aimed at highly skilled personnel.  ILM programmatic activities, which are complementary to those required to fulfill the mission of a land grant university, bond a graduate studies program with research and outreach activities.  This bonding provides a platform that gives rise to a unique, multifaceted learning environment.  Because ILM program research activities focus on problems of importance to the livestock industry and highlight problem-solving at the producer-level, students explore real, relevant issues in the field and provide a valuable service to producers.  For example, the ILM Dairy Team works with producers to provide worker training, milk quality and mastitis control programs, and infectious disease control programs, and to develop a quality assurance program.  Through this applied, service-oriented approach, classroom instruction is complemented and students are prepared for future changes in the industry.   

Research project areas include livestock worker training, rumen-generated toxins, acute interstitial pneumonia, and infectious diseases including Johne’s disease, coliform mastitis, coronavirus, MCF, and Salmonellosis.  Furthermore, ILM personnel are actively working in mastitis control and improving milk quality, production economics in the dairy industry, hemorrhagic bowel syndrome of dairy cattle, dairy cattle reproduction and neonatal calf survival issues.  Additional research foci include those due to wildlife livestock interactions and toxic plants.  Due to the unique student platform of ILM, clinical interns, Master’s students, doctoral candidates, professional veterinary medical students, and summer undergraduate students work collaboratively with faculty and staff in the above research areas.  Additional information can be found at the ILM web site, http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/ilm.

Antimicrobial Resistance and Biosecurity Research Program

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Program

A program specifically devoted to the study of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) was initiated under the auspices of CVEADSS in 2001 and has continued under the APHI with the aim of centralizing basic and applied research on TSEs and integrating them with diagnostic activities currently ongoing at CSU.  This program includes investigations of bovine spongiform encephalopathy of cattle, scrapie of sheep, and chronic wasting disease of wild and captive ungulates. 

Colorado is unique in having two TSEs in its animal populations: scrapie of sheep and chronic wasting disease of deer and elk. As a result of experience with these diseases, researchers and diagnosticians at CSU are recognized nationally and internationally in the fields of TSE research, diagnosis, and related animal health policy processes. It is anticipated that new research will provide insight into the pathogenesis of TSEs, lead to the development of new diagnostic tests, and subsequently lead to sound decision-making processes for the protection of animal and human health.

This program will also provide diagnostic services to monitor animals for TSEs in the state of Colorado and the entire nation. The diagnostic services are essential for the success of the research program, as they will allow identification of infected animals prior to the onset of late stage symptoms, and thereby enhance efforts at control. The CSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is one of only two nationally certified laboratories for confirmation of the diagnosis of chronic wasting disease and scrapie, and is also recognized internationally for its expertise in this area. This laboratory, in collaboration with USDA: APHIS and the Colorado Department of Agriculture, has recently purchased and installed a WR2 tissue digester for inactivating highly infectious materials from potential TSE-positive animals. This instrument is one of only a few available in the USA for use in TSE diagnosis.

As well, APHI Laboratory Personnel are currently working with researchers in Switzerland and the European Union to learn techniques for the identification of Specified Risk Materials (those materials thought to carry an increased risk of harboring TSE prions, especially brain and spinal cord tissues) in meat products. These tests are currently in use in Europe, and will soon be validated for use for research purposes in the APHI Laboratory.
 

Training and Outreach Program

The Training and Outreach Program is a new program within APHI.  At the present time, personnel are actively involved in creating web-based course work in veterinary epidemiology for USDA veterinary medical officers and animal health technicians.  A new initiative, an internship program, which provides research experience for Colorado State University undergraduate students within the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, was piloted in spring 2004.

Equine Population Health Program

The Equine Population Health Program focuses on diseases of importance to the equine industry of the USA and Colorado. The U.S. Horse Industry has a total impact of $112.1 billion on the U.S. gross domestic product and directly produces goods and services valued at $25.3 billion. The value of exported horses from the USA at over 500 million dollars in fiscal year 2003 exceeded that of all other livestock combined. Thus, the health of equids in the USA is of economic importance. Beyond this economic importance is the fact that most equine owners are very committed to the health and welfare of their animals and desire to have the most up to date information on how to keep their horses healthy.

The research team at the Animal Population Health Institute has played a leadership role in the study of diseases of importance to the equine industry in the USA and Colorado. Emphasis areas have included the diagnosis and control of strangles and other causes of infectious upper respiratory disease, the epidemiology of vesicular stomatitis, the control of hospital acquired infection, in particular salmonellosis and multi-drug resistant infections, biosecurity for equine operations and hospitals, the diagnosis and control of equine clostridial enterocolitis, and the epidemiology of equine West Nile Virus. A new focus for APHI is the implementation of studies to determine methods for equine ID and tracking. APHI personnel have been requested to attend meetings conducted by the State Veterinarian of Colorado to assist in study design and implementation of equine ID and tracking over the next year.

The role of the Equine Population Health Program is to function as a team of people with varied expertise that can meet the challenges of control of diseases affecting horses and other equids. Through the combined effort of team members, the program will continue to emphasize diagnosis and control of equine infectious diseases of importance to the industry. Several research proposals are being submitted to add to the funding available from APHI to allow for optimization of research efforts. The areas of emphasis will be strangles and WNV.

If other issues arise that are of importance to the equine industry and those needs are not being met by others we will attempt to initiate work in these areas. The flexibility of funding allowed us to play a key role in the investigation of the WNV outbreak in 2002 and would assist us in the future to begin studies in a real time fashion when they arise. To meet the goal of remaining appraised of the needs of the equine industry, APHI personnel will attend key equine industry and veterinary meetings both national and international in scope. As well, the APHI personnel will continue to garner their contacts within the equine industry, equine practitioner groups and the epidemiology specialists.

Pet Population Studies and Policies Program

In the mid-1990’s, a program to conduct research and outreach activity in the area of pet population was created as part of CVEADSS, a predecessor of the APHI.  The Pet Population Program served as the national coordinating center for studies sponsored by the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP).  The APHI has maintained interest in this field and has sponsored additional studies to explore additional areas of research based on the outcomes from the NCPPSP studies.  Several publications and reports were produced by staff members of APHI.   In March 2004, APHI personnel participated in a workshop to develop research priorities for pet overpopulation which was sponsored by the PetSmart Charity Foundation.  A new research project to assess the usefulness of shelter databases as research tools will begin in early 2005.