CVM Firsts

Innovation and Initiative
at the
University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine

DISCOVERING THE CAUSES OF DISEASE
In the 1950s, CVM veterinary pathologist William J. Hadlow conducted experiments that linked neurological disorders in animals and people. These findings laid the groundwork for uncovering the cause of diseases collectively known today as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). British authorities used his data to reduce the potential for food-borne transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, to humans. U.S. authorities used his data in forming regulations to prevent the introduction of BSE in the United States.

GENOME SEQUENCING

Pasturella multocida
Vivek Kapur, professor of veterinary pathology and director of the CVM's Advanced Genetic Analysis Center, led a team of researchers to sequence the genome ofPasturella multocida, a bacterium known to causes disease in poultry, cattle, swine, and to a lesser extent, humans. The scientific breakthrough represented the first entire genome of a veterinary pathogen to be sequenced - an important development in the safety of animal and human health.

Johne's Disease
In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Vivek Kapur,professor of veterinary pathology and director of the Advanced Genetic Analysis Center, led the team that completed the genome sequence of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, the bacterium that causes Johne's disease, an incurable cattle illness. Johne's is considered one of the most important threats to the health of dairy cattle worldwide, costing the dairy industry more than $200 million each year. Kapur's discovery has enabled researchers to develop new ways of early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of the devastating disease.

Domestic Turkey
In 2003, Kent Reed, an assistant professor of veterinary pathobiology, created a first-generation map of the domestic turkey genome. This work will ultimately help turkey breeders produce healthier turkeys.

DIAGNOSTIC TESTS

Bovine Viral Diarrhea
Carrie Mahlum, a scientist in the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, developed the first test to detect Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD), which had cost the beef and dairy industries thousands of dollars each year. The test detects BVD by screening a blood sample at a very low cost to producers. It is also quicker and more sensitive than other methods, enabling bovine producers to detect and prevent disease from spreading in the herd.

Avian Aspergillosis
In 1985, The Raptor Center developed a sensitive and accurate diagnostic test for aspergillosis, the most common fatal disease of birds of prey.

VACCINE DEVELOPMENT

Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome(PRRS)
After a worldwide outbreak of Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome (PRRS), a devastating disease to the nation's pork producers, Jim Collins, director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL), developed a breakthrough swine vaccine in 1991. Collins' product - now the largest selling veterinary vaccine worldwide - protects the majority of U.S. swine from the disease.

Avian Pneumovirus
Sagar Goyal, professor of veterinary diagnostic medicine, developed a vaccination to help stop the spread of a severe respiratory disease caused by Avian Pneumovirus (APV). The disease spreads quickly through turkey flocks and is devastating to turkey producers in Minnesota, costing them about $15 million each year. The vaccine has been available to turkey growers in Minnesota, the largest turkey producing state in the country, as well as North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

VIRUS RESEARCH

Identification of a New Strain of Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome (PRRS)
Researchers in the CVM's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) identified the first European-like strain of Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome (PRRS) in North America under the leadership of Kay Faaberg, assistant professor in the Veterinary Pathobiology Department.

TREATMENTS FOR DISEASE

Turkey diseases
The work of CVM Professor Benjamin Pomeroy laid the foundation for the control and eradication of several turkey diseases. Bolstered by research conducted at the University under Pomeroy's leadership, poultry disease mortality in Minnesota dropped from 25 percent in the 1930s to 8 percent today.

Urinary stones in cats and dogs
CVM Professor Carl Osborne and his colleagues developed a diet that dissolved urinary stones in dogs and cats. Hills Pet Nutrition later manufactured and marketed the diet under the name Prescription Diet s-d.

Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM) in horses
After she was involved in discovering the muscle disease Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM) in horses in the late 1980s, Stephanie Valberg, a professor in the department of Clinical and Population Sciences, pioneered a treatment for the disease. Her combination of diet and exercise routines now brings relief to thousands of horses.

SURGICAL TECHNIQUES
Avian fracture repair and anesthesia
When The Raptor Center was established in 1974, little was known about avian fracture repair and anesthesia. Today, the orthopedic surgery and soft-tissue management techniques developed for birds at The Raptor Center are the standard throughout the world.

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
Gentle Leader Head Collar
In the late 1980s, Robert K. Anderson, professor of veterinary medicine and director of the Center to Study Human-Animal Relationships and Environment (CENSHARE) at the University of Minnesota, co-invented The Gentle Leader^. head collar for dogs with trainer Ruth Foster. Since then, the head collar, has revolutionized the ability of owners to communicate with their pet in a humane, yet effective, way. In 2002, it was on exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Museum of History. By 2003, more than 1.3 million Gentle Leaders had been sold in the United States, plus hundreds of thousands more around the world.

VETERINARY EDUCATION
Transition Management Facility
In 2000, the CVM launched the Transition Management Facility, a unique collaborative project with a dairy business that gives veterinary students irreplaceable, hands-on experience with large populations of dairy cows in the weeks leading up to and after giving birth. The facility, an hour outside the Twin Cities, also provides opportunities for continuing education of veterinarians, conducting clinical and applied research, and showcasing new management techniques for dairy businesses.

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
PigCHAMP
First developed in the early 1980s at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, the original PigCHAMP (Computerized Health and Management Program) software served as a platform for data collection for research purposes. Today, the product is the most widely used farm software package for tracking pigs, serving  pork producers in 55 countries worldwide.

SERVICE

Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome (PRRS)
The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, directed by Jim Collins, became the first veterinary diagnostic lab in the nation to provide high-volume, same-day turnaround testing for Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome (PRRS). The testing service, available to boar stud producers nationwide, allows producers to detect and control the disease more quickly, increasing productivity and saving money.

Computed tomography (CT) scanning
The University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center was one of the first veterinary hospitals in the country to offer spiral computed tomography (CT) scanning to quickly visualize an animal's internal structure to diagnose disease. Identical to that used in human hospitals, the scanner spirals around the animal, acquiring images from every angle with one pass through the CT gantry. In 15 to 60 seconds, it provides images that used to take 15 to 20 minutes to produce.