8th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Animal Health
Laboratorians Network (CAHLN)
PRELIMINARY PROGRAM AGENDA
Overall Theme: “Animal Health Challenges: What Can Laboratorians Do to Help?”
Sunday, June 7 (Evening)
Reception – Market Square
Presentation – Room 242, Alex. H. MacKinnon Amphitheater, McDougall Hall
8:00 - 9:00 Early Registration – AVC (For CAVP Members)
17:00 - 19:00 Registration
17:30 - 19:00 Reception
19:00 - 19:05 Welcome Message – Dr. Wade MacLauchlan
University of
19:05 - 19:10 Message - CAHLN Steering Committee - Dr. Jim Goltz
19:10 - 19:15 Welcome – Dr. Anne Muckle
19:15 – 20:00 Special Presentation:
The Future of Canadian Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories in a
“One Health” World
Dr. Grant Maxie, Director, Animal Health Laboratory and Past
President, American Association of Veterinary Laboratory
Diagnosticians (AAVLD)
20:00 – 20:20 The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 on PEI
Dr. Lamont Sweet, Deputy Chief Health Officer, Chief of Health
Office, Prince Edward Island Department of Health
20:20 – 21:00 Networking
Monday, June 8 (Morning)
Location : Duffy Amphitheatre, Duffy Building
7:45 - 10:00 Registration
8:15 - 8:30 Official Welcome
Local Organizing Committee
Dean of AVC
Hon Minister of Agriculture,
8:30 – 5:00 Exhibitors Hall Open
8:30 - 12:00 Opening Plenary Session Theme: “Animal Health
Challenges Around the World”
Moderator: Dr. Jim Goltz, Provincial Veterinary Laboratory,
NB Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture
8:30 - 9: 15 A Global Vision for Animal Health
Dr. Norman Willis, President, The Norm Willis Group Inc
and Honorary President of World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
9:15 - 10:00 Collaboration Between Veterinary Medicine and Public Health
Dr. Jan Sargeant, Director, Center for Public Health and Zoonoses
and Professor of Population Medicine,
10:00 - 10:20 Health Break
10:20 - 11:05 Aquatic Animal Health: Global Issues and Challenges
Dr. Flavio Corsin, Senior Aquaculture Advisor and Coordinator for
11:05 – 11:50 Meeting Present and Future Challenges in Animal Health Thru
Innovation Approaches
Dr. Martine Dubuc, Vice President of Science, Canadian Food
Inspection Agency (CFIA)
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
12:20 – 1:00 Business Meeting – CAHLN Meeting
Monday, June 8 (Afternoon)
1:00 - 17:00 Scientific Session Theme: “The
Moderator : Dr. James Bellamy, Associate Dean for Research, AVC
13:00 - 13:10 Introduction: Dr. James Bellamy
13:10 - 13:40 Epidemiology: Surveillance and Diagnostic Test Evaluation
Dr. Ian Dohoo, Director, Center for Veterinary Epidemiological Research, AVC
13:40 - 14:10 Integrating Laboratory Data into the Canadian Regulatory Veterinary
Epidemiology Network (CRVE Net)
Dr. Javier Sanchez, CFIA-AVC CRVE Net Partnership, AVC
14:10 - 14:40 Innovation Creates Higher Quality Milk in the Maritimes
Dr. Greg Keefe, Maritime Quality Milk Project, AVC
14:00 - 15:10 Diagnosing and Monitoring Disease in Aquatic Animal Species
Dr. Larry Hammell, Center for Aquatic Health Sciences, AVC
15:10 - 15:30 Health Break
15:30 - 16:00 Disease Investigations in Wild Crustaceans — Challenges in an
Oceanic Environment
Dr. Rick Cawthorn,
16:00 - 16:30 Healthier Shellfish
Dr. Jeff Davidson, Shellfish Research Group, AVC
16:30 - 17:00 A Global Reference Laboratory for Infectious Salmon Anemia
Dr. Fred Kibenge, OIE Reference Laboratory for ISA, AVC
Tuesday, June 9 (Morning)
Location : Room 242 – Alex H. MacKinnon Amphitheatre, McDougall Hall
8:00 - 11:00 Special Plenary Session Theme: “The Role of Laboratorians
in Animal Health Surveillance”
Moderator: Dr. Jim Goltz, Provincial Veterinary Laboratory,
NB Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture
8:00 - 8:20 Evolution of Animal Health Surveillance in
Dr. Christine Power, Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, CFIA
8:20 - 8:40 Wildlife Health Surveillance in
Dr. Gary Wobeser, Department of Pathology and Microbiology,
8:40 - 9:10 The Canadian Animal Health Laboratory and Surveillance Network
(CAHSN) and the Rapid Response to the Novel human H1N1 2009
Influenza A Virus When Suspected Transmission to Swine in An
Isolated Herd in Canada
Dr. Soren Alexander,
9:10 - 9:30 National Farmed Animal Health Strategy: A Framework for Industry
and Government
Dr. Wayne Lees, Chief Veterinary Officer,
and Rural Initiatives
9:30 - 9:50 Animal Health Surveillance in
Dr. Bruce McNab, Animal Health and Welfare Branch, OMAFRA
9:50 - 10:10 Health Break
10:10 - 10:30 Animal Health Surveillance in Québec: The Role of Laboratorians
Dr. Luc Bergeron, Laboratoire d’expertise en pathologie animale, MAPAQ
10:30 - 10:55 National Aquatic Animal Health Program: Laboratory Challenges
Dr. Peter Wright, National Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory
System, Fisheries and Oceans
10:55 - 11:15 Development and Application of Foresight and Future Visioning to Support
Capability Based Planning for Animal Health Emergency Management in
Dr. Shane Renwick, Director, Animal Health Science Foresight
11:15 - 12:15 Panel Discussion: “The Role of Laboratorians in Animal Health Surveillance:
Where are We and Where Are We Going?
Moderator: Dr. Jim Goltz, Provincial Veterinary Laboratory,
NB Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture
Panelists: Speakers from Opening Plenary Session on Monday and
Special Plenary Session on Tuesday
12:15 – 1:00 Lunch
Tuesday, June 9 (Afternoon)
Location : Room 242 – Alex H. MacKinnon Amphitheatre, McDougall Hall
13:00 - 17:00 General and Scientific Presentation Session:
Moderator: Dr. Barb Horney, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, AVC
13:00 - 13:20 Animal Health at Risk: Is There a Shortage of Accredited or Credentialed Veterinarians (including Rural Veterinarians and Animal Health and Laboratory Specialists)?
Dr. Don Reynolds, Dean of AVC
13:20 - 13:40 Helping Animal Health in Developing Countries - How Laboratorians and Universities
Can Help?
Dr. Alfonso Lopez, AVC Coordinator of International Affairs and Department of
Pathology and Microbiology, AVC
13:40 - 14:00 Getting Good Results: The Importance of an External Quality Assurance Program
Dennis Olexson, AVC Diagnostic Services and Dr. James Bellamy
14:00 - 14:20 Validation of Infectious Salmon Anemia qRT-PCR assay in the absence of a Gold Standard
Nellie Gagné, Molecular Biology Unit, Fisheries and Oceans
14:20 - 14:40 The Recent Outbreak of Avian Influenza in
Dr. Paul Kitching, Acting Chief Veterinarian and Director,
14:40 - 15:00 A Comparison of Two Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Information Systems (VADDS™ and Sapphire™) for Specimen Tracking, Information Capture and Reporting – A User’s Perspective
Dr. Murray Hazzlett,
15:00 - 15:20 Health Break
15:20 - 15:35 Investigation of Retroviral Infection in the Soft Shell Clam Mya arenaria
Mohammed AboElkhair,
15:35 - 15:50 Avian Influenza Virus Detection Assays: Symptoms, Samples and Sensitivities
Annie Wagener,
15:50- 16:05 Nicole O’Brien,
16:05-16:20 Soraya Sayi,
16:20 - 16:40 Porcine Circovirus Type 2: Emerging New Strains Globally
Dr. Carl Gagnon
16:40 -17:00 Swine Health and Surveillance: The New Canadian Swine Health Board — Why it Exists and What it Wants
Dr. Dan Hurnik,
19:55 – 22:00 LOBSTER SUPPER
Wednesday, June 10 (Morning)
Location : Room 242 – Alex H. MacKinnon Amphitheatre, McDougall Hall
8:00 - 8:15 The Potential of Molecular Diagnostic Testing in the Detection of Aquatic Invasive Species in Water Samples
Sarah E. Stewart Clark,
8:15 - 8:30 To Cut or Not to Cut: That is the “Real-Time Question
Charles Carraguel,
8:30 - 8:45 Does the Sample Type Have Any Effect on a ELISA Test for Antibodies Against Ostertagia ostertagi
Ralph Vanderstichel,
8:45 - 9:00 Laboratory Based Passive Surveillance in CAHSN
Harold Kloeze, Canadian Animal Health Surveillance Network, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg
9:00 - 9:20 The Role of a Diagnosticians in the Recovery of an Endangered Moose Population
Dr. Scott McBurney, Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC) Atlantic and
9:20 - 9:40 Avian Influenza Wild Bird Survey: What Has Been Accomplished Nationally and Globally?
Dr. Pierre Daoust, CCWHC Atlantic and Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Atlantic Veterinary College
9:40 - 10:00 Prevalence of Pathogenic Escherichia coli in Different Animal Species in Québec in 2007
Dr. John M. Fairbrother, Faculté de médicine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal
10:00 - 10: 30 Health Break
10:30 - 10:45 Design and Validation of Electronic Microarray for the Detection and Serotyping of Foot and Mouth Disease
Oliver Lung, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Lethbridge
10:45 - 11:00 Validation of an Electronic Microarray for the Detection and Subtyping of Avian Influenza Virus
Anne Beeston, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Lethbridge
11:00 - 11:15 CMCA Amplification of Prions Captured on PVDF Membrane
Andrei Soutyrine, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa
11:15 - 11:30 Specific Pericarditis and Cardiac Tamponade Associated with Pulmonary Botryomycosis in Dog
Dominique Fournier, Finn Pathologists, Weybread, Norfolk
11:30 - 11:50 Microsporidial Gill Disease in Pacific Salmon: Characterization, Pathology, Pathogenesis and Vaccine
Dr. Dave Speare, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, AVC
11:55 - 12:15 Graduate Student Award and Laboratorian of the Year Award
12:15 Closing Remarks
Dr. Anne Muckle - Local Organizing Committee and AVC Diagnostic Services
Dr. Jim Goltz - National Steering Committee
