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<OL> <LI> Offer a new "Exotic Animal Diseases" course in the TUSVM's Department of Pathobiology, This 2 credit course will be developed using the current USDA National Veterinary Accreditation Program (NAVP), recommendations from the AVMA-USDA Relations Committee for new directions for the NAVP (JAVMA, May 15, 2002), and the model curriculum developed by the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine as recommended by the AVMA, December 2003. This course will mainly deal with exotic diseases not prevalent in U.S. that can pose a serious threat to our livestock. This course will also emphasize the use of vaccines and diagnostic assays as described in the OIE's "Manual of Vaccines & Diagnostic Assays" as well as the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regulations of the WTO. During the second year of the project we will also offer this course to graduate students at the collaborating Veterinary University in India through TUSVM's Videoconferencing facility and BLACKBOARD, a web-based teaching tool. <LI> Plan and conduct collaborative research and teaching and provide opportunities for student experiential training at the collaborating veterinary universities and institutions in India as well as at OIE in Paris. <LI> Faculty Preparation and enhancement for enhancing collaborations in international teaching and research.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: This project will enhance infrastructure at Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine (TUSVM) to better prepare its veterinary and graduate students for careers in the global world of animal agriculture. The project will establish new collaborations and strengthen existing ones with institutions in India and facilitate international research and teaching of animal diseases important in international trade and public health. There is a critical need for veterinarians that can contribute to the harmonization of rules and advise clients on global trade of animals and biosecurity measures for enhancing production. The syllabus and course content for a new course "Exotic Animal Diseases" will be developed giving increased emphasis to international aspects and dimensions of animal diseases. Experiential learning opportunities for students will include internship at the Office international epizootics (OlE), the official World Animal Health Organization located in Paris. Participants will also have opportunities for internship in veterinary teaching hospitals and rapidly growing biotechnology companies in India. Internet-based videoconferencing will be developed to collaborate in training veterinary students at TU and the S.V. Veterinary University, India. The library holdings acquired under this project will enhance the teaching program by making available publications of OlE, FAO and WHO and other books related to exotic animal diseases. In its unique role as the only 1890 Institution with a school of veterinary medicine, Tuskegee University is well positioned to provide training for both its students and foreign personnel to make transparent and harmonize measures for international disease surveillance, control and eradication. <P>
APPROACH: Objective I A. The syllabus and content for the new course "Exotic Animal Diseases" is being developed to give increased emphasis to WTO requirements published by the international standards setting organizations such as OIE. Students will be exposed to resources available through OIE website including world animal health situation, animal diseases data and World Animal Health Information Database (WAHID) Interface to explore available information by country (or group of countries), by disease, focusing on control measures, or comparing the animal health situation between two countries for trade purposes. Third and fourth year veterinary students and graduate students will be allowed to enroll in this course. Objective I B: Interactive learning for emerging infections (microbiology & diagnosis) & imaging (conferences and consultations) between faculty members and students at TUSVM and at SVVU and CARI in India. Our goal is to establish a center for consultation on all issues pertaining to foreign animal diseases as well as imaging and radiology. Initially this will be developed as a pilot program between TUSVM and SVVU, Hyderabad, India. We will assist SVVU to configure the videoconferencing equipment similar to what has been acquired and being put in place at TUSVM. Objective I1 A. Student externships at the selected institutions in India and at OIE in Paris. Experiential training opportunities will be provided under: 1) the existing agreement that TU has with S.V. Veterinary University (SVVU) in India and will be expanded to the Central Avian Research Institute (CARI), Izatnagar, India. 2) the internship program of the OIE, World Organization for Animal Health. The Vice-Chancellor of SVVU has agreed to host our students, provide suitable accommodations free of cost and local transportation. He will facilitate internships at some biotech companies. Objective 1I B. Research in the areas of pre and post-harvest reduction of pathogens in poultry in collaboration with SVVU and CARI in India and USDA/ARS Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens, GA. The proposed projects are: A. Test the efficacy of different adjuvants with killed avian influenza (AI) vaccine for birds other than poultry, and B. Two in vivo projects at SVVU and CARI in India to study the efficacy of curcumin, pomegranate fruit pulp/bark, neem powder, garlic, etc. These will be used in poultry to replace feed additive coccidiostats and antibiotics. Objective III: Conferences/workshops that are being proposed to be attended by selected faculty members are: 1) Foreign Animal Disease course offered by the USDA/ Plum Island Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (FADDL) or at the University of Wisconsin, Madison,2) Biosafety and Biosecurity Training Course -2009 at Colorado State University, and 3) OIE Veterinary Biologics Training Program at the Institute for International Cooperation in Animal Biologics, Ames, IA. 4) OIE's International Conference on "EVOLVING VETERINARY EDUCATION for a SAFER SOCIETY, Paris, October 12-14, 2009.