Infectious bronchitis threatens nearly every poultry operation, and the effects are significant: respiratory disease, kidney damage, oviduct damage and reduced performance, among other challenges. And prevention of IB season after season is complex. Due to changing conditions and new virus strains, there is no one-size-fits-all model for protecting your operation. This can be illustrated by the latest developments with the GA08 strain in the U.S. and the QX strain in Europe.
Two webinars, “Current Challenges and Tools for Building Optimum IB Protection will be held,” one with a focus on Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and the other with a focus on the U.S.
Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/659355329?linknumber=website to attend “Current Challenges and Tools for Building Optimum IB Protection: Focus on Europe, Africa and the Middle East” on November 20, 2014, at 8 a.m. Chicago/2 p.m. London/3 p.m. Paris.
Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/485419009?linknumber=website to attend “Current Challenges and Tools for Building Optimum IB Protection: Focus on U.S.” on December 11, 2014, at 9 a.m. Eastern (U.S.)/3 p.m. (Paris/Berlin).
Poultry veterinarians, nutritionists, research and development and operations directors, production managers, farmers/producers, purchasing directors, and commercial directors in poultry integration should attend to learn:
- Impact and prevalence of variant IB strains impacting production in your market
- Keys for building an effective IB prevention program customized to meet challenges specific to your operation — from proper diagnosis through vaccine monitoring
- Recent data illustrating the efficacy of strain-specific vaccines and their added value when used in conventional programs
- How to combat the complexity of IB with customized vaccination programs that deliver cross-protection against emerging IB strains
Speakers
The speakers for “Current Challenges and Tools for Building Optimum IB Protection: Focus on Europe, Africa and the Middle East” will be J.J. (Sjaak) de Wit and Luuk Stooker.
de Wit, DVM, PhD, is a senior scientist of GD, the Dutch Animal Health Service (AHS). de Wit is responsible for the technical aspects and quality system of the poultry serology performed by the AHS (GD Deventer). Among other diseases, he’s also applied scientific work around infectious bronchitis in the areas of virus typing, test development, efficacy trials for vaccines and protectotyping. de Wit is a founding diplomat of the European College of Veterinary Poultry Science. In 2013, he was inducted as a member of the World Veterinary Poultry Association’s Hall of Honour.
Stooker, DVM, is a poultry veterinary manager for Zoetis with a special focus on IB diagnosis and prevention throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Stooker joined Zoetis in 2010 after serving as a poultry veterinarian for one of the largest veterinary practices in the Netherlands. He’s also helped develop new ELISA kits for Newcastle disease diagnosis. In 2007, Stooker earned a DVM from Utrecht University.
The speakers for “Current Challenges and Tools for Building Optimum IB Protection: Focus on U.S.” will be Mark Jackwood and Kalen Cookson.
Jackwood is a professor of avian medicine and department head at the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Jackwood is a molecular virologist, and his primary area of research is the study of respiratory viruses — particularly avian coronaviruses, infectious bronchitis and avian influenza. Jackwood’s work involves the use of molecular techniques for the identification, characterization and control of those viruses. He also studies genetic diversity, mutation rates and evolutionary trends among coronaviruses to reveal the emergence of new viruses capable of causing diseases in animals and humans. He earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree at the University of Delaware and his doctorate in the Department of Poultry Science at The Ohio State University.
Cookson, DVM, MAM, is the director of clinical research for Zoetis. With Zoetis, he provides technical support, marketing support and conducts clinical research trials. Cookson earned a DVM from North Carolina State University and a Masters of Avian Medicine degree from the University of Georgia. He is a diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians. Cookson has worked for the California Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory System and has nearly 20 years of experience in biologicals. His expertise is in infectious diseases — including infectious bronchitis — and vaccination programming. Cookson has extended his efforts outside of the United States to Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
