ACLAD NEWSLETTER Vol. 14 No. 1

American Committee on Laboratory Animal Diseases

February 1993


Editor: Stephen S. Morse, Ph.D.
The Rockefeller University 1230 York Avenue, Box 2
New York, NY 10021-6399
Telephone: (212) 327-7722 FAX: (212) 327-7974
e-mail: morse@rockvax.rockefeller.edu
For: Items for the Newsletter, general comments

Editorial Assistant: Joan Bailie
Section of Comparative Medicine
Yale University School of Medicine
333 Cedar Street, P.O. Box 3333
New Haven, CT 06510
Telephone: (203) 785-2507 FAX: (203) 785-7499
For: Changes of address; questions about mailing or dues

IN THIS ISSUE: Announcements Editorials Minutes - Business Meeting, Nov. 1992 Subcommittee Membership and Reports

NEXT ISSUE OF THE NEWSLETTER: SEPTEMBER 1993. PLEASE SEND CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE BY JULY 30.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. ANNUAL MEETING: Continuing our annual tradition, there will be an ACLAD scientific session at the national AALAS meeting in Nashville this November (tentatively on Tuesday, November 16), with outstanding speakers. This year's program is still in the planning stages, but promises to be the best yet. The Wallace P. Rowe Lecturer will be Peter Doherty, whose classic experiments on killer T cells are among the seminal discoveries in contemporary immunology. Further details of the ACLAD program will appear in the next Newsletter. See y'all in Nashville!

2. DUES NOTICES for 1993 membership wiU soon be mailed out. A questionnaire will also be included. Your officers are eager to hear your views on how ACLAD can be most useful. A sampling of members' comments will appear in a future issue of the Newsletter.

3. REFERENCE REAGENTS FOR RODENT VIRUSES AND MYCOPLASMA [Editor's Note: This announcement was originally made last year, and is being reprinted for those who might have missed it. These reagents are still available. Orders are encouraged from all interested investigators or laboratories performing rodent serology that might find these standardized reagents helpful. Originally, availability was limited to one vial per year of each reagent per laboratory, but requests for additional quantities will now be considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to supply. The program is an activity of ACLAD's Committee on Reference Reagents. For more information on the Committee, see Reports]. ACLAD and Microbiological Associates collaborated in the preparation of reference antisera to naturally occurring viruses and mycoplasma of laboratory rodents. These mono-specific antisera are intended to be used primarily as reference reagents in rodent diagnostic laboratories. The program was conceived to allow scientists using various diagnostic services and kits to compare the sensitivity and specificity of their assays. Titers reported by three diagnostic laboratories using different assay systems will be provided with each reagent. Users will be asked to participate in the evaluation of these reagents and of the program by responding to a questionnaire from ACLAD. For additional information, or to request reagents, contact Dr. Pravin Bhatt (A CLAD) or Dr. Robert Peters (Microbiological Associates). Request price list and detailed fact sheet from Robert Peters. Dr. Pravin N. Bhatt Section of Comparative Medicine Yale University School of Medicine 333 Cedar Street New Haven, CT 06510 Dr. Robert L. Peters Microbiological Associates 9900 Blackwell Road Rockville, MD 20830 Telephone: (203) 785-2538 FAX: (203) 785-7499 Telephone: (301) 738-1000 FAX: (301) 738-1038

EDITORIAL As the membership knows, Pravin Bhatt was Newsletter Editor for the first decade of ACLAD's existence. His dedication to the organization was inspiring, and it is heartening to see that ACLAD has thrived since its modest beginnings. As ACLAD began its second decade, I took over from Pravin as Newsletter Editor. Unfortunately, other editorial responsibilities preclude my being able to serve for the entire second decade. Steve Morse was our nominee of choice to take on the task, beginning in ACLAD's fifteenth year, and the Executive Committee and voting membership were in enthusiastic agreement. I know that Steve brings enthusiasm and new ideas to the position and will do a superb job. I take this opportunity to thank you all for your support of ACLAD and of this Newsletter. It has been very rewarding to hear from colleagues that the Newsletter is informative and, in many cases, being used as a resource for training. I also urge the membership to share with Steve any items appropriate for the "Research Updates" section of the Newsletter, since information exchange is the cornerstone of the organization.
--Abigail L. Smith

Dear Fellow ACLAD Member, It is quite a responsibility to follow in the footsteps of Pravin Bhatt and Abby Smith. Their hard work, dedication, and contributions to ACLAD - and to the community at large - are legendary. They have set a high standard. I will try my best to uphold it and to continue this fine tradition. Abby Smith deserves heartfelt appreciation for her superb service as Newsletter Editor. In fact, as the observant reader will note, Abby may have passed the editorial baton, but she has graciously contributed many items to this issue in order to help the new editor get off to a smooth(er) start. My sincere thanks. I know that I express the feelings of everyone in this organization in both wishing and predicting great success in Abby's new capacity as Editor of Laboratory Animal Science. Abby notes that information exchange is the cornerstone of the organization, and this Newsletter is one cornerstone of our information exchange. Let me reiterate Abby's request to send any items appropriate for the "Research Updates" section of the Newsletter. If you have any research that might interest other members, please send me a brief abstract. You will get an acknowledgment in the Newsletter, in addition to my gratitude. In future issues, I am planning to continue the practice of running occasional special features. I am also avidly collecting info on new lab animal diagnostic techniques, including PCR, and ask your help in finding and collecting specific information. If I get enough, I'll publish a listing of molecular probes (PCR etc.) for lab animal diseases in a future issue. I would also be eager to know what sort of material you would like to see in our Newsletter. Please address any comments or contributions for the Newsletter to me at the Rockefeller University (my address is on the front page of this issue). If you have information to contribute, please don't be shy. If you have seen a paper published somewhere that looks relevant, please let me know about it; I'll be glad to share it with the membership. Most of all, I welcome your advice on how this newsletter can serve you best. Don't be a stranger!
--Stephen S. Morse

Minutes - ACLAD Business Meeting (Tuesday, 11/03/92) Convened 4:10 PM Present: Dr. James Fox (President), Dr. Robert Jacoby (President-elect), Drs. Manning, Allen, Peters, Barthold, Pakes, Gaertner, Rahija, Maggio-Price, and Smith Dr. Fox introduced the new officers and councilors. Newsletter Report Mailings: The last issue of the Newsletter (Volume 13, Number 2) was mailed to 398 individuals and institutions. This represents a 10% increase over last year, with 372 domestic and 26 foreign mailings. Half of the foreign mailings went to Canada and Australia. Finances: Dues payments ($20 for 1992) have been received from 103 U.S. members and 10 foreign members. The account balance as of 10/22/92 is $7,502.68 (including the $5,000 gift from Hoffman-LaRoche in 1989). Yale is using bulk mail rates for domestic mailings. The cost of copying and mailing a single issue of the Newsletter is $150-$200, depending on length. The major expense incurred by ACLAD is support of speaker expenses at the annual AALAS meeting.

Editorial transition: Contributions to the "Research Updates" section continue to be vanishingly rare. The new Editor, Dr. Stephen Morse, will undoubtedly need some help attracting material for this section. The current plan is that Dr. Morse will produce the Newsletter on diskette at Rockefeller; however, copying and mailing will continue to be done from the Yale office, since Dr. Morse does not have support staff to perform this function. Dues will also continue to be collected and tabulated in the Yale office.

The issue of finances was discussed further. The possibility of a tiered structure for individuals vs institutions will be considered. Dr. Jacoby suggested that we might re-conceive the Newsletter as a service instrument that might be of interest to investigators using animals, although it was generally agreed that those individuals would not pay dues. Dr. Smith pointed out that the Newsletter is on the bulletin board set up by Ken Boschert. Dr. Allen suggested that the Newsletter might be more useful to investigators if it were a forum in which to summarize information on laboratory animal diseases rather than one to provide updates on the very latest information. Dr. Pakes suggested that existing animal resource programs should be encouraged to disseminate the Newsletter to their investigators. Dr. Rahija mentioned that the Duke program provides a weekly newsletter to all animal users, an example being a fact sheet on the perils of using Pasteurella-positive rabbits. Dr. Barthold suggested a fold-out that could be posted on facility bulletin boards, and Dr. Pakes followed up with the idea that such a fold-out might also be published in ILAR News (>4,000 members) with credit to ACLAD. Attendees were asked to think about a schedule and strategy for preparing such documents.

Reagents Committee: Dr. Allen pointed out that the committee is very disappointed with the response to availability of standardized antisera. There have been only twelve customers. Dr. Peters suggested that one problem was that we limited availability of the reagents (1 vial per year per customer). There may be investigators who would like to use the reagents for other purposes. Perhaps ACLAD should contact diagnostic labs and determine their needs. Dr. Smith pointed out that we might need a different marketing strategy, since the ACLAD Newsletter and a letter to the Editor in Laboratory Animal Science have constituted the only "advertising" so far. Dr. Pakes pointed out that the original intent was to have standardized reagents available to the worldwide diagnostic community and that perhaps we need to do more to educate potential consumers.

Zoonosis Committee: There was no representation from this committee, but Dr. Fox emphasized the need for the group to produce some form of report. Dr. Jacoby said he would follow up with Dr. Bhatt. Other Activities Dr. Fox suggested that ACLAD should consider new initiatives, now that the Lussier committee Special Topic Overview on diagnosis has been published a ab Anim Sci 41: 199, 1991). Dr. Jacoby suggested a an educational seminar at the AALAS meeting that might address the question: Where are we a decade after the "Bhatt conference" at the NIH? The consensus seemed to be that the audience gets more from sessions like those sponsored by ACLAD than from poster and platform sessions. It was suggested that ACLAD sponsor a full-day scientific session next year, with the Rowe lecture as the centerpiece. One suggested theme for either the morning or afternoon session was marine invertebrates. Several individuals complained about the conflicts on the program schedule at the Anaheim meeting. This can be addressed by communicating directly with Sarah Dunlap at the AALAS office.

Other suggestions for programs at the AALAS meeting included: new diagnostic tests (e.g., variations on PCR), a short course on applied molecular techniques, and genetic monitoring. Dr. Gaertner suggested that ACLAD might consider taking a booth at the AALAS meeting to explain its function. It was agreed that when ACLAD requests its one-day-equivalent slot for next year's program, we should also ask that our sessions not run concurrently with those on rodents. Some sentiment was also expressed in favor of having a mechanism for trainees to intermingle, with the subsequent suggestion that we might arrange for them to meet with the Rowe speaker during a buffet luncheon.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:55 PM.

SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP AND REPORTS

ACLAD has several subcommittees to carry out specific purposes. Members of all committees listed below are appointed for 3-year terms and may be re-appointed. [Many thanks to Drs. Pravin Bhatt and Abby Smith for supplying the information below]

COMMITTEE ON RODENT VIRAL AND MYCOPLASMA INFECTIONS

Functions: 1. Annually update a list of diagnostic tests for detection of antibody, antigen, or infectious agent from laboratory rodents, including zoonotic infections of rodents and species to be tested for same; 2. Periodically update information on rodent viruses and mycoplasmas to meet the diverse information needs of the ACLAD membership; and 3. Make any other recommendations that may be important or helpful to the ACLAD membership in dealing with these agents. Membership: Dr. Gilles Lussier, Chair Dr. Jerry Davis Dr. William Shek Dr. Abigail Smith Report: The Committee published a Special Topic Overview in Laboratory Animal Science summarizing knowledge to date [Lussier, G., ed. (1991). Detection Methods for the Identification of Rodent Viral and Mycoplasmal Infections. Lab. Anim. Sci. 41:199-225.]. With the publication of this compendium, a major part of the Committee's mission has been accomplished.

COMMITTEE ON LABORATORY ANIMAL ZOONOTIC DISEASES

Functions: 1. Annually update the list of laboratory animal species known to be naturally infected with zoonotic agents; 2. Provide guidelines for biohazard precautions for animal caretakers in the event of introduction of infection in a laboratory animal colony. Membership: Dr. Pravin Bhatt, Chair Dr. James Childs Dr. James LeDuc Dr. William Shek Dr. Richard Yanagihara Report: The Committee plans to prepare 1-page fact sheets for each potential zoonotic infectious agent. This format was selected on the assumption that the best approach to prevention of zoonotic infections is the education of laboratory personnel at all levels, from the bottom to the top. The format aims for simple, short, up-to-date facts about these agents, including host range, incubation period, communicability, mode of transmission, and prevention (vaccines, safety precautions). The final report will be out before the end of 1993.

COMMITTEE ON REFERENCE REAGENTS

Functions: 1. Review the initial basis for the preparation of the reagents and define objectives for the use of the antisera in light of the current rodent virus and mycoplasma testing services available; 2. Define the criteria for use of the reagents; 3. Define the conditions for participation in the program by diagnostic laboratories; 4. Outline a mechanism for the evaluation of the program; 5. Any other items the committee decides to address in relation to the overall reference reagents program. Membership: Dr. Pravin Bhatt Dr. Gail Cassell Dr. Kenneth Herrmann Dr. James Fox Dr. Robert Shope Dr. Abigail Smith Dr. Gerald Van Hoosier Dr. Robert Peters (ex officio) Dr. Tony Allen (ex officio) Report: The reagents (antisera) have been available since early 1992 [NOTE: See announcement on p. 2 of this Newsletter]. A total of 14 laboratories (both for-profit and non-profit, and including one from abroad) have requested reagents. In late 1992, additional Laboratories have requested information about the reagents. The Committee has taken favorable action on a request for additional vials of some reagents. A final report on the preparation and characterization of these reagents is expected to be available by the end of 1993.

RESEARCH UPDATES: This feature will resume with the next issue of the Newsletter. Many thanks to Drs. Abigail Smith and Robert O. Jacoby for abstracts. Coming attractions: Lethal exacerbation of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in scid mice after infection by pneumonia virus of mice (PVM), from John B. Roths, Abigail L. Smith, and Charles L. Sidman [From the Journal of Experimental Medicine, in press] Characterization of acute rat parvovirus infection by in situ hybridization, from Diane J. Gaertner, Robert O. Jacoby, Elizabeth A. Johnson, Frank X. Paturzo, Abigail L. Smith, and Janet L. Brandsma [From Virus Research, in press] Experimental Sendai virus infection in aged BALB/c mice, from Robert O. Jacoby, Pravin N. Bhatt, and Stephen W. Barthold Identification and evaluation of new primer sets for the detection of lentivirus pro viral DNA, from Irwin H. Gel man, Jiaojiao Zhang, Eric Hailman, Hidesaburo Hanafusa, and Stephen S. Morse [From AIDS Res. Human Retroviruses 8:1981-1989 (December 1992)]
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