1. PRRS virus meets its match with AI-powered vaccine innovation
Chowdhury's research team identified 75 epitopes and designed 56 immunogens - short fragments of proteins that could be potential vaccines.
By Dave Roepke, Iowa State University
April 8, 2026
The wave-shaped chart Ratul Chowdhury pulls up on a computer monitor in his office captures the evolutionary cat-and-mouse game his research lab is up against.
The undulating curves track variants of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, which causes a swine disease that annually costs the global pork industry more than $1 billion - damage attributable in part to how quickly it adapts to escape from immune defenses. The PRRS virus has one of the fastest evolutionary rates among known animal-infecting RNA viruses, said Chowdhury, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at Iowa State University.
The ability of the PRRS virus to change quickly gives it an evasive capacity that impedes effective vaccination. As hogs' immune systems figure out how to grab hold of the virus, new variants emerge even more rapidly. That's what the peaks in the wave graph suggest: the PRRS virus intensifying its mutations in search of designs that won't trigger an immune response, like a burglar testing different ways to bypass a home security system.
Vesicular Stomatitis Outbreak Update: 2 New Affected Premises Confirmed in Arizona
The premises are located in Yavapai County.
EDCC Health Watch
EquiManagement.com
April 8, 2026
According to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, two new vesicular stomatitis (VSV)-positive equine premises have been identified in Yavapai County, Arizona.
Additionally, since March, four previously affected premises have been released from quarantine, including one in Gila County, one in Maricopa County, and two in Yavapai County.
Since October 2025, VSV has been identified at 13 equine premises in Arizona, as well as in one wild horse from the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group in the Tonto National Forest. All confirmed cases have been vesicular stomatitis New Jersey virus (VSNJV) serotype.
The last outbreak of VSV in the U.S. occurred from May 2023 through January 2024, affecting 319 premises across California, Nevada, and Texas. VSV circulates annually between livestock and insect vectors in southern Mexico and only occasionally results in incursion to the U.S.
Fifteen California Horses Test Positive for EIA
EDCC Health Watch
TheHorse.com
April 8, 2026
Fifteen horses at a facility in Stanislaus County, California, have tested positive for equine infectious anemia (EIA). Euthanasia was elected by owners for these horses and was witnessed by California Department of Food and Agriculture veterinarians on March 24 and April 7. Twelve exposed horses will remain under quarantine until their 60-day retest.
Full text: https://thehorse.com/1143377/15-california-horses-test-positive-for-eia/
3. USDA Releases Updated New World Screwworm Response Playbook
APHIS Press Release
April 8, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC- April 8, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is sharing the updated New World Screwworm (NWS) Response Playbook, a comprehensive guide designed to support coordinated, science-based action should NWS be detected in the United States.
"USDA continues to execute Secretary Rollins' five-pronged plan to keep NWS out of the United States," said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, Dudley Hoskins. "While we are aggressively safeguarding American agriculture and working with Mexico to prevent further northward spread, we must also ensure that our domestic response plans are ready for immediate activation. Strong coordination with states, producers, veterinarians, sportsmen, and other partners is essential to achieving that goal."
The updated Playbook outlines critical science-based strategies for Federal, state, tribal, and local responders, including how to:
Coordinate response operations
Reduce spread and prevent establishment of NWS in new areas
Manage the pest in infested animals
Implement NWS fly surveillance and control measures
Maintain continuity of business
Support efficient information flow and situational awareness
4. Researchers work toward safer poultry litter adsorbent
Auburn team developing litter amendment that reduces gas emissions and phosphorus runoff and suppresses pathogens.
By Kacey Watson
Feedstuffs
April 7, 2026
In Alabama, chickens outnumber humans by the millions and handily claim the top spot among Alabama's agricultural commodities.
Even as an Alabama powerhouse, the poultry industry has its challenges, and Auburn researchers are looking for new solutions.
In a new initiative, Auburn researchers are developing strategies to reduce gas emissions from poultry houses and improve animal welfare for poultry production.
The effort is funded by the Alabama Department of Economic & Community Affairs, and Gov. Kay Ivey awarded this and other projects to advance agricultural innovation. The research is conducted through the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station.
Full text: https://www.feedstuffs.com/poultry/researchers-work-toward-safer-poultry-litter-adsorbent
5. USDA Funds $2M Project to Test Novel Antiviral Fogging Technology Against Avian Influenza
Weekly Voice
April 7, 2026
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. PRNewswire/ - A research team led by Purdue University, with partners Entomol and 1,4Group, has been awarded $2 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to evaluate a novel antiviral fogging technology to combat high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) which remains a serious threat to poultry health and the global food supply.
The project's lead investigator is Dr. Ekramy Sayedahmed, Assistant Professor of Poultry Medicine at Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine. His research focuses on avian influenza vaccines and molecular virology. "At Purdue University, our research team along with Entomol will develop a new therapeutic approach using hydrogenated catmint oil (HCO), a product of Entomol Products, LLC, to directly target and inhibit the virus in poultry environments. This innovative method has the potential to significantly reduce viral spread, offering farmers a practical solution to protect their flocks," said Dr. Ekramy Sayedahmed, Assistant Professor of Poultry Medicine at Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine.
6. UMaine leading international study to develop rapid noninvasive disease detection for Atlantic salmon farms
Univ. of Maine
April 7, 2026
Understanding the source of stress and disease can be difficult, especially if the subject of stress is a fish, or even thousands of fish.
Detecting and diagnosing stress and disease is a major challenge for aquaculture farms, where keeping fish happy helps them thrive. In fish, stress can be hard to detect before it becomes problematic, and testing for the source of stress usually requires physical examination or biopsy, which are invasive and often lethal.
An international team of researchers led by the University of Maine is trying to change this by developing noninvasive, rapid tests that can detect stress and disease without touching the fish, just the water in which they swim.
Scientists from UMaine, Dublin City University (DCU) and Queen's University Belfast, plan to develop a new testing method that uses environmental RNA (eRNA) so aquaculture farmers can monitor fish health more quickly, efficiently and humanely.