Members of CVER are involved in a wide range of epidemiological research projects, on species ranging from shellfish to cows. Members of the group currently hold approximately $10,000,000 in research funding, from a wide range of sources. Some highlights of the research program are briefly described here. As the website is further developed, more details about the various research activities will be included. In the meantime, readers are encouraged to contact project leaders for more information on any of the research endeavours.
Maritime Quality Milk (MQM) is a new research and service centre at the Atlantic Veterinary College. The integrated research and service capacity of MQM is unparalleled in the Canadian dairy industry. MQM is developing and evaluating new technologies and will offer these productivity and disease surveillance services to the industry. Access to these services will improve raw milk quality at the farm gate and decrease the costs associated with monitoring and disease. Below is a brief description of our initial research program.
What is the incidence of new intramammary infections on Canadian dairy farms? MQM has assessed this.
MQM provided laboratory support for milk culturing and data collection programs to determine the risks for new mastitis infections on 95 farms across Canada in conjunction with the Canadian Bovine Mastitis Research Network.
If a cow gets mastitis, will antibiotics help cure her more quickly? MQM studied that.
This study developed treatment protocols, based on on-farm tests, which maximize cow health and welfare and decrease disease costs and overall farm antibiotic usage.
Do all cows need antibiotic treatment at the end of their lactation? MQM is evaluating that.
This project examines methods to identify cows for non-antibiotic alternatives to conventional antibiotic dry cow therapy.
Will de-worming dairy cows pay? MQM is developing an answer to that.
Conventional wisdom suggests that intestinal parasites have limited effects in mature dairy cows. Research at AVC has demonstrated that certain herds have a marked production response to treatment. This project has developed guidelines for the use of a milk test to predict treatment effectiveness.
What diagnostic testing program works best for Johne's disease? MQM is studying that.
Johne's disease has emerged as an important intestinal disease of cows and causes major economic hardship on effected farms. This project will maximize the performance of available testing programs.
Is antibiotic resistance related to mastitis treatment? MQM is assessing this.
This study is examining resistance patterns of the 5 most frequently isolated mastitis pathogens and relate the resistance patterns to farm antibiotic use, particularly for clinical mastitis and dry cow therapy.
Do bedding materials affect the growth of mastitis causing bacteria? MQM is studying this.
This project will examine the ability of 5 different bedding materials (straw, wood shavings, sand, peat and recycled manure solids) to promote the growth of mastitis associated bacteria.
What causes variability in Iodine levels in bulk tank milk? MQM is evaluating this.
MQM is leading a national project to uncover the sources of variability in bulk tank milk iodine concentration and to develop additional programs to moderate this variability.
MQM has a broad goal of increasing the economic value created by Atlantic Canada’s dairy-based food industries through research-validated technological services. MQM will help the regional dairy industry meet the quality challenges inherent in the competitive food industry. MQM receives funding from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s Atlantic Innovation Fund.
A comparable research development effort in fin fish research is being led by Dr. Larry Hammell. With over $2,100,000 in funding from Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) and $2,500,000 matching funding from producers and pharmaceutical manufacturers, the AVC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences (AVC-CAHS) has developed the research infrastructure for carrying out large scale randomized controlled trials and production studies – primarily in the Bay of Fundy and in Newfoundland. AVC-CAHS provides tank-based evaluations of various disease intervention strategies to enable pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and other health modulators, to be delivered to the field testing stages and ultimately to the fish farmers. A key component of the epidemiology research has been to develop methods to assess the growth and survival at the individual fish level maintained in cages at different production sites. Although massive in the amount of monitoring required, this research has provided unique insights into the influences on productivity enabling producers and veterinarians to better manage health of salmon, halibut, and cod. This evidence-based health management also influences government policy for the control of major disease issues such as Infectious Salmon Anemia.
The CBMRN is a national research network, based at the U. of Montreal, but CVER Members are playing key roles in this network. This research effort has strong financial support from NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council) along with support from producer groups (including Dairy Farmers of Canada, and the Dairy Farmers of PEI, NS and NB), Tech PEI and other funding sources. A key component of the research effort is a two-year cohort (follow-up) study involving over 90 Canadian dairy herds in 6 provinces. This major research effort has brought together researchers across the country in one of the largest animal health research endeavours ever undertaken in Canada. There are three major research projects based at UPEI.
Dr. Ian Dohoo is leading a study into the dynamics of, and methods for monitoring, new intramammary infections in dairy cattle. Prior to this study, virtually all mastitis research has been based on the prevalence of mastitis (that amount present in a herd at a point in time). This project focuses on the incidence of new infections (the rate at which new infections are forming in a herd). The three objectives of the project are: to determine the incidence rate of new infections in Canadian dairy herds, to develop methods of monitoring new infection rates in dairy herds (using readily available data) and, to determine which management factors are associated with high incidence rates of new infections.
Dr. Greg Keefe is leading a study evaluating rapid on-farm mastitis pathogen identification systems. The first phase of this study involves comparing several existing technologies (bi-plates, tri-plates, and petrifilm culture systems) with standard bacteriological methods to determine the most effective method for guiding on-farm treatment decisions. The second phase of the project will involve a controlled trial of a single system in a number of dairy herds to evaluate the effect of use of the system on treatment success.
Dr. J McClure (in partnership with Dr. Herman Barkema of the Univ. of Calgary) is leading a study into the association between antimicrobial usage in mastitis treatment and control and the development of antimicrobial resistance. This study involves regular monitoring of both antimicrobial resistance patterns and antimicrobial usage on all of the farms on the national cohort study of the CBMRN.
Although not formally linked to the CBMRN, Dr. Jeff Wichtel is leading a project looking into the relationship between Se levels and the incidence of new intramammary infections in dairy cattle. The work is being carried out in dairy herds located in both Canada and Columbia and is supported by both Alltech Inc. and internal research funds.
The shellfish research program is lead by Dr. Jeff Davidson and has financial support from both Provincial and Federal Fisheries Departments and NSERC. The two main foci of the research effort are on farm management practices including disease control on shellfish farms and mitigation strategies for aquatic invasive species (eg. tunicates) which have serious negative consequences on the mussel industry.
The Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre (located at the AVC) is supporting a number of research projects involving CVER Members. Dr. J McClure is studying the prevalence of methicilin-resistant Satphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficle in horses admitted to the AVC Veterinary Teaching Hopsital. Dr. Jeff Wichtel is evaluating methods of ameliorating selenium deficiency in horses in PEI. Dr. Ian Dohoo is collaborating on a project being run by Dr. Susan Dohoo into the longevity of Standardbreds in PEI.
Dr. Henrik Stryhn leads a program of research into statistical methods of importance in veterinary epidemiological studies. Coupled with this are numerous international training courses in advanced level methods that are put on in PEI and other locations around the world. The topics covered include mixed models (multilevel models and repeated measures), survival analysis methods, Bayesian methods, risk analysis and meta-analysis.
Dr. John VanLeeuwen continues to lead research into the extent, factors, and impacts of production limiting infectious diseases of dairy cattle, in particular Neospora caninum, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, bovine leucosis virus, and bovine viral diarrhea virus. This research has been funded by numerous sources across Canada, including Dairy Farmers of Canada, the Production Limiting Diseases Committee, and provincial governments and dairy producers’ associations.
Dr. Shawn McKenna leads a Johne's disease research program exploring the validity of new herd level Johne’s diagnostic tests. The primary focus is validation of environmental testing for the presence of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis bacterium for herd level infection status. Additional work will be to validate milk ELISA tests along with working towards a bulk tank PCR test. In conjunction with this will be the implementation of the National Prevention Program in Atlantic Canada and looking at the long term impact of risk determination/avoidance and best management practices for decreasing herd prevalence.
Dr. Greg Keefe is leading a research project which aims to develop and validate models for prediction of infection status in late lactation dairy cows, to facilitate selective dry cow therapy decisions, Dry cow therapy, for treatment of existing infections and prophylaxis of new infections, is the most common reason for use of antimicrobials in dairy cattle. Alternatives to antibiotic use (internal teat sealants) exist, but are used as adjuncts to (in combination with) antibiotics because timely, cost-effective methods to determine the presence of existing infection (requiring antibiotics) are not available. This project examines a number of existing data tools and new modalities to identify cows for non-antibiotic dry cow therapy.
Dairy Farmers of Canada, NSERC, Merial Canada, and SVANOVA Biotech AB are all contributing to a large multi-site study evaluating an immunologic approach to monitoring parasite burdens in dairy cattle. Led by Dr. Ian Dohoo, this multi-year research project will determine how best to use results from an Ostertagia ostertagi antibody ELISA to make parasite control program decisions in Canadian dairy herds.
Giardia and Cryptosporidia in Cattle (2005 – 2008) - Dr. J McClure ( in partnership with Dr. Herman Barkema of the Univ. of Calgary) is carrying out research on the prevalence and potential water contamination of Giardia and Cryptosporidia in dairy, beef and swine farms in PEI. This work includes genotyping to determine the true zoonotic potential of these parasites. This work is supported by Health Canada.
Antimicrobial resistance (2007) - Drs. J McClure and Carol McClure in collaboration with Dr. Anne Muckle and the PEI Food Technology Centre has completed a pilot surveillance study of antimicrobial resistance patterns of bacterial isolated from retail meat in Atlantic Canada. It is expected that this pilot project will expand into continuous ongoing surveillance as part of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s CIPARS program later this year.
Agroecosystem Health
Dr. John VanLeeuwen leads a research program that investigates the extent of environmental problems in agricultural ecosystems along with factors and impacts on human and animal health associated with these problems. Chemical and biological water pollutants are of particular focus. This research is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the RURAL Centre, and other provincial and federal government funding sources.
Dr. John VanLeeuwen leads research in Kenya and Ethiopia to determine current levels of productivity of smallholder dairy farms and to identify and encourage factors contributing to higher levels of sustainable dairy production and their impacts on family livelihoods, including nutrition, health, and quality of life. This research is affiliated with teaching and service activities in which he is involved, primarily supported by the Canadian International Development Agency, Veterinarians without Borders Canada, and Farmers Helping Farmers in PEI.
Dr. John VanLeeuwen collaborates with researchers in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario and Britain on a large project looking at the patterns and factors related to gastrointestinal parasitism in organic and conventional sheep farms in Canada. Factors related to over-wintering of gastrointestinal parasites in sheep and on pasture, peri-parturient rises in gastrointestinal parasites, and anthelmintic resistance of gastrointestinal nematodes are also being investigated. This multi-year project is funded by NSERC, along with many other sources.
Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research
