Update - november 2020

Teaming up for animal health

GD-magazine - November 2020 - No. 2

update

EXPLAINING PTS

All you need to know

SALMONELLA SAMPLING

How to achieve the right results

INTRODUCING SUPPORT TEAM

The people behind the inbox

AHEAD IN ANIMAL HEALTH

Proficiency testing schemes in 2021 Why participate?

• Evaluate the performance of your laboratory

Cat. no.

• Maintain or achieve ISO 17025 accreditation

Round 1 VLDIA234

PTS PRRSV antibody detection

• Identify inter-laboratory differences

VLDIA290

PTS PRRS virus detection

VLDIA225

PTS IBV antibody detection

• Identify problems within your laboratory

VLDIA296

PTS IB virus detection

• Provide additional confidence to your customers

Proficiency testing scheme

Closing date Final submission report + test results certificate

Closing date registration

Shipment samples

January 8

Week 4

March 15

Week 19 2021

February 5

Week 8

April 16

Week 23

March 5

Week 12

May 15

Week 27

April 2

Week 16

June 11

Week 31

April 30

Week 20

June 25

Week 31

Round 2 VLDIA294

PTS App antibody detection

VLDIA285

PTS PCV2 detection

VLDIA340

NEW

PTS Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae antibody detection

VLDIA226

PTS Mycoplasma (Mg/Ms) antibody detection

VLDIA303

PTS Mycoplasma (Mg/Ms) bacteria detection

Round 3 VLDIA336

PTS MAP antibody detection (serum)

VLDIA337

PTS MAP antibody detection (milk)

VLDIA338

PTS MAP antibody detection (milk and serum)

VLDIA322

PTS MAP detection

VLDIA219

PTS NDV antibody detection

VLDIA328

PTS ND virus detection

VLDIA313

PTS EDS antibody detection

Round 4 VLDIA172

PTS IBDV antibody detection (Gumboro)

VLDIA314

PTS IBD virus detection (Gumboro)

VLDIA286

PTS for BVD vius and antigen detection

VLDIA235

PTS SRLVs (MVV/CAEV) antibody detection

Round 5

View the entire schedule: www.gdanimalhealth.com/pts/timeschedule

VLDIA323

PTS Bacterial Identification cattle

VLDIA324

PTS Antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial strains cattle

VLDIA323

PTS Bacterial Identification poultry

VLDIA324

PTS Antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial strains poultry

VLDIA323

PTS Bacterial Identification companion animals

VLDIA324

PTS Antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial strains companion animals

preface

LOOKING FORWARD The world is still struggling with COVID-19 and the pandemic has had an impact at Royal GD too. All the international conferences and fairs at which we enjoy meeting you and our potential clients have been cancelled. We haven’t been able to deliver training sessions for large groups in Deventer or on location. Meetings and consultancy visits have been cancelled or postponed.

In our home market of the Netherlands, GD was asked to provide support with research into outbreaks of COVID-19 in mink.

Our R&D department produced and validated a SARS-CoV2-Mink ELISA in just a few weeks, delivering a proper screening tool.

Veterinarians from right across GD were recruited to collect blood samples on the mink farms. Some of them also participated in confirmation visits to take throat swabs, which were analysed using our PCR test. In close cooperation with the local authorities and other research institutes, we were able to establish the COVID situation in mink. Sadly, a lot of farms received positive results, and the mink were culled because they are a

threat to public health.

Our R&D department was also able to test over 2,000 human coronavirus samples per day. This number is still too low to meet demand, so we will be increasing our capacity. As a laboratory with a veterinary background, we were initially seen as ‘dirty’, but the Dutch government now wants us to offer support in order to provide sufficient capacity for human testing; we just use a different machine and basics for our PCRs and we have fewer problems with availability of these.

The whole COVID-19 testing programme was developed alongside our normal veterinary diagnostics: our livestock samples remained at a normal level. I hope this was also the case in your area.

Royal GD wishes to help you to prevent any problems in your animals through staff training, technical lab consultancy, monitoring advice and knowledge about animal diseases.

Rogier van Leeuwen, Business Developer

04 Salmonella sampling: achieving the

CONTACT INFORMATION ROYAL GD

right results

If you want to know more about what GD can do for you, please contact one of our staff members, responsible for international sales:

Eveline Peereboom

Rogier van Leeuwen

Business manager e.peereboom@ gdanimalhealth.com

Business developer r.vanleeuwen@ gdanimalhealth.com

Mattheus Hekman

Jarno Smit

Business developer m.hekman@ gdanimalhealth.com

Product manager GD Academy j.smit@ gdanimalhealth.com

Anita Morelisse

Annemiek Kolkman

Coordinator GD Academy a.morelisse@ gdanimalhealth.com

Senior account manager a.kolkman@ gdanimalhealth.com

Fanny Nieuwenhuis

Frank Huis in ‘t Veld

Senior account manager f.nieuwenhuis@ gdanimalhealth.com

Sales support f.huisintveld@ gdanimalhealth.com

Monique Kleinlugtenbeld

Ellen Koetsier

Sales support support@ gdanimalhealth.com

Sales support support@ gdanimalhealth.com

content

07 Staying in touch digitally 04 07

08 Explaining the profiency testing schemes (PTS)

10 Get to know us: introducing our support team

11 News and communications

Phone In the Netherlands 0900-1770, Outside the Netherlands +31 (0)570-63 33 91 | E-mail info@gdanimalhealth.com | Website www.gdanimalhealth.com Mail address GD P.O. Box 9, 7400 AA Deventer, the Netherlands | Delivery address for samples and post mortem material GD, CMD, Arnsbergstraat 7, 7418 EZ Deventer, the Netherlands.

12 GD specialist: Kees van Maanen

08

Update, November 2020 - 3

SALMONELLA SAMPLING

Achieving the right result begins outside the chicken house Salmonella seems to be inextricably linked with poultry farming. Not so much due to a general belief that all salmonella comes from chickens, but because of the many measures put in place in the sector to prevent salmonella and reduce the risk to humans. One important measure within the EU is the determination of the salmonella status of each flock by collecting samples from the chicken house. But what is the correct way to take a sample and how can you reduce the chances of a false positive result?

If the salmonella status of a flock is determined, products (such as eggs) from flocks infected with salmonella can be processed separately and undergo additional processing where necessary.

This prevents vertical transmission and ensures that the food delivered to consumers is safe. As (part of) the costs for this processing are borne by the poultry farmer, a positive salmonella sampling will have a significant impact on business operations and the financial results. For layers, in the case of a positive result, it is sometimes possible to request a confirmation sampling by the government. For broilers and breeders, this option is not available. It is therefore important to minimise the chance of crosscontamination or sample mix-ups during sample collection and at the laboratory. Usually, you cannot see if an animal is infected with salmonella, so it is entirely possible that one of the houses or the farm is infected.

What you will need to take a salmonella sample.

What you should not do. Ensure hygienic sample collection.

4 - Update, November 2020

salmonella

2

3

1 Wash your hands

Label sample packaging

Aseptic or sterile sampling equipment

7 6

4 5

Walk around wearing boot swabs

Put onboot swabs

9

Disinfect hands or put on gloves

Put on clean boots or overshoes as you cross the threshold

10

8 Seal the boot swabs in pots or bags in the house

Disinfect hands or take off gloves

Start from step 4 again at the next house

11

Once you have finished sampling all the houses: package the samples together, add a submission form and send to your laboratory

How to get started A hygienic sample collection always starts with clean and aseptic or sterile sampling equipment, so this should not be stored on a dusty shelf but in a clean cupboard. You should also wash your hands before you start the sample collection.

Label the sample pot or sample bag with the farm number, house number and the sample collection date, so that the sample can always be traced back to the house it was taken from.

Then go to the house and put on a pair of clean, house-specific boots or overshoes as you step over the threshold (i.e. as you step into the house). Disinfect your hands or put on gloves.

Put on the boot swabs and walk around the house. While still in the house, place the boot swabs in the sample pot or sample bag and then seal it. Put the pot(s) or bag(s) down outside the house. Disinfect your hands again and repeat the process in

the next house. Make sure that the sampling equipment used in the next house is not contaminated by material from the previous house.

I’ve finished taking the samples, what’s next?

Once you’ve finished taking the samples, gather them together and clean the outside of each pot or bag if necessary. If there is faecal matter or dust on the sample pot or sample bag, this can cause cross-contamination or even infection of the laboratory worker during handling of the samples. You will want to avoid this, for yourself and for others. Then package the samples in a second, leakproof bag to keep them together, possibly grouping them by house and by farm, and send them to the laboratory along with a completed submission form (not in the bag with the samples).

Update, November 2020 - 5

Hygienic sample collection is particularly important when verification is not an option: prevent an incorrect result.

Avoiding cross-contamination at the laboratory The way work is carried out at the laboratory is also determined to a large extent by the need to prevent crosscontamination. GD has a strong preference for sample pots, but this may vary from laboratory to laboratory. The large, sturdy opening at the top of a pot allows work to be carried

This is also an example of how you should not submit a salmonella sample

out more cleanly. They are less likely to fall over and are less likely to leak as they can be sealed tightly. In addition, separate areas are used for the different steps in the testing process in the lab. Of course all pots and dishes are individually labelled and separate sterile equipment is used for each sample. Two control samples are used to ensure that work in the laboratory is carried out hygienically. The positive control consists of a separate strain of salmonella that is distinguishable if it ends up in other samples. The negative control is a blank sample, so if salmonella grows here, cross-contamination has clearly taken place. And last but not least, the entry of the eventual result is double-checked to prevent input errors.

GD does everything it can to ensure a correct result. But achieving the right result starts in the chicken house. Because the system for the control of salmonella is successful in the Netherlands and most results are negative, mistakes often go unnoticed. So it is easy to simply walk from house to house. That does not usually cause problems, but if the first house is in fact infected, cross-contamination can occur in the other samples.

Hygienic sample collection is particularly important when verification is not an option, to prevent an incorrect result.

6 - Update, November 2020

webinars

Staying in touch using digital tools

Sharing our knowledge is an important part of what we do, also during the coronavirus pandemic. Not just with our Dutch clients, but worldwide. Since travel and face-to-face contact with our customers have been a bit tricky recently, we started to look for other ways to connect. One option is a webinar.

Webinars are a good solution and allow us to share our knowledge, despite the difficult circumstances. We do this from our own studio. We always try to create a connection during a webinar; there is always an opportunity to ask questions or answer interesting polls, for example. We have found that demand is high. Various parties with an interest in animal health, such as the government, pharmaceutical companies and partner companies, have asked us to create webinars.

A range of possibilities We are very happy to do this from our own studio. In addition to these kinds of live broadcasts, we can also bring in (co-)presenters to provide extra input. As the organiser, we arrange everything from the invitation to the event itself. Of course organising

your own webinar and inviting participants yourself is always an option too. In that case, GD would only present it.

Developing e-learning As an extension of these webinars, GD Academy is currently working to develop various e-learning modules. Our experts are providing input here too. They are not only closely involved in the development, they are also always open to contact, whether in the form of a discussion or a Q&A. This allows us to stay in touch and hopefully offer the knowledge and professional development opportunities you are looking for, also in the current circumstances. We have really enjoyed working on this interim solution, but we hope to see our participants back at our Academy in Deventer soon, once the coronavirus crisis is over.

If you have any questions or you would like to organise a webinar with GD, please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss the possibilities.

INTERESTED IN OUR WEBINARS? FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US VIA GDACADEMY@GDANIMALHEALTH.COM

Update, November 2020 - 7

EXPLAINED

Profiency testing schemes at GD GD has got one of the biggest veterinary laboratories in the world. We perform about 100,000 tests per week. In addition to laboratory diagnostics, we also produce antigens, monospecific antisera and reference sera at our facilities, for customers all over the world. PTS is a special product in this range.

PTS stands for proficiency testing scheme. Most laboratories want to know whether they are performing their tests correctly and they can check this by participating in a PTS. Laboratories must carry out proficiency testing on a regular basis. ISO 17025 requires laboratories to participate in a PTS to produce reliable results and maintain their accreditation. Most of our PTS are accredited under ISO 17043:2010 and we are also checked on a regular basis. This makes us a reliable partner to support other laboratories.

Why participate?

There are many good reasons to participate in proficiency testing schemes: • Evaluating the performance of the laboratory • Maintaining/achieving ISO 17025 accreditation • Providing additional confidence • Identifying inter-laboratory differences • Identifying problems How it works After receiving our PTS samples, the laboratories run the tests under normal, routine conditions. They can do this in duplicate.

The results can be reported using a customer-specific, protected online form. Once we receive the results, we perform a statistical analysis to check the differences between laboratories and within laboratories. Comparison with the results of other participating laboratories provides a better picture of how a laboratory is performing on a test. After participating in a PTS, a laboratory will receive a final report by email, stating the coded results as compared to the other participants and a certificate confirming that the laboratory participated in the PTS. Confidentiality is very important to us and our clients, so we give all participants a unique and confidential code for their results.

8 8- Update, - Update, November November 2020 2020

PTS

A PT is produced for a certain pathogen in/from a certain species.

At GD, a PT consists of samples with a specific amount of substance to test or nothing (and the laboratories should also find nothing).

For ELISA tests, we produce different numbers of antibodies and sometimes also antibodies against microorganisms closely related to the pathogen applied for. In a PT to check PCR results, we send samples in medium, serum or on FTA cards (visit our website www.gdanimalhealth.com/fta for more information) loaded with the genetic material of the applied microorganism, and for a PT for bacteriology we send out bacteria.

Possibilities for all sectors We have a wide range of PTS for poultry, swine, cattle, small ruminants and companion animals on different pathogens and laboratory tests. Laboratories from all around the world can participate. Please find our current portfolio at www.gdanimalhealth.com/pts.

Experts for extra help In the unfortunate event that a laboratory does not find the right amount or pathogen, we have a large pool of experts who can help you to find and solve the problem. Our expertise ranges from consultancy on bacteriology, ELISA and molecular biology to providing training for laboratory staff (locally or at our laboratory in the Netherlands).

We have already helped a large number of laboratories around the world to improve their product: reliable laboratory results.

INTERESTED IN OUR PTS? CONTACT US ON PTS@GDANIMALHEALTH.COM

Update, November 2020 - 9

get to know us

Our sales support team

Ellen Koetsier

Whether your question is about a particular submission, samples or an invoice, you will more than likely receive a reply from a member of our support team. After all that contact in writing, you might be interested to find out a little bit more about the people behind this inbox. So we would like to introduce you to Ellen, Monique and Frank.

Frank Huis in ‘t Veld

Monique Kleinlugtenbeld

Our Business Development and Contract Research & Consulting Support Team is always available if you have any questions. Ellen, Frank and Monique offer a great service and know just what is required. They can also provide you with information on the progress of your requests and orders. Please do not hesitate to contact them via support@gdanimalhealth.com.

1010 - Update, - Update, November November 2020 2020

All three actually carry out the same work: they are a point of contact for international customer questions, support account managers with creating contracts, manage projects and help customers to send in samples. They each have a different focus though. Ellen deals primarily with the organisation of trade fairs and Academy, Frank works with distributors and, on paper, Monique also has various secretarial duties related to scientific studies. But all three agree that the most important aspect of their work is that the customer comes first.

That’s why Frank is so pleased that international clients get in touch too. “That makes the job really enjoyable. You have contact with lots of different people and you can really help them. You manage contracts with big pharmaceutical companies, but you might be in contact with an individual farmer in South Africa too.” Ellen and Monique nod in agreement. “That contact is the best part of our job. Every question we receive from a customer is different, so it’s all about tailoring the response to meet their needs. You approach every question differently, but you always have the same aim: helping someone as quickly as possible and to the best of your abilities. The expertise within our company is very helpful in this respect.”

Arranging everything in time and providing the right support can sometimes be a race against time. Monique smiles: “We manage the importing of samples from non-EU countries and they undergo a customs check at Schiphol Airport. This is a complex process that requires the correct paperwork and the right timing at the airport. Then, when they get to GD on time, I think to myself: ‘Yes!’. If the right paperwork isn’t there, there is a risk that passage to GD can’t take place. ” All this is familiar to Frank and Ellen too. “It’s very important to know which rules apply where and when. They can sometimes be quite complex and they’re changing constantly, but the challenge is to offer everyone the right support.” Ellen continues. “All three of us want satisfied customers who have received the support they needed and who will come back to us the next time they have a question.”

news & communications

Locomotion problems in broilers Poultry veterinarians are being confronted in the field with locomotion problems in broilers, attributed to infection with the Enterococcus cecorum bacteria. The results of treatment with amoxicillin (an antibiotic commonly used to combat this bacteria) are often disappointing. This is possibly due to a shift in susceptibility of E. cecorum to amoxicillin. Another possible cause is the presence of other pathogens. Research conducted by GD into the susceptibility of E. cecorum shows that since 2015, there have been no perceptible shifts that indicate that the bacteria is becoming less susceptible to the antibiotic amoxicillin.

In necropsies on broilers where GD detected bacteria, Escherichia coli was isolated in 89 percent of the necropsies and Enterococcus cecorum in 29 percent.

In 18 percent of the cases, GD detected both E. coli and E. cecorum. In contrast to E. cecorum, GD did find a shift in the susceptibility of E. coli to amoxicillin. GD established that over the past years, resistance of E. coli to amoxicillin increased from 35.7 percent in 2016 to 47 percent in 2019. Therefore, in practice, treatment with amoxicillin may be effective in combating E. cecorum, but less so in combating E. coli.

Royal GD wins PRRS Award 2020 Erhard van der Vries, R&D researcher at Royal GD, has won the European PRRS Research Award 2020. This prize is awarded annually to three European research proposals that innovatively contribute to combating the PRRS virus. The winning proposal follows up on previous award-winning research by GD (PRRS Award 2018), and its purpose is to gain better insight into the occurrence, prevention and spread of so-called chimera PRRS viruses at European pig farms. GD will use the 25 thousand euro prize money, made available by Boehringer Ingelheim, to realise the project.

Upcoming activities GD Academy postponed Due to the ongoing global uncertainty regarding COVID-19, we decided to postpone our training programmes to 2021.

A new date will come as soon as possible. In the mean time we are developing several online e-learning modules so you can combine online with a face to face in one training programme. We expect to have these online trainings ready this autumn/winter. Are you interested in our upcoming or custom-made training programmes or webinars, please let us know: gdacademy@gdanimalhealth.com.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GD ACADEMY

Diagnostics We are still looking for partners and distributors around the world in order to broaden our client base. Please contact us if you think you could help us to support more clients.

More and more laboratories around the world rely on diagnostics produced in the GD facilities. We would like to thank all our users for their trust in our products. Our business is continuing to grow, despite the coronavirus. Integrations and producers still want to supply safe products and they do not want to lose money on sudden flare-ups of diseases. Royal GD can help you with prevention programmes.

WWW.GDANIMALHEALTH.COM/GDACADEMY

Read the whole article and more in our quarterly highlights report on poultry.

With these reports we keep you updated about all the actualities, trends and developments in the monitoring of animal health.

New distributor: Kazakhstan GD is working to establish an international distribution network; teaming up for animal health does not stop at the national borders. That’s why GD diagnostics are sold in more and more countries through distributors who can give you detailed information, answer questions and offer help with orders. We are happy to announce that we can add a new distributor to our list: Univet from Kazakhstan. Are you interested in becoming one of our distributors? Don’t hesitate and contact us.

MORE INFORMATION WWW.GDANIMALHEALTH.COM/DISTRIBUTORS

Update, November 2020 - 11

GD specialist: Kees van Maanen Royal GD specialists’ daily work is focused on gathering and sharing their extensive knowledge of animal diseases. Kees van Maanen, virologist, focuses primarily on infectious diseases in horses and participates in the FEEVA and FAO. There are two constants in Kees van Maanen’s life: his love of horses and his desire to contribute to improving the animal disease situation in developing countries, through his background in virology. These two passions come together at GD. “After working as head of a footand-mouth disease lab, I decided to begin training as a specialist in veterinary pathology. After the centralisation at GD I had a choice: I could become a pathologist or I could work as a virologist, heading the new R&D lab that was being set up. I went for the latter.”

Never stopped dreaming It was a decision that he never regretted for a moment, he says. “This role allowed me to explore my interest in research and I developed diagnostic tools across animal species together with my team.” That didn’t mean leaving his passion for horses behind though. “I have an extensive international network in the field of infectious diseases in horses and I participate in FEEVA (the Federation of European Equine Veterinary Associations).

During my PhD, I researched influenza and rhinopneumonitis in horses. At GD, I now work mainly as a veterinary microbiologist.” Although it was already a dream job, Kees still hadn’t stopped dreaming. “I really wanted to get more involved in international cooperation in the field of animal health in developing countries.”

Working international projects So he contacted the chief veterinary officer, who put him in touch with the EuFMD, a commission that operates within the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN. In the end GD allowed him to work part of his time as a freelance consultant to work international projects in developing countries. “My main focus here is the control of foot-and-mouth disease and similar diseases. I helped to improve lab diagnostics and develop and implement control plans to tackle foot and mouth disease in various countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.”

Passionate and proud A combination of activities that suits him perfectly. “GD is a great company and I love the fact that I can combine these activities and do what I’m passionate about.

The company has a lot to offer in terms of expertise, which is useful in both developed and developing countries. And I’m proud that I have the opportunity to be a part of that.”

P.O. Box 9, 7400 AA Deventer, the Netherlands, T. +31 570 633 391, www.gdanimalhealth.com, info@gdanimalhealth.com