The program kicks off Saturday, Aug. 6, with a timely symposium, “Emerging and Reemerging Zoonotic Diseases,” which will focus on zoonotic avian influenza outbreaks, particularly HPAI H5N1 and, most recently, H7N9 outbreaks in humans in China.

Led by featured speaker Robert O’Connor, DVM, Foster Farms, the five-hour session will also focus on data collection and analysis for effective disease prevention and control, as well as communicating science-based information to legislators, media and the general public. There will also be an update on the One Health initiative.

Scientific program

The conference’s three-day scientific program begins Sunday, Aug. 7, and features 232 oral and poster presentations on avian influenza, intestinal health, respiratory disease, immunity management, Marek’s disease, bacteria management, virology, diagnostics, food safety, flock welfare and related topics.

In addition, the scientific program will include a symposium, “Blackhead Disease of Poultry,” which is being held Monday, Aug. 8, with the support of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

FDA says it recognizes and shares the poultry industry’s concern about the limited number of available therapeutic options to treat blackhead disease (Histomoniasis), a serious threat to the turkey and game bird industry. The three-hour session, which will also be accessible online through an FDA-sponsored WebEx, seeks to build collaboration between the animal health industry, the turkey and gamebird industries and academia.

More highlights

The keynote speaker for this year’s AAAP conference will be Guillermo Zavala, DVM, who will present, “Emerging and Reemerging Poultry Diseases: An International Perspective.” Zavala is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Georgia and founder of the consulting firm Avian Health International.

The 2016 Lasher-Eckrade History Lecture, “The History of the First-Generation Marek’s Disease Vaccines: The Science and Little Known Facts,” will be presented by Karel A. Schat, DVM, professor emeritus at Cornell University.

This year’s AAAP conference will also introduce the AAAP Hall of Honor to recognize members who have made significant contributions to poultry health or the association. AAAP will initially induct 27 deserving members at its annual awards banquet.

The American Association of Avian Pathologists is an international association whose mission is to promote scientific knowledge to enhance the health, well-being, and productivity of poultry to provide safe and abundant food for the world. For more information about the 2016 AAAP conference, click here or visit aaap.info.