Dear Colleagues, We are writing to invite you to participate in a one-day workshop to be held at the 21st Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on 25 October 2014. The workshop will take place on Saturday, October 25th, and is titled Research and Management of Novel Infectious Diseases in Reptiles and Amphibians. We are sponsored by the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians, The Wildlife Societys Wildlife Disease Working Group, and Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, and. We are looking for participation from the broadest group of wildlife researchers, managers, veterinarians, and educators as possible in order to strengthen knowledge, communication, and collaboration among this diverse group of professionals who are dealing with the threat of emerging diseases in ectothermic vertebrates.
A full description of the program can be found below. Participants are asked to fill out a questionnaire on reptile and amphibian disease observations that we are asking each participant to fill out and bring to the workshop. If you have relevant information that is not published and would be willing to share, please consider sending us back the questionnaire even if you cannot attend the workshop and send to the email address [email protected]. We have arranged for this workshop to be offered at the minimal expense ($10 for students, $25 for professionals). We hope to see many of you in October! -Kimberly, Anna, Terry, Matthew, and Valorie For questions, feedback, and to submit questionnaires, please contact us at: [email protected] Workshop: Research and Management of Novel Infectious Diseases in Reptiles and Amphibians Organizers: Kimberly Andrews, PhD, Univ. of Georgia and Georgia Sea Turtle Center Anna Savage, PhD, Smithsonian Institution /University of Central Florida Terry Norton, DVM, Dipl. ACZM, Georgia Sea Turtle Center Matthew Allender, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACZM, IL Natural History Survey Prairie Research Inst. Valorie R. Titus, PhD, Green Mountain College Endorsing Organizations: ARAV (Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians) TWS Wildlife Disease Working Group PARC (Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation) Statement of Purpose: We will bring together experts in reptile and amphibian ecology, epidemiology, management, immunology, and evolution to address the state of the knowledge, best practices, and current and future priorities for infectious disease threats. A combination of expert presentations, round table discussions, and break out groups will be employed to produce protocols for biosecurity measures and standardization of surveillance and outbreak management, and public awareness initiatives for broad dissemination within the herpetology community. Abstract: Emerging infectious diseases have become of increasing concern in both free-ranging and captive wildlife populations. Much of the attention focusing on wildlife disease in herpetofauna has been directed at amphibians and chytrid, although recent information on emergent diseases in both free-ranging and captive reptile populations suggests that research and management for reptiles should also be considered a conservation priority. In particular, turtles are demonstrating a pervasive trend in co-infections of diseases such as ranavirus (also found in amphibians), herpesvirus, mycoplasma, and adenovirus. Further, snake fungal disease has been documented in a growing number of species across a geographic range. Veterinarians, biologists, and managers have been engaging in discussions and workshops to establish the state of the science and to direct where we need to further focus our scientific inquiries. However, more advanced collaboration is needed both within and among these groups not only for targeting research priorities, but also towards standardization of protocols for sample collection, diagnostic procedures, and information sharing. Additionally, we must continue to identify progressive and proactive ways to discover novel diseases and the technology that can mitigate spread and reduce rates of infection. This proposed workshop will focus on the identification, surveillance, and management of novel infectious diseases in reptiles and amphibians. Specifically, our objectives are to integrate information on current knowledge, research priorities, sampling protocols, and management approaches among professional herpetologists, with the goal of producing tangible, standardized guidelines for designing, conducting and disseminating work related to emerging infectious diseases in herpetofauna. Audience: Wildlife Biologists (multi-disciplinary) Habitat Managers Veterinarians Zoo, Husbandry, and Rehabilitators State and Federal Agencies Agenda: 8:30-9:00 Introduction: Why are we here? Wildlife health, infectious pathogens, and what we all do Kimberly Andrews, PhD, Univ. of Georgia and Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Anna E. Savage, PhD, Smithsonian Institution 9:00-10:30 Epidemiology of infectious diseases in herps: an overview Matthew Allender, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACZM, Illinois Natural History Survey Prairie Research Institute 10:30-11:15 Discovery of novel diseases and co-infection James Wellehan, DVM, PhD, University of Florida 11:15-12:00 Sample collection and disease transmission prevention techniques Terry Norton, DVM, Dipl. ACZM, Georgia Sea Turtle Center 12:00-12:20 Reaching a broader audience, within and outside of your profession Valorie Titus, PhD, Green Mountain College 12:20-1:45 Lunch 1:45-2:45 Lightning round (participants take two minutes to touch upon their field, perspective on the problems, and any relevant information from the questionnaire they filled out in advance) 2:45-5:50 Task Groups (develop products that will progress the scientific field toward more standardized field and laboratory approaches and to develop more effective communication standards both internal and external to the scientific community) Pick two of three, swap groups at 4:15pm, or can stick with one the entire time. Discussion and task development will be continuous and not conducted as two repeated sessions. Biosecurity Protocols Terry Norton standardization of existing protocols and updates based on recent research findings Surveillance and Outbreak Management Matthew Allender sampling design, pros and cons of different sample collection techniques, and diagnostic analysis protocols Communicating the Science Valorie Titus target audience [biologist community, general public] and materials, census of existing resources 5:15-5:45 Task Group Debriefing and Announcements *Coffee will be available throughout the workshop and breaks can be taken as needed. 6:30-8:30 Dinner/Social Courthouse Tavern
