WAAVP/Pfizer award for excellence in teaching veterinary parasitology: teaching of veterinary parasitology--quo vadis?

Some thoughts on training and recruitment of academic teachers and future trends in teaching veterinary parasitology are presented with emphasis on the European situation. It is underlined that research is an indispensable basis for academic teaching. Besides a broad scientific background of the teacher, motivation and teaching methods are also important. Many academic teachers do not receive formal training in teaching methods. In order to improve future education, training of staff members in teaching methods should be promoted. Quality control of teaching and research, already established in many schools, should generally be introduced. Teaching is mostly underestimated in relation to research. Therefore, more weight should be placed on the former both in selecting scientists for the career as academic teachers and in evaluating and ranking departments for their academic activities. In the future veterinary medicine will have to cope with profound changes in the society and the veterinary profession, and the progressing European unification will enhance trends for internationalizing teaching curricula. Therefore, veterinary medicine has to reconsider the teaching subjects and methods and to lay more emphasis on flexibility, skills of problem-solving and self-learning and on training for life-long learning. At present there is an ongoing discussion on the question how to teach veterinary medicine, including veterinary parasitology. There are various options, and some of them are discussed, namely, the disciplinary and the problem-based/organ-focussed approaches. It is concluded that for teaching of veterinary parasitology and related disciplines a combined disciplinary and problem-based approach offers the best chances for fulfilling the requirements of teaching for the future. In the curriculum of undergraduate teaching of veterinary medicine at least 70-90 h should be dedicated to veterinary parasitology using a disciplinary and taxonomic approach. Additional hours are required for instructions on clinical cases in approaches focussed on animal species and/or organ diseases. As there is a need for discussing teaching issues, post-graduate specialization, and continuing education in parasitology and related disciplines on national and international levels, it is recommended to WAAVP to include regular workshops on teaching in the programmes of the biannual conferences, and to establish a permanent committee which should collect information and submit proposals for improvement of teaching veterinary parasitology.     

A survey of cattle producers in the Boophilus microplus endemic area of Queensland to determine attitudes to the control of and vaccination against tick fever

SUMMARY: A survey by mail was used to determine the views of beef producers in the Boophilus microplus endemic area of Queensland on the control of and vaccination against tick fever. Data from 448 questionnaires were analysed, representing 2.7% of beef producers in the survey area. Producers considered buffalo fly ( Haematobia irritans exigua ) infestation as the most important problem whereas tick fever ranked sixth overall. Private veterinarians were regarded as the most important source of information on vaccines for cattle followed by a weekly rural newspaper. From the survey we estimate that about 33% of producers used the tick fever vaccine produced by the Tick Fever Research Centre of Queensland Department of Primary Industries but there were significant (P < 0.05) variations between regions and herds. Large herds (≥ 400 head) in south-east Queensland were the most likely to be vaccinated against tick fever. Of the producers who did not use the vaccine, over 70% replied that there was no need to vaccinate because of the low risk of the disease in their herds. In 52% of unvaccinated herds the treatment of animals with acaricide was considered the most important means of tick fever control and 61% of these herds comprised Bos indicus x Bos taurus or Bos indicus cattle.     

三北防护林新无性系-美青杂种系列引进与苗期选择

１９９８年春从中国林科院的实验点甘肃临夏回族自治州林科所引入北方型美洲黑杨（Ｐ．ｄｅｌｔｏｉｄｅｓ）×青杨（Ｐ．ｃａｔｈａｙａｎａ）杂种无性系　１３７个,扦插在内蒙奈曼旗兴隆沼林场二分场。１９９８年秋选出　１３个无性系,加入我地区新近确定的推广无性系──白城　４１作对照,１９９９年建无性系测试圃,２０００年春平茬,２０００年秋对这　１３个无性系生长量和抗性的调查与评价,以白城　４１为对照,初步选择出　１０个无性系,高生长较对照大　３０％以上的有　４个,２０％以上　５个;径生长大　５０％的　３个,３０％以上　２个,２０％以上　４个;所有无性系的抗锈病情况都好于对照。为丰富三北地区营造杨树农田防护林品种和改善三北地区杨树品种单一的问题有望选出新无性系。