Couldn?t have done it without Dr. Gramer

December 21, 2007 — 

A recent news article from USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) regarding a newly identified swine influenza variant (reproduced in the December 19th edition of AASV e-Letter: New Swine Flu Has Avian Flu Genes) neglected to mention the important contribution of Dr. Marie Gramer and the folks at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Gramer's lab was the first to identify the H2N3 influenza virus that infected two groups of pigs at separate production facilities in 2006.

Thanks to Dr. Amy Vincent at the National Animal Disease Center for addressing this omission with the editors at ARS and for informing e-Letter as well. All of us in the swine veterinary profession recognize and appreciate Dr. Gramer's work particularly in the influenza arena. The corrected ARS article is now available online at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2007/071219.htm.