Upon invitation of the Uruguayan Association for Buiatrics, the 21st Congress of the World Association for Buiatrics was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from December 4 to 8, 2000. More than 1650 delegates from 56 countries participated in the scientific and social programmes.

B. Scientific programme

9 lectures, 166 oral, 402 poster and 5 video communications were presented on most topics related with buiatrics sciences. Several workshops, seminars and visits were also organised. The proceedings (with the abstracts) and the CD-rom (with the full papers) can be ordered from the organising committee :

fax: +598-2-9160220;

E-mail:rjsu(@adinet.com.uy

C. General Assembly of the World Association for Buiatrics (WAB)

During the WAB Committee Meeting and the WAB General Assembly, the following developments were discussed and approved:

C.1.Statement of account from July 2, 1998 to July 1, 2000 (in euros)

-) Balance on July 2,1998:	12536
-) Receipts:	10601
-)Expenses:	10057
-) Balance on July 1, 2000:	12880

C.2.Thanks to the sponsor of the WAB secretariat

 Merial was acknowledged for his financial support to the WAB secretariat.

C.3.Application of new groups and new contact members to the WAB

The Colombian Association for Buiatrics, the Tunisian Association for Buiatrics, the Euro­arabian Veterinary Association, and the Union of Arabian veterinarians have been accepted as affiliated groups to the WAB.

Drs Z.A. Correa (Colombia), H. Florez (Colombia), F. Kechrid (Tunisia), K.B. Letif (Iraq) and M. Methnani (Tunisia) have been accepted as contact members to the WAB.

C.4.Venue of the 23rd Congress of the World Association for Buiatrics in 2004

Quebec City in Canada was proposed by the Committee as the official venue of the 23rd Congress of the World Association for Buiatrics in 2004.
Further information can be obtained from Dr E. Bouchard
E-mail:bouchae @medvet.umontreal.ca

C.5.Venue of the 24th Congress of the World Association for Buiatrics in 2006

The candidatures and candidacy files must be sent in 15 samples to the WAB Secretariat before April 1, 2002. The candidacy files must contain detailed information on:
-) organising committee, scientific committee, potential major sponsors
-) geographical localisation
-) local infrastructure for conferences, accommodations and social activities
-) scientific programme (invited and free presentations, satellite symposia, joint meetings, professional visits and other potential proposals)
-) social programme
-) marketing for the promotion of the congress
-) proceedings, CD-rom and simultaneous translation
-) balance of the finances including the fees to the WAB (please contact the WAB secretariat for more details)
-) any other topic of potential interest for the selection of this venue.

The final decision will be taken by the WAB Committee on July 2002 in Hannover.

C.6.New WAB committee for 2000-2004

The WAB general assembly has nominated:
As President: Dr W. Baumgartner (Austria)
As Vice-Presidents: Drs R. Ugarte (Uruguay) and B. Rheinberger (Australia)
As Secretary General: Dr P. Lekeux (Belgium)
As Members: Drs E. Bouchard (Canada), J. Cannas da Silva (Portugal), R.G. Eddy (UK), S. El Amrousi (Egypt), W. Hoffmann (Germany), G. Jarrett (USA), T. Lam (The Netherlands), T. Nakao (Japan), H. Navetat (France), N. Jessen (Denmark) and 0. Szenci (Hungary).

The WAB general assembly has also nominated:
As Honorary President: Dr H. Breukink (The Netherlands)
As Honorary Vice-President (posthumously): Dr J. Gentile (Italy)
As Honorary Members: Drs K. Hamana (Japan) and A. Rosenbom (Denmark

D.2000 Pfizer Award

The winner of the 2000 Pfizer Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Advancement of Knowledge in the Origin and Treatment of Bovine Diseases Caused by Microorganisms (US$10.000) is Dr. Mathias Ackermann : e-mail: ma@vetvir.unizh.ch
Mathias Ackermann was born in 1951 in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
In 1977, he received his Diploma in Veterinary medicine at the University of Zurich.
After 2-year spent in practice and 2 year spent in the Institute of Virology, he presented his first thesis entitled: DNA of bovine herpesvirus 1 is present in the trigeminal ganglia of latently infected calves.
After a stay as research assistant at the University of Chicago, Dr Ackermann presented his second thesis entitled: The construction, selection, characterization, and application of recombinant herpes viruses.
Since 87, he is Deputy director of the federal vaccine Institute in Basle and, since 90, he is Full Professor for Virology at the Veterinary medical Faculty of the University of Zurich and Director of the Institute for Virology.
Dr Ackermann has largely and efficiently contributed to Bovine Sciences. Here is a non exhaustive list of his contribution concerning the Bovine Herpesviruses:
first description of the site of latency in the trigeminal ganglia; contributions to the knowledge of its pathogenesis; studies on vaccines; determination of its entire genomic sequence; identification and characterization of selected viral proteins; comparison and characterization of different virus types ; development of diagnostic tools; establishment of a molecular epidemiological data base; identification of the sources of new introductions of BHV-1 in Switzerland. Dr Ackermann has also formally demonstrated that Ovine Gamma-herpesvirus 2 is the agent of sheep-associated Malignant Catarrhal Fever in cattle.

E.2000 Merial Gustave Rosenberger Memorial Award.

The winner of the 2000 Merial Gustave Rosenberger Memorial Award (US$10.000) is Dr Eduardo Harry Birgel Junior from Brasil: e-mail: borges @usp.br
Dr Birgel Junior received his degree in veterinary medicine from the university of Sao Paulo in 1987, his MSc in 1992 from the same university and his doctoral thesis in 1994 from the Veterinary School in Hannover.
Since 1997, he is Professor of large animal medicine in the university of Sao Paulo. His main area of interest is bovine haematology, bovine foot diseases and small ruminants disorders. The grant will be used in order to support the bovine research programmes in the bovine clinic of the university of Sao Paulo.

F.22nd Congress of the World Association for Buiatrics

Site: Hannover, Germany
Date: July , 2002
Information: Dr H. Scholz
Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-3000 Hannover, Germany
Tel. : 49-511-8567243; Fax : 49-511-8567693
E-Mail: <rikli@rikli.tiho-hannover.de> or Henner.Scholz@tiho-hannover.de

G.Specialisation in Buiatrics

Dr W. Klee from Munich is chairing a working group on specialisation in Buiatrics in Europe.
fax: +49-89-3151923; e-mail: wolfgang.klee@med.vetmed.uni-muenchen.de

H.Further information

Any further information may be obtained from the WAB secretariat, c/o P. Lekeux, University of Liege, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,  Bat. 842, Sart Tilman , B-4000 Liege, Belgium. phone: 32-4-3664030; fax: 32-4-3662935
e-mail:pierre.lekeux@ulg.ac.be
WAB website: http://www.ulg.ac.be/fmv/wab.htm
WAB internet forum: <buiatrics@lists.ulg.ac.be>