Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae is a bacterium that infects pigs—usually on crowded, inhumane factory farms, where infectious diseases such as swine flu spread like wildfire. Erysipelas causes fever, chronic arthritis, heart inflammation, painful skin lesions, and often death. Up until a few weeks ago, most of us at PETA had never heard of erysipelas either.

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There is a vaccine for erysipelas, but each batch produced was tested by infecting pigs with the disease. The test caused the animals immense suffering, which was often followed by death. Enter PETA's scientists, whose heads are no doubt getting a little big right now, what with two big victories in one week.

In August, PETA's Regulatory Testing Division wrote to the USDA asking the agency to follow Europe's example and adopt a non-animal in vitro test for the erysipelas vaccine. We pointed out that the in vitro ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay—try saying that three times fast) test is more humane and is also much more reliable than simply administering the vaccine and seeing whether or not the pigs die. It also helps to ensure vaccine consistency.

Last week, we received a response from the USDA announcing that the test involving the use of pigs will no longer be used. The icing on the cake is that the USDA also said that it is moving away from a hideously cruel method that uses mice to produce antibodies and will instead use a cell culture–based system that is humane and reliable.

Not ones to rest on our laurels, we at PETA are also working to replace animal tests with in vitro tests for tetanus, hepatitis B, whooping cough, clostridium, and leptospirosis vaccines. Already, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is on board when it comes to ending the use of hamsters in the manufacture of leptospirosis vaccines—a decision that will save the lives of about 40,000 hamsters a year. Hopefully, we'll be able to report back with another victory soon.

Posted by Alisa Mullins

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Problem: You're head of an engineering firm hired to simulate and analyze a customer's fall in a Dollar General store in order to provide testimony in a lawsuit.

Solution(?): Get some goon to shoot a sensitive, intelligent pig in the head and then drop the pig's body repeatedly onto a concrete floor.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that killing a pig to mimic a human fall is inhumane and unnecessary, but that's exactly what Linda Weseman of Gainesville-based Weseman Engineering Inc. did.

Since shooting a pig execution-style violates USDA regulations, we filed a complaint with that agency in September 2008 after a whistleblower alerted us to the incident.

Exactly a year later, we learned that the USDA has issued Weseman three citations and a "serious warning" for violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA).

The following are the violations Ms. Weseman was cited for:

• Conducting experiments on an animal without being registered with the USDA
• Failure to have the experiment reviewed by an animal welfare oversight committee
• Failure to provide adequate veterinary care for the pig prior to the animal's death and failure to meet the requirements for euthanasia

Weseman also agreed never to do another experiment on a USDA-regulated animal again (so pigs are safe, but rats and mice beware).

In case those citations and a warning aren't enough to drive home the point for Ms. Weseman that sentient beings shouldn't be killed for pointless experiments, I suggest some compassion training with rescued piglets at her nearest animal sanctuary.

Posted by Heather Drennan

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When we heard that during a recent USDA inspection of Maximus Tons of Fun LLC—an elephant act performing with Shrine Circuses—inspectors found that Tina, Jewel, and Boo, three elephants traveling with Maximus Tons of Fun, have lost a combined 1,280 pounds over the last year, we were outraged.

While dropping some pounds to get your body beach ready may seem like a good idea for you, this amount of weight loss could indicate that these elephants are suffering from a potentially deadly illness or are not being provided with adequate food and proper nutrition. We've filed a complaint with the USDA and asked that it ensure that these elephants are taken off the road immediately.

This isn't the first time that Tina and Jewel have been in danger because of severe weight loss. In 2007, Tina and Jewel were traveling with Cole Bros. Circus when a whistleblower reported that the elephants were emaciated. After we filed a complaint with the USDA, the elephants were removed from the road to recover, but it wasn't long before they were forced to rejoin the circus.

We're hoping that the USDA will act swiftly to ensure that these animals are pulled off the road again—and this time, permanently.

Luckily, some people are getting the message that all elephants who are forced into the circus industry are plagued with chronic illness and lead lives full of misery. Garden City Circus and an entire city in Queensland, Australia, have completely removed animals from their circus performances.

Posted by Liz Graffeo

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Now that he's about to get out of jail, it looks like Michael Vick is trying to revamp his image, according to Advertising Age. But it won't be with any help from us.

PETA withdrew our offer to do a TV spot with Michael Vick last December when a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report on Vick's dogfighting activities revealed that he enjoyed placing “family pets” in the ring with fighting pit bulls and that he laughed as dogs ripped each other apart. PETA believes that this revelation, along with other factors in the report, fit the established profile for anti-social personality disorder (APD), so in January we called on NFL Commissioner Goodell to require that Vick undergo a brain scan and a full psychological evaluation before any decisions are made about the future of his football career.

What can I say? You can't believe everything you read.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

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Back in October, we told you about the geniuses (sarcasm alert) in Clay County, Florida, who decided that the best way to figure out whether a dog had died from heatstroke when an animal control officer left her in a sweltering truck was to—wait for it—put another dog in the sweltering truck and see if that dog would suffer horribly too. (Fortunately, he survived and was returned to the city animal shelter.)

Like I said: geniuses.

As you might expect, we filed a criminal complaint, but the prosecutor's office refused to take the case. So, because the Clay County brain trust had decided that they were qualified to conduct experiments on animals, we filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) because this impromptu experiment appeared to violate numerous Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations.

Now, the USDA has cited Clay County Animal Control for no less than five—count 'em, five—violations of the AWA. From the USDA's memo:

Clay County Animal Control does not have an IACUC [Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee]. No protocol was prepared, and a veterinarian was not consulted for this project. There were no searches for alternatives, nor were there any attempts to demonstrate that this project did not unnecessarily duplicate previous experiments.

The animal control brainiacs said that they didn't think that this kind of atrocity experiment was regulated, but, as the USDA official dryly noted, "I explained to them that this was." Apparently, the explanation was slow enough and used one-syllable words, because the violators understood it well enough to assure the USDA that "they will not perform any research activity in the future." Phew!

Clay County's dogs (and other animals) should be able to rest easier—and so should the human residents, as it's now likely that county officials will think twice before deciding that they're qualified to, say, perform open-heart surgery.

Posted by Jeff Mackey

Last week, PETA revealed shocking new undercover footage of cruelty to animals at AgriProcessors in Postville, Iowa, the world's largest kosher slaughterhouse. I'm thrilled to report that as a result, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a citation against AgriProcessors for violating the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.

PETA's video shows a worker making sawing cuts inside the gaping wounds in cows’ throats, after the shochet (religious slaughterer) has made the first cut and walked away. Federal law prohibits workers from making a second cut unless a shochet is supervising.

Temple Grandin, the world's foremost expert on slaughter methods, said the worker used a harsh "digging, gouging" motion on the second cut that would "definitely cause the animal pain" and is rarely necessary if the first cut is made properly. Grandin stated that the video "clearly showed that when they think nobody is looking, they do bad things in this plant."

AgriProcessors has clearly lost all support from Grandin. She recently said that there is "no point" to the visits. She added, "I've been in business 35 years, and I'm getting sick and tired of: They act good when you're there and they don't act good when your back is turned. They did the same thing for the rabbis they would do for me—put on a show."

Grandin isn't just all complaints—she has a plan to get rid of this cruel practice. Installing live-feed video cameras on the kill floor of the plant would help ensure that no animal is ever tortured at AgriProcessors again. Join PETA in backing Grandin's plan now!

Update: Just as I posted this entry, CNN reported that AgriProcessors and some of its executives have each been charged with more than 9,000 alleged violations of child labor laws. Cruelty to animals and alleged child labor! Looks like AgriProcessors is working overtime to win the award for "Most Despicable Company in America."

Posted by Carrie Ann Harris