ABCD’s independence in scientific issues from any company or sponsor was and is still one of the highest priorities. It has to be acknowledged that Merial, now Boehringer Ingelheim, respected this demand, so that ABCD’s recommendations always were solely based on the decisions of the Board members as experts in the field of feline infectious diseases. To demonstrate this even more clearly, at the last Board meeting it was decided to have more than one sponsor. ABCD is very glad to welcome VIRBAC as sponsor, additionally to Boehringer Ingelheim. Another important issue is that ABCD makes a lot of efforts to keep all the Guidelines available (currently 48) as much as possible on the current scientific knowledge. Therefore the Board members will meet in November to discuss the existing guidelines and decide about updates. The results will be reported on the website and by the monthly newsletters.

Upon a joint initiative of veterinary clinicians, scientists and an industry sponsor, the Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD) has been constituted. In 2005, ABCD held its first meeting in Lyon, France. Its objectives are to communicate scientific developments in feline infectious diseases, to establish a rational base for vaccine use and for disease prevention and control in the cat and to publish its conclusions for the companion animal practitioners’ scene. It is achieving this goal by organizing conventions, at which specific issues are scheduled, discussed and agreed upon. The objective is to define a code of practice that reflects the present state of knowledge on infectious diseases of the cat.

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