ESVD congresses are for everybody – not just
dermatologists, although having an interest in the
subject and wanting to learn more is a good start.
This year’s congress was held in Lausanne and there
were three themes. The basic one was called ‘New Trends
in Dermatology’, the intermediate one was ‘Advances in
Clinical Dermatology’ and the third, at the highest level, was
the ‘Cutting Edge’ programme of special interest for the
academics.
Just reviewing the basic level, someone relatively new to
veterinary dermatology could be brought right up-to-date in
many areas assuming little prior knowledge. Topics covered
included a review of microscope use, new information on
PCR, allergy diagnosis, ectoparasite control, anti-allergy
and antibacterial therapy, and new information on otitis, all
on the first day.
The next morning, the same slot was entirely devoted
to cats, starting with professor Stephen White from Davis,
California, who talked about dermatology emergencies in
cats. Dr Ekaterina Kusnetsova, who gave a superb lecture
on feline immune-mediated and autoimmune diseases, and
another on feline pyoderma, followed him.
Further sessions on geriatric and paediatric feline
dermatology followed, with new information on food trials for the diagnosis of
feline allergies. On the
third day, there was
a whole morning on
equine dermatology,
with Stephen White
again prominent.
The academic
dermatologists were
well-catered-for
with presentations
from world experts such as Thierry Olivry and Claude
Favrot, both originally from France but now in the USA and
Switzerland respectively, and many others.
As is often the case at the ESVD congress, human
specialists were brought in to expand on comparative
aspects. For example, Carsten Flohr from St John’s Institute for Dermatology in London spoke on ‘Lessons from studies
on the epidemiology of atopic eczema’.
The opening ceremony and welcome reception was
held in the magnificent Lausanne Olympic Museum, with
spectacular views over Lake Geneva. We were entertained
by alpine horns and there was time afterwards to roam
around the exhibition. The traditional banquet, which
takes place on the Friday evening, was held in another
spectacular Lake Geneva setting in Grandvaux, and
attended by 450 people.
Reflecting on success
At the well-attended ESVD AGM, Sue Paterson, the outgoing
president, reflected on the success of this year’s congress.
There was initially a worry that potential delegates would
be put off by the location being perceived as too expensive.
This did not prove to be the case. There were more than
725 registered, comparing favourably with last year’s
successful congress in Krakow, where there were 827 (of
whom 233 were Polish colleagues).
Furthermore, there were delegates from a total of 59
countries, with Germany and the UK leading the way
(99 and 86 respectively) and an amazing 26 from Latin
America. At the AGM three British veterinary surgeons – Ian
Mason, Aiden Foster and myself – were honoured with life
membership of the ESVD.
I always feel after attending an ESVD conference that it
would be a hard act to follow. Each conference seems to
rise to the challenge, however, and next year it is the turn
of Dubrovnik in Croatia. This will be 27th to 29th September
2018. It will be in a prestigious setting but with a limit of
1,000 delegates, so keep an eye open for early registration
to avoid disappointment.
Plans are afoot for a possible UK conference in 2019 with
the 2020 world congress in Sydney.
