Poultry Extension Program

Dr. Nathaniel L. Tablante

Professor and Extension Specialist-Poultry Health

Biography

Dr. Tablante earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) degree from the University of the Philippines, Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine (M.P.V.M.) from the University of California-Davis, and Master of Science (M.S.) in poultry health and population medicine from the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada).  He is also a Diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians. He has spent a large part of his career as a field veterinarian in the Philippines, Canada, and the United States and has more than 30 years of experience in poultry health management, epidemiology, and biosecurity. He has authored and co-authored numerous articles and educational materials on poultry health, biosecurity, and disease prevention.  He has also served as a consultant on poultry biosecurity and avian influenza preparedness and response in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines Russia, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, and the Republic of Georgia. He served as President of the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology from 2011-2012 and the American Association of Avian Pathologists from 2018-2019.  He currently teaches courses in animal health policy and prevention and control of catastrophic animal and human disease outbreaks. Dr. Tablante served as an American Veterinary Medical Association Congressional Science Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013-2014. He has received numerous awards such as Excellence in Instruction, University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Alumni Association (2018), Philip Merrill Presidential Scholars Program Faculty-Mentor Award (2004), Edward H. Ralph Delmarva Poultry Industry Medal of Achievement (2012), American Association of Avian Pathologists Bruce Calnek Applied Poultry Research Award (2006), and Excellence in Extension, University of Maryland Alumni Association College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Chapter (2005).

Research and Extension Interests

Since assuming a faculty position at the University of Maryland in 1997, Dr. Tablante has implemented an Extension and applied research program that focuses on improving poultry health and production through biosecurity and prevention of economically important poultry diseases such as avian influenza and infectious laryngotracheitis. He has completed the following research and Extension projects:

P.D.:  Preventing outbreaks of avian influenza through timely dissemination of practical science-based information (2015-2019, USDA-NIFA Smith-Lever Special Needs Grant, $225,017)

P.I.: Epidemiological analysis of biosecurity practices and associated seroprevalence of diseases in non-commercial poultry flocks. (2011-2012, Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, $30,000)

P.I.: Investigating knowledge gaps in the pathogenesis and recurrence of Infectious

Laryngotracheitis on the Delmarva Peninsula. (2008-2010, Maryland Agricultural Experiment

Station, $35,000)

P.I.: An evaluation of in-house mass composting of poultry mortalities (2002-2003, U.S. Poultry and Egg Association Research Grant Program, $35,629)

Publications

1. Tablante NL, Brunet PY, Odor EM, Salem M, Harter-Dennis JM, Hueston WD.  Risk factors associated with early respiratory disease complex in broiler chickens.  Avian Dis 1999; 43:424-428.
2. Tablante NL, Myint MS, Johnson YJ, Colby M, Rhodes K, Hohenhaus G.  An evaluation of biosecurity practices as risk factors affecting broiler flock performance on the Delmarva peninsula. Avian Dis 2002; 46:730-734.
3. Tablante NL, Estevez I, Russek-Cohen E.  The effect of perches and stocking density on tibial dyschondroplasia and bone mineralization as measured by bone ash in broiler chickens. J Appl Poult Res 2003; 12:53-59.
4. Madsen JM, Zimmermann NG, Timmons J, Tablante NL. Avian influenza seroprevalence and biosecurity risk factors in Maryland backyard poultry: a cross-sectional study. PLoS ONE 8(2): e56851. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056851.
5. Tan R., Bautista DA, Philips K, Tablante NL. Descriptive study of the microbial profile of poultry litter from broiler farms with and without a history of gangrenous dermatitis and litter from an experimental poultry house. J Appl Poult Res 2013; 22:344-350. 
6. Madsen JM, Zimmermann N, Timmons J, Tablante NL. Evaluation of Maryland backyard flocks and biosecurity practices. Avian Dis 2013; 57:233-237.
7. Madsen JM, Tablante NL. Avian influenza biosecurity: filling the gaps with nontraditional education. J Extension 2013; 51 (4): 4TOT3.
8. Madsen JM, Zimmermann N, Timmons J, Tablante NL. Prevalence and differentiation of diseases in Maryland backyard flocks. Avian Dis 2013; 57:587-594.
9. Menendez KR, Garcia M, Tablante NL. Molecular epidemiology of infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT): a review. Avian Pathol 28 Feb 2014  doi: 10.1080/03079457.2014.886004.
10. Agunos A, Pierson FW, Lungu B, Dunn PA, Tablante N. Review of nonfoodborne zoonotic and potentially zoonotic poultry diseases. Avian Dis 2016; 60 (3): 553-575.