Monday, February 28, 2011 at 01:00PM By: Stephanie Silberstang
Cornell University, Class of 2013
And now, for an immunology joke:
What does a pathogen do when it meets another pathogen?
It takes off its PAMPs!
Share this Post | Comments Off Cornell in Foot in Mouth Disease Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 01:00PM
;)
Cornell’s Zoo and Wildlife Society would like to welcome you to Special Species 2011! They are very excited about this year’s line-up. Collaborating with several other student organizations, they have introduced some new themes including exotic and wildlife behavior, and a special public health outbreak response module. They hope to highlight some of the emerging roles of veterinarians in both domestic and international society, and keep attendees on the cutting edge of this movement. Students have been hard at work putting things together, and they can’t wait for you to join them for what promises to be one of the most exciting symposiums yet! Lecture topics include pocket pets, wildlife and conservation medicine and the wetlabs include almost every species imaginable!
Registration is due by April 1st for only $60 for lectures, $80 for lectures and wetlabs. Check out their website for more information. http://www.vet.cornell.edu/students/ZAWS/Welcome.html
Share this Post | Comments Off Conservation, Exotics, wildlife in SAVMA News Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 01:00PM By: Erin Shaw
Michigan State University, Class of 2013
Shaw, Erin; Funk, Julie; Plovanich-Jones, Anne E.; College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824
Swine are known reservoirs for both Salmonella and Yersinia enterocolitica. Both are foodborne pathogens and can result in zoonotic disease if contamination of pork products occurs during harvest. The epidemiology of Y. enterocolitica and Salmonella in swine is not well understood, and cost-effective preharvest control measures have not been identified. Previous reports from experimental studies in mice suggest that, via quorum-sensing, Salmonella detects Y. enterocolitica signals, increasing Salmonella colonization (Dyszel et al, 2009). This may present an opportunity for preharvest control via targeting Y. enterocolitica infection or disruption of quorum sensing. Demonstration of this association in naturally infected swine has not been demonstrated.
Share this Post | Comments Off Large Animal, Michigan, Swine in Cases/Abstracts Monday, February 21, 2011 at 01:00PM By: Stephanie Silberstang
Cornell University, Class of 2013
The “2+2” programs are being considered by universities in the hopes that they will allow more students to enroll per year, increasing the number of veterinarians graduating every year. These programs can be one way of addressing the shortage of veterinarians nationwide. The “2+2” programs have obvious advantages but also have a few hurdles to overcome before these programs can be successful.
Advantages of the “2+2” program include a larger number of graduating veterinarians without having to build new facilities or larger class rooms. These programs also allow students to take advantage of any state-of-the-art facilities that exist at either or both of the universities they attend during the program in addition to allowing them the ability to experience two different teaching faculties. These programs can theoretically be taught at any college with veterinary professors on staff and the space for this group of students for 2 years.
Share this Post | Comments Off Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 01:00PM Win $150 from SAVMA! The new theme for the 2011 and 2012 One Health Challenge is Vector-borne disease which refers to viral, bacterial or parasitic diseases that are transmitted from one individual to another through animal vectors. Arthropods, such as mosquitoes and ticks are classic examples of vectors that transmit disease through their feeding habits. Many pathogens have evolved to incorporate these vectors into their lifecycle. Vectors subsequently infect multiple vertebrate species and can create reservoir hosts that maintain the disease prevalence.
The environment, including climate and the population density of the reservoir hosts, heavily influences the prevalence of VBD. With the emerging concerns about global warming, as well as rapid population growth in many countries in the world, it is expected that the prevalence of VBD will increase substantially in the future. Other challenges in controlling VBD include:
One Health Challenge in SAVMA News