MEMES! MEMES! MEMES! MEMES!

Blair Dingler - Texas A&M

Alyssa Thacker - Iowa State

 Alyssa Helms - Tennessee

Young, Wild, & Fluffy

Amanda Adami - Tennessee
V:50 I:3 Creative Corner

Surfactant protein D as a biomarker of bronchopneumonia in calves

Jennifer Storer, University of Tennessee

Cases/Abstracts, Honorable Mention

Title: Surfactant protein D as a biomarker of bronchopneumonia in calves.

 
Bronchopneumonia in cattle is a costly disease caused by multiple pathogens. Mannheimia haemolytica is the most frequently isolated etiologic agent and induces tremendous inflammation through the production of a leukotoxin. Surfactant protein D is produced by type II pneumocytes and is tissue specific for the lungs. During alveolar inflammation these proteins are up-regulated and may be released into the blood. We hypothesized that these proteins could be detected in the serum and serve as biomarkers for alveolar membrane damage and overall pulmonary inflammation. This study used bronchoselective endoscopic inoculation of Mannheimia haemolytica or sterile saline of the right apical lung lobe in twelve 4 month old dairy calves. Six principal calves received 3-5 x 109 colony forming units of M. haemolytica in a 5mL suspension of phosphate-buffered saline, while 6 control calves received an equivalent volume of sterile phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Serum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples were collected to analyze surfactant protein D with a bovine specific ELISA. Serum samples were collected daily for seven days, while BAL samples were collected on days 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7. Calves were additionally assigned a clinical illness score twice daily and a datalogger outfitted with accelerometers were placed on the left rear fetlock of each calf to assess behavioral changes. We hope the results of this study will provide information for the use of surfactant proteins in the diagnosis of BRD.

Becoming a veterinarian

Entry, Experiences Category
Hannah Evans, University of Tennessee 

According to my fifth grade yearbook, I had aspirations to become a singer “like Britney Spears.” I used to sing her songs to my hairbrush every night, and I was certain my future would revolve around pop music. In middle school, my dream changed, and I was sure I wanted to grow earthworms for a living. As the years passed, my surefire career choices ranged from a librarian to a playwright to an astronomer. Dr. AshleyEven as I walked across the stage at my high school graduation, I was at a loss as to what career path I wanted to take. At the time, my mind wavered between a career working in Alzheimer’s research and one writing science fiction novels. I registered for a wide variety of courses in my freshman year of college and ended it by declaring myself a Biology major for no reason other than to give myself some semblance of the focus that all my new friends seemed to have.

The need for a summer job and a love of animals brought me to a job at Banfield, the Pet Hospital. I quickly fell in love with the staff as well as the variety of patients that pranced and waddled their way into our examination rooms. From Mrs. Williams’ gentle greyhound, Katie, to Mr. Burkhart’s irritable domestic short hair, Shadow, I came to appreciate the individual personalities of each pet I worked with.

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Best Advice Essay Contest (Again)

Here's the submission from the runner-up in the SAVMA Education, Licensure and Professional Development Committee's Best Advice Essay Contest. This is some good advice to remember as February 14th is coming up soon.

“Don’t date any professors-or clinicians-or residents-or interns-or classmates”

By: Jacqueline Devoto

University of Tennessee, Class of 2013

Prior to beginning veterinary school, I worked at an eight doctor small animal practice in west Tennessee. Like most southern veterinarians—and I can say this because I’m an aspiring-veterinarian from the south—each one thought their way was the right way and wanted to everyone to hear about it. Don’t misunderstand me—they are an amazing team who compliment each other superbly, each with their own, unique style and methodology. However, one piece of advice I received was unanimous across the board, which truly was a miracle in itself; and this is why I find it necessary to share it with you all today.

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