RUSVM debuts new research and pathology buildingJuly 13, 2018Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM) has opened a new Research and Pathology Building designed to facilitate multidisciplinary research collaborations and better allow students and faculty to address issues relating to the One Health initiative. Located on St. Kitts, an island country in the West Indies, the site is expected to further enhance the school's research capabilities in a global capacity. Research in the new facility will allow for an improved understanding of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases (e.g. leptospirosis, dengue, chikungunya), reducing the development of antimicrobial resistance, and protection of threatened and endangered species and ecosystems in the Caribbean. Specifically, research will address sea turtle conservation and feral animal immune contraception strategies, as well as National Institutes of Health-funded research on arboviruses. "Our commitment to research is essential to the future of veterinary medicine, which will involve collaborations across multiple disciplines to address zoonotic diseases that pose devastating threats in the Caribbean region and beyond," said Sean Callanan, Ph.D., MVB, MRCVS, CertVR, DECVP, dean at RUSVM. "The center also represents our commitment to provide our students with an innovative and advanced educational program that prepares them to become leaders within the One Health realm." The facility creates 13,000 …
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Canine rabies vaccination promises unexpected benefitsSeptember 28, 2017 New research funded by Morris Animal Foundation shows the rabies vaccine may have a positive impact on overall canine health and is associated with a decrease in death from all causes. Darryn Knobel, BVSc MSc MRCVS PhD, associate professor of epidemiology and population health at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine recently published his research results in the journal Vaccine. What the findings show The study found that vaccination reduces the risk of death from any cause by 56 percent in dogs 0 to 3 months of age. While all dogs had decreased mortality, the percentage decrease was highest in young dogs, with the effect diminishing over time. Dr. Knobel's study area incorporates an impoverished region of South Africa, where infectious diseases, including rabies, are an ever-present threat to humans and dogs. The research team concluded that the decrease in mortality couldn't be explained by a reduction in deaths due to rabies alone. "This led us to propose that the vaccine may have a non-specific protective effect in dogs, perhaps through boosting the immune system to provide enhanced defense against other, unrelated diseases," said Knobel. "A similar phenomenon has been observed in children, although …
KSU to assume production of One Health NewsletterSeptember 19, 2017The One Health Newsletter will now be produced at Kansas State University, school officials announced. The newsletter was initiated in 2008 by the Florida Department of Health and published through the winter 2014. It was then transitioned to the University of Florida's Emerging Pathogens Institute, which published it until 2017. The first Kansas State University-developed edition of the One Health Newsletter is scheduled for release in October, in advance of International One Health Day on Nov. 3. "The One Health Initiative autonomous pro bono team collaborated with both former outstanding One Health Newsletter publishers and is delighted to continue associating with our longstanding friends and notable One Health colleagues at K-State," said Bruce Kaplan, contents manager/editor of the One Health Initiative website and co-founder of the One Health Initiative team/website. Kansas State University faculty, staff, and students plan to feature current One Heath issues in each newsletter. Each edition will be guided by a faculty editorial board at Kansas State University, including Paige Adams, research assistant professor at K-State Olathe; Jean-Paul Gonzalez, deputy director of the Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases; and Ellyn Mulcahy, director of the Master of Public Health program. Colleagues from the University …
