Cat virus could be linked to feline cancerOctober 25, 2019Australian researchers believe a newly discovered feline virus might be the cause of liver cancer in cats, and that this link could lead to the development of new anti-cancer therapies.
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University of Sydney researchers discover domestic cat hepadnavirusMay 31, 2018Scientists in Australia have identified a new feline disease, tentatively named domestic cat hepadnavirus, which is similar to that of hepatitis B in humans. The discovery, which has been published in the journal Viruses, could impact human medical research, as well as the health of cats, according to the University of Sydney research team. Researchers at the university made the breakthrough during their search for cancer-causing viruses in the tissue of an immunocompromised cat. The disease was identified after Jasper, a cat belonging to researcher Julia Beatty, Ph.D., professor of feline medicine at the university, died from heart disease and was found to be carrying a virus previously unidentified in cats. The Morris Animal Foundation-funded research team, including Dr. Beatty, was able to map a complete genome of the new virus and then tested banked samples from cats, including Jasper. In addition to his heart disease, Jasper also had feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Researchers found the new domestic cat hepadnavirus present in 10 percent of cats tested with FIV and 3.2 percent of non-FIV infected cats, mirroring the higher frequency of hepatitis B found in humans with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Beatty affirmed …
Scholarship with preference for male vet students gets Australian vet school in hot waterFebruary 9, 2017If a veterinary school offers a scholarship that favors men, is that sexism? It’s a debate the University of Sydney is finding itself in after they sent out a notification about their $20,000 Professor Marsh Edwards AO Scholarship. According to the website Stuff, this scholarship was offered to postgraduate veterinary medicine students for the first time in 2017, but there were certain preferences.
Australian study questions use of crank nosebandsMay 18, 2016University of Sydney veterinary researchers have found that an extremely tight noseband on horses raises the animals’ stress levels, calling into question whether its use should continue in equestrian competitions.
