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Monthly Newsletter

June 2018 - Vol. 13, No. 6

 

Top Stories

 

New $3.7 million NIH grant supports collaborative research against MERS coronavirus

MERS CoV Hit Compound diagram

A relatively new virus has commanded the attention of a team of multi-institutional researchers and prompted a $3.7 million for five-year research project.

“Since the unexpected emergence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2013, the ongoing outbreaks of MERS in the Middle East and the potential for global transmission of MERS have underscored the urgent need for effective preventive and therapeutic measures against this highly virulent coronavirus,” said Dr. Kyeong-Ok “KC” Chang, a virologist at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

 

Veterinary students join Beef Cattle Institute for industry education

By Shelby Mettlen

VTPRK students

Beginning May 14, 10 incoming first- and second-year veterinary students joined the Beef Cattle Institute (BCI) at Kansas State University for two weeks of beef industry-related tours, presentations and hands-on demonstrations.

Students Braxton Butler, Izabella Carmona, Lena Fernkopf, Jared Heiman, Ashley Joseph, Megan Westerhold, Meredith Schmidt, Matthew Kelso, Libby Farney and Shanlyn Hefley are part of the Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas (VTPRK), a state-funded effort provided through the College of Veterinary Medicine to return veterinary graduates to rural Kansas to serve counties of fewer than 35,000 residents.

 

K-State team conducts first U.S. livestock study with Japanese encephalitis virus

By Gabriella Doebele

Dr. Dana Vanlandingham and So Lee Park

In what is believed to be the first study of its kind in the United States, Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine researchers found that North American domestic pigs are potentially susceptible to infections with the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV).

“Japanese encephalitis virus is a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus that has high human and veterinary public health significance,” said So Lee Park, a third-year veterinary student and concurrent Ph.D. student, who was the first author on this research article.

 

Video Feature

Meet So Lee Park, concurrent DVM/Ph.D. student

Learn how So Lee Park was inspired to do high-containment research at the Biosecurity Research Institute with Dr. Dana Vanlandingham.

 

 

More Headlines

Review on swine coronaviruses in North America featured on cover of Transboundary and Emerging Diseases

By Sofia Scavone

Transboundary and Emerging Diseases

An image from the new review article by Kansas State University swine disease researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine has been featured on the cover of the latest issue of the international journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases: “Swine enteric coronavirus disease: A review of four years with porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus and porcine deltacoronavirus in the United States and Canada.”

 

Veterinary researchers find formaldehyde has negative impact on swine growth performance and gut microbiota

By Gabriella Doebele

The use of formaldehyde as an additive to control and reduce bacterial contamination in animal feed has raised eyebrows of applied swine nutritionists and veterinary researchers at Kansas State University. A new study has revealed complications that come with this dietary treatment.

 

Chinese veterinary alumni discover first case of equine disease called HERDA

Dr. Jing Li with two Mongolian horses used as a teaching herdA pair of recent graduates of Kansas State University’s US-China Joint Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) Program have just made a unique discovery less than a year after returning to China. Dr. Jing Li and Dr. Bo Liu, who both earned their DVM degrees in 2017, have already published a research article outlining the discovery of a unique equine case report in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.

“Hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA) is a heritable disorder that has been described in quarter horses and related breeds,” Dr. Li said.

 

Dr. Susan Nelson offers summertime safety tips for your pets

Dog in car

Summer is almost here and along with the fun of the great outdoors can come potentially dangerous situations for your pet, according to a Kansas State University veterinarian.

Dr. Susan Nelson, clinical professor at the Veterinary Health Center, shares several safety tips to keep your pet healthy and happy during the summer months.

 

 

Regular features

Alumni Events, Development and Continuing Education

VMAA logo The Veterinary Medical Alumni Association organizes alumni receptions at several of the national annual conferences plus continuing education events and more. This month's section includes an update on all the recognition awards presented during the Alumni Reunion Weekend.

 

 

News Ticker

More activities and accomplishments in the College of Veterinary Medicine:

Dr. Susan Nelson received the 2018 Clinical Sciences Junior Faculty Mentoring Award. This award acknowledges sacrifice in time and effort by faculty to provide advice and support to the professional development of junior faculty to help them achieve their full academic potential.

For the month of May, Drs. Amy Rankin and Jessica Meekins participated in the ACVO Annual National Service Animal Eye Exam event by providing free eye exams.

Dr. Shaun Huser and veterinary students Amanda Sura, Katherine Norris and Emily White had the opportunity to travel to Dr. Kathy Ewert’s ranch, Notkwita, to help perform laparoscopic A.I. in sheep on May 15.

On May 16, Drs. Kate KuKanich and Brian Lubbers presented to the Presidential Advisory Committee on Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Washington, D.C. Dr. Mike Apley served as chair for the session.

Dr. David Eshar has been named the new Exotic Companion Mammal Regent for the ABVP effective July 1.

Dr. Megan Niederwerder was an invited speaker at the inaugural Microbiome Animal Health Summit 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. She presented a talk titled “Role of the Microbiome in Swine Respiratory Disease.” She also delivered a lecture titled "Bugs and Guts: The Role of the Microbiome in Health and Disease" for the Careers and Cases in Veterinary Medicine Olathe spring lecture series. Her microbiome research was selected by the National Hog Farmer to be highlighted in the April 2018 blueprint issue, titled "Having more microbes spurs improved diversity, response to pathogens."

Drs. Megan Niederwerder and Callie Rost completed mock interviews for student athletes interested in health careers at the 27th K-State Athletics C. Clyde Jones Career Cat Luncheon.

Dr. Roman Ganta presented his research at St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies, on March 16 in a talk titled “Genetic System for Creating Targeted Mutations in Tick-borne Pathogens, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma species.”He also gave a presentation, titled “Canine Infection Models and Vaccines against Ehrlichia, Anaplasma and Rickettsia species,” for Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health in Lyon, France, on May 14. Dr. Ganta attended the 5th World Congress on Targeting Infectious Diseases in Florence, Italy, on May 17-18.

Dr. Susan Moore presented her research, titled “Antibody levels in different groups of pets following vaccination,” at the 2018 James Steele Conference on Diseases in Nature Transmissible to Man in Houston, Texas, on May 24. Co-authors in the study are Sami Pralle and Elizabeth McQuade.

Dr. Tariku Beyene, a Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology postdoctoral research associate, gave two presentations at the Conference of Applied Statistics in Agriculture in Manhattan, Kansas, on May 7-8, titled “Use of classification and regression tree (CART) to predict motivators influencing dog owners’ intention to vaccinate against rabies in Ethiopia” and “Application of mixed models to estimate the risk of emergence of antimicrobial resistance in gut bacteria in beef cattle administered with therapeutic antimicrobials.”

Dr. Beyene had an article accepted for publication in Zoonoses Public Health, titled “Determinants of health seeking behavior following rabies exposure in Ethiopia.”

Drs. Renter and Pendell, of the Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology, participated in the International Society for Economics and Social Sciences of Animal Health 2018 Conference in Monpellier, France on May 14-18. Dr. Pendell gave two presentations during the conference, titled “Feedlot Willingness to Pay for Disposal Capacity to Address Foreign Animal Disease Risk” and “Trade, markets, and biosecurity: lessons for the future.”

Dr. Cathryn Sparks participated in an International Council for Veterinary Assessment meeting to review and approve the upcoming NAVLE form.

MPH students who graduated on May 2018: Dana Johnson; Sara Alves, DVM and MPH; Kelly Voss, DVM candidate at Western; Serina Taylor; Carla Gomes Bernardes; Jessica Pearson; Rebecca Gasper; FNU Noviyanti; Marie Keith, DVM and MPH; Jennifer McDonald; and Katelyn Gilmore.

Kyle Braun (current MPH student) started his field experience at OIE in Paris, France, working on AMR data collection. Emily Farmer (current DVM-MPH student) started her field experience at APHIS. Dr. Amanda Honeyfield (current MPH student, DVM 2018) started her field experience at APHIS. Anna Marie Sommer (current MPH student) started her field experience at the USDA in Washington, D.C. Rebecca Gasper presented a poster in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual meeting.

Dr. Mulcahy met with the new director of the Geary County Health department, Dr. Tammy Von Busch (DVM, MPH) to discuss a process for student placement for field experience.

Commencement 2018

2018 Commencement
Far left: Dr. Emily Reppert hoods Christine Bartley in the class of 2018. Top middle: Austin Pauly is hooded by his brothers Dr. Brandon Pauly, DVM class of 2005, and and Dr. Craig Paul, DVM class of 2011. Bottom middle: Faculty member Dr. Mike Apley gives the keynote address. Right: Dustin Renken, class president, gives the student remarks.

Fond Farewells: Dr. Deryl Troyer and Nancy Howse

Dr. Deryl Troyer retirement
The Department of Anatomy and Physiology held a retirement reception for Dr. Deryl Troyer on May 23.

Nancy Howse retirement
The Veterinary Health Center held its own retirement reception for Nancy Howse on May 30.

A visit to Fort Riley for Equine Services

Equine Services at Fort Riley
Dr. Chris Blevins said the Equine Services team performed 25 dental exams and floating at Fort Riley with the Mounted Color Guard horses. Dr. Younkin and some of the senior students on the rotation came out after their 6 a.m. colic surgery to assist.

 

New Arrivals/Recent Departures

 

Lifelines is published each month by the Marketing and Communications Office at the College of Veterinary Medicine. The editor is Joe Montgomery, jmontgom@vet.k-state.edu.

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