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News you need to know  Top
Got Goat's Milk?
Heard anything special about goat's milk lately? Here's something. Scientists at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine are teaming up with Brazilian researchers in an effort to curb deadly diarrhea in children in the South American country – and possibly around the world. They're hoping that milk from genetically engineered goats at UC-Davis will help in the fight. The milk carries increased levels of the human enzyme lysozyme, which is known to provide important immunological benefits and destroy the harmful bacteria that cause intestinal infections and diarrhea. Human trials will begin once a herd of the milk-producing goats is established in Brazil. For more information, contact Lynn Narlesky at 530-752-5257 or lnarlesky@ucdavis.edu.
Leaving the good stuff intact
One of the biggest challenges when it comes to fighting cancer is attacking the tumor without damaging healthy, surrounding tissue. Researchers with the Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium, including those at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, think they may be on to something. A new drug-delivery system that uses a virus engineered to target and infect tumor blood vessels is showing great promise in shrinking tumors in dogs while easing side effects. For more information, contact Tracey Berry at 573-884-2215 or berryt@missouri.edu.
Striking a nerve
The discovery that a cat's nervous system can repair itself after a severe neurological disorder gives scientists hope that the same can happen in people. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine made the discovery after cats that were fed a certain diet developed movement disorders, vision loss and paralysis due to a loss of myelin, the fatty insulator of nerve fibers that degrades in a host of human nervous system disorders, particularly multiple sclerosis. The cats recovered after being taken off the diet, with all of their lost functions eventually being restored. For more information, contact Tania Banak at 608-263-6914 or banakt@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu.
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Gumming it up
Ah, a nice walk together, tossing the Frisbee and resting in the summer shade. People and their dogs have a lot in common when it comes to fun and games. But a new study out of the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, and published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, shows that dogs and their owners may have something else in common too. And it's not necessarily good news. New research shows that there's a link in dogs – just like in people – between gum disease and heart disease. The study shows that gum disease in dogs causes more than just bad breath, and may lead to the development of new drugs and pet foods to help prevent gum disease in pets. For more information, contact David Kirkpatrick at 847-285-6782.
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National Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 17, 2009 – May 23, 2009: The American Veterinary Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the U.S. Postal Service team their efforts to educate the public and help reduce the 4.7 million dog bites and 800,000 visits to doctors and emergency rooms that occur each year. For more information, visit Web pages at the AVMA and the CDC.
American Veterinary Medical Association Annual Convention, July 11, 2009 – July 14, 2009: Thousands of veterinary leaders in food safety, public health, comparative medicine, research and companion animal medicine will convene in Seattle for the AVMA's 146th annual convention. For more information, go the AVMA Convention Web page.
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