School of Veterinary Medicine

Aedes aegypti is a mosquito that can cause yellow fever.

Where Will the World’s Next Zika, West Nile or Dengue Virus Come From?

After collecting data and comparing it with every known mammal and bird species on Earth, scientists from the University of California, Davis, have identified wildlife species that are the most likely to host flaviviruses such as Zika, West Nile, dengue and yellow fever. Flaviviruses are known to cause major epidemics and widespread illness and death throughout the world.

Research

300 Blind Mice Uncover Genetic Causes of Eye Disease

Hundreds of new genes linked to blindness and other vision disorders have been identified in a screen of mouse strains. Many of these genes are likely important in human eye vision and the results could help identify new causes of hereditary blindness in patients. The work is published Dec. 21 in Nature Communications Biology. The research team was led by Dr. Bret Moore, resident at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

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C. Titus Brown is associate professor in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and Genome Center.

Microbial Genomics Gold Found in Old Data

There’s gold in those old databases. Analyses of genomic data often miss a large amount of information, but genome scientists at UC Davis have now created an automated analysis pipeline to dig out this hidden information. In a new study published in the journal GigaScience the researchers mine a huge marine microbial dataset from the Microbial Transcriptome Sequencing Project (MMETSP) to find new results.

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UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Faculty Member of Team Receiving Major NIH Grant For Genetics Research

A multidisciplinary UC Davis team, including the veterinary school's Dr. Pam Lein, received the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award to study genes unique to humans that may contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders including autism.

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Salmonella bacteria (red) invading human cells.

Breakthrough in Designing a Better Salmonella Vaccine

UC Davis researchers announce in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week a breakthrough in understanding which cells afford optimal protection against Salmonella infection—a critical step in developing a more effective and safe vaccine against a bacterium that annually kills an estimated one million people worldwide.

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Ancient Dogs of the Americas Were Wiped Out by European Colonization

Ancient dogs arrived in the Americas alongside humans more than 10,000 years ago but were later wiped out by European colonization, a new study suggests.

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Drs. Arta Monjazeb and Michael Kent with a dog.

Building Research Teams of the Future

The latest newsletter from the UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center highlights collaborations among researchers from human and veterinary medicine. Articles include how clinical trials with animal patients speeds translation to improved care for people, partnerships in human-animal eye research, and new hope from novel canine cancer therapy treatments and feline stem cell therapy for an oral inflammatory disease. Read more

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Kyriacos Athanasiou, UCI Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering. Steve Zylius / UCI

Lab-grown Cartilage Transplant Eases Temporomandibular Joint Disease in Animal Model

A first-ever tissue implant to safely treat a common jaw defect, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, has been successfully tested in animals by researchers from UC Irvine and UC Davis.

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Rhesus macaques develop similar brain pathology to humans affected by Zika.

Rhesus Macaque Model Offers Route to Study Zika Brain Pathology

Rhesus macaque monkeys infected in utero with Zika virus develop similar brain pathology to human infants, according to a report by researchers at the California National Primate Research Center and the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine published June 20 in Nature Communications.

Innovative Research That Saves Lives

Scientists are developing more effective treatments and cures for diseases, and this innovative research saves and improves animals’ lives — and can lead to treatments for humans down the road.

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Ebolavirus particles are shown in blue on a chronically infected cell in this colorized scanning electron micrograph. (Courtesy of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH)

Global Project Aims to Identify Viral Threats

A 10-year virus identification project starting this year could identify most viruses with potential to cause disease in humans.

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Dr. Carrie Finno on left with Dr. Greg Ferraro (center) and Dr. Claudia Sonder

A Veterinary Scientist's Success Story

Dr. Finno, who holds both D.V.M. and Ph.D. degrees, describes what being a veterinary scientist means to her. Her commitment to research is apparent in her academic accomplishments, which have been recognized nationally and internationally. She has received several prestigious awards for her outstanding contributions to advancing translational equine research.

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Truffles, the oldest Santa Cruz Island stallion at El Campeon Farms, just after breakfast. Credit: Karin Higgins

Wild Horses Living on the Channel Islands Face an Uncertain Future on the Mainland

The Santa Cruz Island horses were removed from the Channel Islands in the early 2000s. The horses had been there for more than a century, living relics from the time of the conquistadors, evolving to become as unique as the island itself. But after years of surviving in isolation on the island, the breed is teetering on the brink of extinction here on the mainland.

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