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Veterinary Medicine
Identifying a gene for canine night blindness
Identifying a gene for canine night blindness
An international team of researchers led by the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Keiko Miyadera has identified the gene mutation responsible for a form of night blindness in dogs. Strategies to treat this condition could also inform treatment of other diseases that rely on targeting this cell type.
Is treatment forever? Success of gene therapy for inherited blindness depends on timing
Is treatment forever? Success of gene therapy for inherited blindness depends on timing
An FDA-approved gene therapy for Leber congenital amaurosis, an inherited vision disorder with a childhood onset and progressive nature, has improved patients’ sight. But new research underscores the importance of further investigation to halt the progression of the disorder.
The diet-microbiome connection in inflammatory bowel disease
The diet-microbiome connection in inflammatory bowel disease
Dogs with a Crohn’s-like disease fed a special diet were found to have characteristic changes in their gut microbiomes, paralleling changes seen in children with Crohn’s.
Where ethics, welfare, and sustainability meet swine
Where ethics, welfare, and sustainability meet swine
At New Bolton Center’s model pig farm, free-roaming sows are implanted with RFID chips, nourished by organic feed, and powered by solar energy.
Game Commission and Penn Vet partner to protect wildlife
Game Commission and Penn Vet partner to protect wildlife
The Pennsylvania Wildlife Futures Program will increase disease surveillance, management, and research to better protect wildlife throughout the state from a spread of diseases, including chronic wasting disease and West Nile virus.
Lung cell transplant boosts healing after the flu
Lung cell transplant boosts healing after the flu
A serious case of the flu can cause lasting damage to the lungs. In a study in mice, researchers found that transplanting cells from the lungs of healthy animals enhanced healing in others that had had a severe respiratory infection.
100th puppy
100th puppy
An 8-week-old black Labrador retriever is the 100th puppy to enter the Penn Vet Working Dog Center research-based training program.
Keeping parasites from sticking to mosquito guts could block disease transmission
Keeping parasites from sticking to mosquito guts could block disease transmission
Researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine show how a new model for studying the way parasites known as kinetoplastids adhere to mosquitoes’ insides could illuminate strategies for curbing diseases.
Social solutions to antibiotic resistance
Social solutions to antibiotic resistance
Research by sociologist Julia Szymczak of the Perelman School of Medicine is aimed at understanding, and eventually changing, behaviors that lead to the overprescribing of antibiotics.
A new drug target for chemically induced Parkinson’s disease
A new drug target for chemically induced Parkinson’s disease
An enzyme that modifies chemicals formed in the body by alcohol, tobacco, and certain foods may be a new target for treating Parkinson’s disease. The altered compounds may play a role in triggering the onset or advancing the progression of the neurodegenerative condition.
In the News
The Washington Post
How to (responsibly) let your cat outside
James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that some cats are perfectly happy within the confines of the home, while others have a greater desire to wander, explore, and investigate.
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The Washington Post
Cats aren’t jerks. They’re just misunderstood
James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that the domestic cat suffers from its legacy of being a not-quite-wild animal on the margins of society.
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Newsweek
Dog respiratory illness map update: Mystery disease spreads to more states
Deborah Silverstein of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that the dogs most at risk for respiratory illness are those with low immunity, such as young puppies, the unvaccinated, or older dogs, and potentially short-nosed breeds.
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NBC News
What’s causing severe respiratory illnesses in dogs?
Deborah Silverstein of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that more dogs may be getting severely ill because they have been infected with multiple pathogens at the same time.
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LancasterOnline.com
What you need to know about the ‘mystery’ dog disease
Deborah Silverstein of the School of Veterinary Medicine explains how to protect dogs from the recent respiratory outbreak.
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6ABC.com
Pennsylvania dog owners take precautions as mysterious illness continues to spread
Deborah Silverstein of the School of Veterinary Medicine suggests that dog owners be on the lookout for symptoms similar to kennel cough, like bouts of coughing, sneezing, eye and nasal discharge, and lethargy.
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