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From animals to people and back again
four panels with photos of a mink, a tiger, a dog and cat, and a gorilla

Humans aren’t the only species susceptible to COVID-19. A growing number of other animal species have become infected, posing a threat to the health of wildlife and domesticated animals, and in some cases exacerbating threats to people.

From animals to people and back again

Penn researchers are studying the propensity of SARS-CoV-2 to cross between species, and they are working to protect people, pets, and wildlife from COVID-19 infection.

Katherine Unger Baillie

No bad dogs? Pet owner's personality can affect canine training success, study finds
NBC News

No bad dogs? Pet owner's personality can affect canine training success, study finds

Lauren Powell, a postdoc in the School of Veterinary Medicine, spoke about research she led that found links between dog behavior and the personalities of owners. “Extroverted owners were more likely to see improvements in dogs’ fearful behaviors and introverted owners less so,” she said. “Introverted owners may find it tough to leave their dog or give it space if it is required as part of the dog’s treatment.”

Extroverts have more success training their dogs than introverts
New Scientist

Extroverts have more success training their dogs than introverts

Lauren Powell of the School of Veterinary Medicine co-led a new study that explored the links between dog training and the personalities of dog owners. The most important factor affecting success, she said, was how bad the dog’s behavior was to begin with, but owner traits seem to play a role, too.

Gut cells sound the alarm when parasites invade
Black and white microscopic image of many cells clustered tightly

The parasite Cryptosporidium, transmitted through water sources, is one of the most common causes of diarrheal disease in the world. (Image: Muthgapatti Kandasamy and Boris Striepen)

Gut cells sound the alarm when parasites invade

A chain reaction led by cells lining the intestines tips the immune system off to the presence of the parasite Cryptosporidium, according to a study led by researchers in the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Vision researchers honored by End Blindness 2020
Trio of photos of vision researchers Gustavo Aguirre, Jean Bennett and Albert Maguire

Gustavo Aguirre, Jean Bennett, and Albert Maguire

Vision researchers honored by End Blindness 2020

The Outstanding Achievement Prize highlights the contributions of the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Gustavo D. Aguirre and the Perelman School of Medicine’s Jean Bennett and Albert M. Maguire toward a gene therapy for a form of blindness.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Can dogs smell COVID? Here’s what the science says
Nature

Can dogs smell COVID? Here’s what the science says

Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about training dogs to identify COVID-19 infections by scent. “The dogs can do it. The challenge is the ignorance that we have as humans as to what can confuse the dogs,” she says.

Parasitic worms offer ‘the missing link’ on the dual nature of a key immune regulator
Microscopic image of cell labeled with red, blue, and green

Samples of nasal polyps removed from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis revealed the perforin-2 protein (labeled in green) in the cellular plasma membrane. A pore protein, perforin-2 may be how IL-33, a key immune signaling molecule, is able to exit these cells to trigger an immune response, according to new work led by a Penn Vet-led team. (Image: Courtesy of De’Broski Herbert)

Parasitic worms offer ‘the missing link’ on the dual nature of a key immune regulator

Whether the signaling molecule IL-33 wakes up or turns down the immune response depends on what cell type releases it, School of Veterinary Medicine researchers found.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Five Penn faculty elected to the National Academy of Medicine
five faculty headshots and the Penn shield

The National Academy of Medicine welcomed 100 new members in their class of 2020, including five from Penn: from top left: William Beltran, Ronald Paul DeMatteo, Matthew McHugh, Raina Merchant, and Hongjun Song.

Five Penn faculty elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Five faculty from Penn are among the newest members of the National Academy of Medicine: William Beltran of the School of Veterinary Medicine, Matthew McHugh of the School of Nursing, and Ronald DeMatteo, Raina Merchant, and Hongjun Song of the Perelman School of Medicine.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Novel canine scent detection program may help battle spotted lanternfly
A spotted lanternfly in mid-flight

Novel canine scent detection program may help battle spotted lanternfly

The launch of Penn Vet's training program comes at a critical time for spotted lanternfly management in Pennsylvania. Beyond causing severe damage to trees and the insect poses a significant threat to state agriculture.

From Penn Vet

UPenn releases surprising report on 9/11 rescue dogs and their causes of death
Fast Company

UPenn releases surprising report on 9/11 rescue dogs and their causes of death

Research from the School of Veterinary Medicine tracked the causes of death for 95 search-and-rescue dogs deployed on 9/11 and showed that most of the dogs died of typical age-related conditions and outlived others of their breeds. “Dogs have a really good filtering system,” said Cynthia Otto. “Their lungs are different—they don’t get asthma, for example.”