Since the deadly facial tumour disease that has ravaged Tasmanian devil populations in the wild was first observed over 20 years ago, scientists have puzzled over the circumstances that caused it both to emerge, and to spread so rapidly. Two studies published recently provide some insight and perspective on the […]
A timely health check for endangered eastern gorillas
While the world’s attention is currently focused on the Ebola crisis in western Africa, a virus that has been responsible for the deaths of almost one third of the region’s gorillas and many thousands of chimpanzees, as well as humans, in eastern Africa’s Democratic Republic of Congo veterinarian Alisa Kubala’s […]
Vets and doctors warned of potential epidemic
Bartonella could be responsible for a hidden epidemic of disease in animals and humans, according to a US veterinary infectious disease expert. Edward Breitschwerdt, from the Centre for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, updated doctors and veterinarians at the Australasian […]
Snag a statement to protect your flock
With ram sale season in full swing, buyers are being urged to protect their flocks from unwanted diseases by asking for a Sheep Health Statement. The SHS has been designed for use across Australia to help sheep producers in taking a risk-management approach to their farm biosecurity. It provides information […]
Challenges in prognostication of FIV-positive patients
A Sydney University study published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine found that the presence of haematologic and biochemical abnormalities could not be relied upon to determine clinical progression of FIV in sick feline patients, and that FIV-positive status alone did not have a negative impact on survival. The […]