Vets welcome biosecurity funding boost
The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) has welcomed the government’s announcement of increased funding for disease surveillance as part of a $137.8 million investment in biosecurity.
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Vet Ethics: Sign of the times: thoughts on the death of Koko
The death of Koko the signing gorilla in June provides an opportunity to assess her place in the story of ape language experiments and in the animal protection movement. Prior to Koko, Washoe the chimpanzee was the first famous great ape to be experimentally taught a version of American Sign Language (ASL). Koko was the […]
Continue ReadingAbstracts: Tail docking of canine puppies: reassessment of the tail’s role in communication, the acute pain caused by docking and interpretation of behavioural responses
Laws, regulations and professional standards increasingly aim to ban or restrict non-therapeutic tail docking in canine puppies. These constraints have usually been justified by reference to loss of tail participation in communication between dogs, the acute pain presumed to be caused during docking itself, subsequent experiences of chronic pain and heightened pain sensitivity, and the […]
Continue ReadingAbstracts: The use of ostrich eggs for in ovo research – making preclinical imaging research affordable and available
In ovo research is a valuable option of preclinical research, but imaging studies are severely limited by the costs of dedicated equipment needed for small-size eggs. We sought to verify the feasibility of using larger eggs of ostrich (Struthio camelus) for the imaging with PET/CT scanners used for routine clinical investigations.
Continue ReadingAbstracts: The relative contribution of causal factors in the transition from infection to clinical chlamydial disease
Chlamydia is a major bacterial pathogen in humans and animals globally. Yet 80 per cent of infections never progress to clinical disease. Decades of research have generated an interconnected network linking pathogen, host, and environmental factors to disease expression, but the relative importance of these and whether they account for disease progression remains unknown.
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