Driving animal, human and environmental health forward

UF researchers discovered an air-filled sac within the birds’ lungs is believed to increase the force the birds use to power their flight muscles.

The project could transform scientists’ understanding of gene expression in different species, from humans to mice to manatees.

The college was an early advocate for providing veterinary students with an understanding of the business skills needed to succeed in practice.

The discovery provides a new direction for targeting harmful bacteria without harming “good” bacteria that are beneficial to human health.

The discovery suggests that iron deficiency may contribute to the development of IBD and other immunological disorders.

Only a handful of veterinary surgery centers offer the highly specialized procedure known as mitral valve repair.

Morriston resident Valerie Frederick, still haunted by the death of a beloved Friesian colt that succumbed to colic several years ago, was in danger of losing a stallion to the same illness. She put her trust in a distinguished professor of equine surgery at UF who employed a technique he developed at the university, one that has only been used a handful of times due to its difficulty.

According to a new University of Florida study comparing two types of ancestral origins of patients from a Florida population infected with COVID-19, your susceptibility to the virus isn’t impacted by whether your ancestors were Black or white.

Dr. Jon Kim joined the UF College of Veterinary Medicine faculty through the school’s Artificial Intelligence Initiative. In his new role at UF, Kim will focus on developing novel diagnostic and clinical applications in the field of comparative oncology and translational medicine by utilizing AI and machine learning. We sat down with Kim to ask him about his exciting new endeavors at our university.

Researchers at UF are studying the development of a new eyedrop they hope will be able to prevent or treat a condition known as equine recurrent uveitis, or moon blindness, the most common cause of blindness in horses. ERU is an immune-mediated disease characterized by spontaneously recurrent episodes of intraocular inflammation, with an estimated prevalence of 1-2% of horses in the United States.

Metritis is an inflammatory uterine disease found in about 20% of dairy cows after parturition. Studies at UF have found a distinct link between uterine disease and the uterine microbiome, metabolome and the immune system in dairy cows, which may aid in prevention and treatment. Dr. Klibs Galvão is using unique, integrative approaches to investigate better ways of understanding the bovine uterine microbiome and its impacts on uterine health.

The UF Veterinary Hospital at World Equestrian Center/Ocala, a premier equestrian venue, opened for business in May 2022. In the new 40,000-square-foot hospital facility, UF veterinarians offer world-class veterinary care and advanced diagnostics and treatment for horses, dogs and cats. Although the facility does offer treatments for companion animals, this episode focuses on the equine hospital and what the veterinarians there offer horse patients, specifically how they work to enhance and optimize performance in the elite equine athlete.

The veterinary forensic sciences team at the University of Florida provides a cross-disciplinary approach to the pursuit of justice in cases involving animal abuse. Key programs — implemented collaboratively with animal shelters, law enforcement and attorneys — are heightening awareness of animal abuse issues and providing veterinary forensic science services, including forensic autopsies, to participating agencies.

Florida has many invasive species, with Burmese pythons being one of the best known. However, while impacts of these reptiles are often framed in terms of threats they pose to the environment or other species due to habitat encroachment, the risks of diseases associated with emerging pathogens they carry are worthy of further study.

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) affects millions of Americans, and current treatment options are ineffective for many patients. Patients with this syndrome suffer from chronic pain that severely affects quality of life. Dr. Aaron Mickle, an assistant professor of physiological sciences, incorporates multiple techniques at the system and cellular level to answer questions related to mechanisms of bladder sensory function and pain.