bacteria

Category: Enviromental Safety/Food Safety/One Health

Harmful Algal Blooms

Posted On August 14, 2019August 12, 2019 By Kayla Wells DVM, MPH, DACVPMcomment

Who of you can resist dipping your toes in an inviting lake or pond on a hot summer day? Even dogs appreciate the fun and relaxation that comes with swimming and wading in water. Hidden in that water are many toxins, some produced from harmful algal blooms. We will cover the most common ones here.

Category: Administration/Enviromental Safety/One Health

Water Treatment Facilities

Posted On August 2, 2019August 1, 2019 By Kayla Wells DVM, MPH, DACVPMcomment

Clean water is the key to maintaining any civilization. John Snow is credited with linking a cholera epidemic to contaminated drinking water in 1855. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diarrheal diseases (such as cholera) kill more children than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined, making diarrheal disease the second leading cause […]

Category: Animal Husbandry

Equine Hoof Care, Part 2

Posted On January 10, 2019January 10, 2019 By Kayla Wells DVM, MPH, DACVPMcomment

What happens when equine feet are neglected, or environmental conditions are less than ideal? The hoof is under constant assault from arid conditions, wet conditions, bacteria, fungi, and physical trauma. We will continue to address common hoof diseases here. In the previous post, we introduced the basics of hoof anatomy and care. The first ailment […]

Category: Animal Husbandry

Equine Hoof Care, Part 1

Posted On December 4, 2018November 27, 2018 By Kayla Wells DVM, MPH, DACVPMcomment

Benjamin Franklin once said: “For the want of a nail the shoe was lost, For the want of a shoe the horse was lost, For the want of a horse the rider was lost, For the want of a rider the battle was lost, For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost, And […]

Category: Animal Husbandry/Infectious Disease Posts

Who is C. chauvoei?

Posted On September 18, 2018September 17, 2018 By Kayla Wells DVM, MPH, DACVPM2 Comments

Weaning will be upon us sooner than expected. Are your calves ready? Are they protected from blackleg? All breeds of calves are susceptible to blackleg, not just black ones. Beef cattle have a slightly higher risk, do to heavier muscling. Clostridium chauvoei causes an emphysematous swelling in muscles, affecting cattle and sheep. Also referred to […]

Category: Infectious Disease Posts

Well Cholera Me Crazy

Posted On September 4, 2018September 3, 2018 By Christopher Lee DVM MPH DACVPMcomment

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Well, cholera me crazy to be talking about cholera in 2018. Isn’t this what my great-grandfathers’ dad had to worry about when horses where transport de jour, and the terms racist and two-ply didn’t exist? In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates up to 4 million people will suffer from cholera this year and […]

Category: Infectious Disease Posts

Contagious Equine Metritis

Posted On April 24, 2018April 23, 2018 By Kayla Wells DVM, MPH, DACVPMcomment

It’s springtime again, and you should already have your mare booked to a stallion. If you have a Quarter Horse, you have the advantage of being able to utilize artificial insemination. If you choose live cover, there are a few infectious diseases you should be concerned about. One foreign animal disease (FAD) to remember is […]

Category: Administration

Hey Copper, thanks for policing for bacteria!

Posted On April 17, 2018April 21, 2018 By Christopher Lee DVM MPH DACVPMcomment

Oligodynamics: Copper, element 29, perches atop the eleventh column of the periodic table above some extraordinary transition metals. Leading the way with oligodynamic, or bacterial neutralizing properties, copper kills bacteria upon contact through several supposed methods. Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, can reportedly kill a million coliform bacteria per millimeter. Despite copper […]

Category: Infectious Disease Posts/One Health

Buruli Ulcer: How does this not hurt?

Posted On February 1, 2018May 15, 2019 By Kayla Wells DVM, MPH, DACVPMcomment

A new type of infection first described in Australia in 1930 is in the news again. Known by many names, including Buruli ulcer, Barnsdale ulcer and Mossman ulcer, infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans causes severe, debilitating ulcers of the skin and soft tissue. This bacterium is in the same genus as tuberculosis and leprosy. Reports show […]

Category: Biostats/Infectious Disease Posts/One Health

Conjugation, Transformation, and Transduction. Oh, my!

Posted On January 18, 2018January 13, 2018 By Kayla Wells DVM, MPH, DACVPMcomment

Bacteria have evolved some very unique methods of transferring genes amongst themselves. One trait that is of high concern is antibiotic resistance. How is it that bacteria can so quickly develop resistance to a given antibiotic? The answer lies in conjugation, transformation, and transduction.