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Veterinary Medicine

In Peru, a race to vaccinate dogs as two epidemics collide
Person kneeling on ground while their dog is vaccinated on a sidewalk in Peru, the medical workers are wearing PPE and working in a temporary plastic tent bubble to protect against COVID.

Vaccinators in Arequipa reported feeling safer within the booths compare to using only PPE. During a pandemic, reduced workforce meant hiring nonmedical personnel to perform vaccinations, so PPE protocols were harder to follow. (Image: Penn Medicine News)

In Peru, a race to vaccinate dogs as two epidemics collide

A team of workers in Peru, led by Penn Medicine’s Ricardo Castillo-Neyra, led a two-month rabies vaccination campaign.

Lauren Ingeno

Turning back the clock on a severe vision disorder
microscopic image of retinal tissue layers labeled in red and blue

A mutation in the NPHP5 gene leads to a severe blinding disorder, Leber congenital amaurosis. Dogs with the condition that were treated with a gene therapy regrew normal, functional cone cells, labeled in red, that had previously failed to develop. The treatment led to a recovery of retinal function and vision. (Image: Courtesy of Gustavo Aguirre and William Beltran)

Turning back the clock on a severe vision disorder

Gene therapy triggered the regrowth of healthy photoreceptor cells and restored vision in dogs with a severe form of Leber congenital amaurosis.

Katherine Unger Baillie

New test can detect presence of gene doping in equines
Blurred sport shot of horses racing in a pack close together on grass.

New test can detect presence of gene doping in equines

A team of Penn Vet researchers have created and validated a quantitative test that is able to detect the presence of a gene doping agent in plasma and synovial fluid quickly and conveniently.

From Penn Vet

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

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.”

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