VetZone Podcasting

What is S and M with ticks? It is an easy mnemonic method to quickly and easily identify any genus of hard-bodied tick in North America. Is the tick on you, your pet, your livestock an Ixodes or an Amblyomma? Why does that matter? Learn more on this fun podcast. Special thanks to parasitologist, Dr. Lindsay Starkey from Auburn University.

If you have heard of drug half-lives, do you know all of the easy things you can determine from it? Learn the Rule of Five and the Rule of Twenty and how they impact you. Half-lives are fun.

What do skinny cows, armadillos, elephants and coughing humans have in common?  Turns out, they all play host to a very malicious genus of bacteria.  All of these are zoonotic, chronic infections, with few effective treatment options.      

First described in Missouri in 1970, Cytauxzoon felis is a tick-transmitted protozoan within the family Theileriidae.  Bobcats and recovered domestic cats act as reservoir hosts for Amblyomma americanum (Lone Star tick). 

Being three dimensional, most drugs and biologic molecules have mirror images of each other. Typically, one "works" in the body and one does not. Would it surprise you to know that many drugs have both active and inactive forms in your medication? That the FDA does not like this? Listen and learn why.

The kissing bug evokes thoughts of Valentine’s Day, young love, chocolate, and chagomas.  The last would not be something you want to receive from your true love. 

The  bat lives as a small, unassuming creature.  Most people fear them, and rightly so.  Bats are known vectors of rabies.  But, they should be thought of as protectors of humans.  Bats silently guard us nightly from diseases such as West Nile, Zika, chikungunya, and dengue fever. 

It's a beautiful spring afternoon.  The grass is lush and green, the cattle are contentedly grazing.  Calves chase around the pasture.  It was a hard winter, but spring finally has arrived.  All seems right with the world.  Except good ol’ 302 appears to be missing.  She has a new heifer calf on the ground.  You find her down and tremoring.  What could be the cause?

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 Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM). 

What is the difference between infectivity, pathogenicity, and virulence? Why does it matter? Listen and learn why we need to know each of these for every pathogen.