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.
Learn about the antimicrobial properties of certain metals like copper and how we use them in every day life to our advantage!
Brainerd condition, does that sound like something you want? Think again! It is an embarassing disease. Learn more about this disease and how naming diseases is changing to avoid creating stigmas and misdirection. Learn about this new aspect in science!
How can I infect thee? Let me count the ways and it is enumerated by the word FOVAD. Learn this helpful mnemonic and learn about Norovirus, Zika virus, Tularemia, and how far a cat can sneeze! As we often do, we sprinkle a bit of ancient history into the mix as well! Listen and enjoy.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) works hard to prevent toxins from entering the American food and water supplies. We have seen this with CERCLA , radon , and the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act of 1947 (FIFRA) is no different....
All life depends on the hydrologic cycle. Life and death cycle, as does water. Today's rain will be tomorrow's groundwater.
Congress enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) on December 11, 1980. Commonly referred to as Superfund, the Act created a tax on industry that was placed into a trust fund to be used to clean up abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.
Spring Break has passed, and it’s time to hit the books again. In just 10 rapidly approaching weeks, all your hard work will be put to use.
As we looked to the heavens, it reflected concerns within our own world - lead. Learn about how meteors taught us about environmental conservation. And if you thought the ancient Romans were either ignorant or silly for using lead pipes and cups, would it surprise you that addressing lead contamination is not only recent in the US but still ongoing.
When thinking of false-positive tests, unexplained antibodies, and cross reactivity, we need to understand paratopes. Learn about how paratopes affect you and help save your life! In the process, we will also discuss the Roman emperor's love of cabbages and the origin of Dalmatian dogs. Listen, learn, and enjoy!
Ever felt confused between the definitions of Anaphylactoid and Anaphylactic reactions? Learn about the difference here, along with how to make your own homade napalm! It all connects. :)
We are in a continual battle to protect our fragile alveoli every day. Escaping into a climate controlled building can protect us from criteria air pollutants , but puts us at risk for a much more dangerous gas.
Small protein messages between cells, called cytokines, can protect us from infection, help address current infections, and on occasion, can even kill us. Learn more about a few important cytokines and their roles in vaccines, vaccine responses, infection, and something called "Cytokine Storms."
On occasion, some infectious diseases appear to strike harder at the population we least expect, the young and previously healthy individuals. Learn one of the mechanisms for this situation and how the disease that killed more people than World War 1 is still taking the lives of young adults and canines today.
Ah, spring. It is the best of times, it is the worst of mosquitoes. It is the season of light, it is the season of disease. While Dickens described the French Reign of Terror, we will discuss the mosquito Reign of Terror organizing in your backyard.
By understanding the definitions and relationships of standard error, standard deviation, confidence intervals and p-values, clinicians can better plot their trajectory through studies and towards the truth. Learn about these defintions in a fun and painless 5 min podcast. :)
In the previous two posts, we learned about the criteria air pollutants, and the harm they cause to your health and the environment. In the third and final post, we will discuss ways to reduce the impact these particles have on your life.
Protecting workers from occupational hazards is a complex process. Workplace injuries cost industry billions of dollars every year in lost production and medical expenses. To help combat this, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) developed the Hierarchy of Control to provide a framework for implementing control measures. We will cover each control method, starting with the most effective and protective.
Trying to learn the agencies of the US government related to public health is no small task. It turns into alphabet soup rather quickly. Hopefully, we can shed some light on the topic, and clear up any confusion. There are many departments within the federal government. There is a hierarchy of organization for each department.
After the recent loss of my beloved gelding, the topic of secondary toxicosis in wildlife came to mind. Digging a grave in dry, hard ground in December is never fun. Thankfully, my neighbor was kind enough to lend me his backhoe and his dad. He did question why the hole needed to be 8-10 feet deep. It was easy for me to switch to veterinary preventive medicine mode and explain the effects of the euthanasia solution on any potential wildlife scavengers.
In the last post, we introduced the six criteria air pollutants. In this installment, we delve deeper into their malicious nature, and the damage they can do to life and property.
