International Animal Health Journal

25/05/2023

New vaccine will stop the spread of bovine TB

Scientists at the University of Surrey have developed a novel vaccine and complementary skin test to protect cattle against bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB). Publishing their findings in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers reveal they have for the first time created a vaccine that is compati...

23/05/2023

Uncovering how endangered pangolins, or 'scaly anteaters,' digest food

The endangered Sunda pangolin, or “scaly anteater,” is a widely trafficked mammal, prized in some cultures for its meat and scales. Little is known about these animals, and raising rescued pangolins is tricky. In the wild, they eat termites and ants, but diets provided in captivity often make th...

23/05/2023

Identifying the bee's knees of bumble bee diets

A new study has identified the bee’s knees of bumble bee dietary options in Ohio and the Upper Midwest. By viewing almost 23,000 bumble bee-flower interactions over two years, researchers found that these bees don’t always settle for the most abundant flowers in their foraging area — suggestin...

23/05/2023

New insights into the complex neurochemistry of ants

Ants’ brains are amazingly sophisticated organs that enable them to coordinate complex behaviour patterns such as the organisation of colonies. Now, a group of researchers led by Christian Gruber of MedUni Vienna’s Institute of Pharmacology have developed a method that allows them to study ants....

23/05/2023

Dinosaurs were the first to take the perspectives of others

When someone near you turns their head towards something in the environment, you likely can’t help to follow their gaze direction. This reaction is observed in mammals, birds and even reptiles alike. It’s an effective way to gather information about what caught the attention of your fellow, whic...

23/05/2023

Jaw shapes of 90 shark species show: Evolution driven by habitat

An international research team led by Faviel A. López-Romero of the University of Vienna investigated how the jaw shape of sharks has changed over the course of evolution. Their conclusion: in the most widespread shark species, the jaws show relatively little variation in shape over millions of yea...

21/05/2023

Medics call for ban on preventive farm antibiotic treatments

A group of senior medics are calling on the government to put public health at the heart of its farm antibiotic policies and to commit to banning preventative antibiotic treatments in livestock. Presidents and leading spokespeople of the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of S...

19/05/2023

Veterinarians awarded for contributions to ruminant welfare

The Ruminant Well-being Awards, sponsored by the Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Business Unit, were granted to Prof. Hans Coetzee (Achievement Award) and Dr. Joshua Aleri (Research Award) in recognition of their efforts to improve ruminant welfare. The award ceremony took place at the World Buia...

17/05/2023

Bats with white-nose syndrome prefer suboptimal habitats despite the consequences

Since 2006, a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome has caused sharp declines in bat populations across the eastern United States. The fungus that causes the disease, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, thrives in subterranean habitats where bats hibernate over the winter months. Bats roosting in the....

16/05/2023

Invading insect could transform Antarctic soils

A tiny flightless midge which has colonised Antarctica’s Signy Island is driving fundamental changes to the island’s soil ecosystem, a study shows. Research by experts at the University of Birmingham in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey has revealed that a non-native midge species ...

16/05/2023

Global warming puts whales in the Southern Ocean on a diet

In the month of June, when winter bites in the southern hemisphere and the sea around the Antarctic freezes over, right whales swim north. Many of them gather in the bay outside the town of Hermanus in South Africa. Here, the warmer South African water is perfect for mating or raising newborn calves...

16/05/2023

Singing humpback whales respond to wind noise, but not boats

A University of Queensland study has found humpback whales sing louder when the wind is noisy, but don’t have the same reaction to boat engines. Research lead Dr Elisa Girola from UQ’s Faculty of Science said this quirk of whale evolution could have consequences for breeding and behaviour. “Hu...

16/05/2023

Basic 'toolkit' for organ development is illuminated by sea star

One of the most basic and crucial embryonic processes to unfold in virtually every living organism is the formation of hollow, tubular structures of various kinds. These tubes may form blood vessels or a digestive tract, and through branching and differentiation, complex organs including the heart,....

15/05/2023

CVO – work to be done on antimicrobial use

Latest UK Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance and Sales Surveillance figures show antimicrobial use in food-producing animals has decreased. UK CVO Nigel Gibbens has urged small animal practitioners to take “a hard look” at the way they prescribe antimicrobials, following the publication of the lat...

13/05/2023

Symposium calls for collaborative approach to strangles

Experts debate how to better manage the disease Equine welfare representatives have called for a collaborative approach to strangles, saying there is no reason why it could not be eradicated if more people were inspired to take action.  They made the call at an industry symposium which united leade...

12/05/2023

Coming Soon

11/05/2023

How species form: What the tangled history of polar bear and brown bear relations tells us

A new study is providing an enhanced look at the intertwined evolutionary histories of polar bears and brown bears. Becoming separate species did not completely stop these animals from mating with each other. Scientists have known this for some time, but the new research draws on an expanded dataset...

09/05/2023

Three young puppies cruelly abandoned in Perth

The Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after three newly born puppies were cruelly abandoned in Perth. Scotland’s animal welfare charity was alerted after the pups were recently discovered by a dog walker in a small patch of woods in North Muirton . Sadly one of the pups had to be put to s...