University <strong>of</strong> Florida <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Veterinary</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong> Introduction<strong>Research</strong>University <strong>of</strong> Florida<strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Veterinary</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong>• Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1—2• <strong>Research</strong> Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3• Keeping Tick-borne Diseases at Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4• Racing to Determine Causes <strong>of</strong> Greyhound Deaths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6• Helping Frail Foals Survive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8• Seeking Solutions to Cat Overpopulation Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10• Troubleshooting West Nile Virus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12• Foamy Viruses Show Gene Therapy Potential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14• Charting New Territory With Immunodeficiency Virus <strong>Research</strong> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16• Changing Standards <strong>of</strong> Care While Improving Sight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18• Advancing Animal Reproductive Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20• Studying the Cough Mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22• Focusing on Breathing Awareness and Respiratory Disease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24• Evaluating Treatments for Osteoporosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26• Mycoplasmas Play Key Role in Disease <strong>of</strong> Humans, Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28• Advancing Health <strong>of</strong> Wildlife, Endangered Species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30• Mapping the Brain’s Possibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32• Assessing Risks to Animal, Human and Environmental Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34• Giving Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36• Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Back Cover• Infectious Diseases • Clinical • Physiology • Environment • GeneralWWhether developing newways to restore sight andsense, pinpointing levels <strong>of</strong> toxicityin the environment, or investigatingmicroscopic organisms and virusesto protect against disease,researchers at the University <strong>of</strong>Florida <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Veterinary</strong><strong>Medicine</strong> are in the forefront <strong>of</strong>advancing animal, human andenvironmental health.Improving quality <strong>of</strong> life foryou, your pets, food animalsand the world’s endangered speciesis our primary goal, and ourobjectives for doing this unfold inmultifaceted ways every day at theUF veterinary college.We hope this document willenhance your awareness <strong>of</strong> whatwe do here at the college and howour multiple approaches to diseasediagnosis and prevention cometogether to make up the whole <strong>of</strong>who we are as an institution andhow we serve the public. Basicbiomedical research aimed atimproving human health, clinicalresearch to improve domestic animalhealth and productivity, andconservation medicine and biologyto improve the health and wellbeing<strong>of</strong> wildlife and ourenvironment are all part <strong>of</strong> ouroverall college research program.In this brochure, we’ve put faces tosome <strong>of</strong> the individuals who makeup these programs, and the storiesyou will read here <strong>of</strong>fer uniqueinsights into not only who’s doingwhat, and why, but also food forthought as to why research makesa difference in our everyday lives.Some <strong>of</strong> our individualresearchers and theirprograms are better knownthan others. Many readersmay know already that avaccine against FelineImmunodeficiency Virus(Feline AIDS) wasdeveloped and patentedby a UF researcher whosework into relationshipsbetween FIV and humanAIDS is ongoing. Othersfamiliar with the college’shistory may recall that one<strong>of</strong> the cornerstones <strong>of</strong> ourresearch program was theinfectious disease groupfocusing on devastatingtick-borne diseases suchas heartwater in livestock.This group’s role inkeeping such diseases atbay in sub-Saharan Africaand preventing them fromtaking root in the U.S. hasreceived internationalrecognition throughcontinued funding fromagencies such as the U.S.Agency for InternationalDevelopment. As a result<strong>of</strong> our team’s dedication,a vaccine againstheartwater is believed tobe close at hand.Introduction, continued on page 2Dr. Joseph A. DiPietro, dean, and Dr. Charles H. Courtney,associate dean for research and graduate studies•www.vetmed.ufl.edu3
<strong>Research</strong> HighlightsIntroduction, continued from page 1The preferred animal model for thestudy <strong>of</strong> osteoporosis in womenwas developed by one <strong>of</strong> our facultymembers in the mid 1980s. Thatsame individual has helped evaluateseveral osteoporosis treatments nowon the market. Mice that were part<strong>of</strong> his related studies involving boneloss and its relationship toweightlessness have flown on theSpace Shuttle.More recently, UF veterinaryresearchers made headlines whenthey reported in conjunction withthe Centers for Disease Controlthat equine influenza virus hadjumped species into dogs and wasthe likely cause <strong>of</strong> several racinggreyhound deaths in Jacksonville.Mysterious greyhound deathscontinue in Florida and elsewherefrom respiratory illness,and so does our investigators’research into the cause.Another <strong>of</strong> our researchers is wellknown locally and internationallyfor her advocacy <strong>of</strong> homeless catsand her studies <strong>of</strong> how to improvecat population control.When West Nile virus begangrabbing media attention a fewyears ago, another <strong>of</strong> our researcherssoon became the point person formonitoring the incidence <strong>of</strong>outbreaks affecting horses at our<strong>Veterinary</strong> Medical Center andelsewhere in Florida. With fundingfrom state and federal sources, shehas helped to build a database thatwill help both horse owners andveterinary pr<strong>of</strong>essionals betterunderstand the potential forinfection as well as how to bettertrack West Nile disease spread.In spite <strong>of</strong> all the publicacknowledgments our researchershave received, much work continueswithout headlines or fanfare. In thiscollection <strong>of</strong> stories, a meaningfulcross-section <strong>of</strong> research takingplace here at the college, wecelebrate all <strong>of</strong> these individualsand their commitment to keepinganimals, humans and theenvironment healthy. We hopeyou will as well.Best Regards,Joseph A. DiPietro, D.V.M. M.S.Dean, UF <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong><strong>Veterinary</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong>Charles H. Courtney, D.V.M. Ph.D.Associate Dean for <strong>Research</strong> andGraduate StudiesTThe <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Veterinary</strong><strong>Medicine</strong> at the University<strong>of</strong> Florida, the state’s only veterinarycollege, <strong>of</strong>fers comprehensive serviceto the public through a fourfoldmission: teaching, research,extension, and patient care.Following graduation <strong>of</strong> its firstclass in 1980, the college has builton the university’s reputation forexcellence and is consistentlyranked in the top 10 <strong>of</strong> all U.S.veterinary colleges by U.S. Newsand World Report.The college is unique in that itis administered jointly by UF’sInstitute <strong>of</strong> Food and AgriculturalSciences and the Health ScienceCenter, with the Dean <strong>of</strong><strong>Veterinary</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong> answering toboth the Vice President forAgriculture and Natural Resourcesand the Vice President for HealthAffairs. Over half <strong>of</strong> college facultyhold both IFAS and HealthScience Center facultyappointments. Organizationally,the college is divided into fouracademic departments.The department <strong>of</strong> large animalclinical sciences is responsible forteaching, clinical service andresearch involving diseases <strong>of</strong>livestock, poultry and fish. Majorprograms include animalreproduction, food animalproduction medicine, equine colicand equine performance medicine.The department <strong>of</strong> pathobiologyis responsible for teaching, clinicalservice and research involvingpathology, molecular biology,microbiology and parasitology<strong>of</strong> animal diseases. Major programsinclude tick-borne diseases,EPM in horses, the AIDS viruses<strong>of</strong> animals and mycoplasmaldiseases. The department alsohosts the college’s comparativeclinical immunology program.The department <strong>of</strong> physiologicalsciences is responsible for teaching,clinical service and researchinvolving basic physiology andtoxicology. Major programs includeenvironmental toxicology, forensictoxicology, the neurosciences, andrespiratory and cardiac physiology.The department <strong>of</strong> small animalclinical sciences is primarilyresponsible for teaching, clinicalservice, and research involvingdiseases <strong>of</strong> pets and zoo animals,but some work is done withlivestock, primarily in the field<strong>of</strong> ophthalmology.In addition to the above fourdepartments, the college also is hostto the Center for Environmental andHuman Toxicology. Included withinthis center are the analytical coretoxicology laboratory, the aquatictoxicology facility and theUniversity <strong>of</strong> Florida RacingLaboratory. The racing laboratory,one <strong>of</strong> only five such internationallycertified laboratories in the UnitedStates, is responsible for conductingdrug screens on all horses andgreyhounds raced at tracksthroughout Florida.The college also hosts theuniversity’s marine mammalprogram jointly with theWhitney Laboratory. Thisinterdisciplinary programsupports research and training inthe care <strong>of</strong> marine mammals withemphasis on manatees.In the 10 years from 1994 to 2004, thedollar amount <strong>of</strong> grants and contractsawarded annually to UF <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Veterinary</strong><strong>Medicine</strong> faculty nearly doubled, from$5,221,642 in 1994 to $9,616,498 in2004 despite an overall decline in statesupportedfaculty numbers.Most <strong>of</strong> the increase was a result <strong>of</strong> a 2.5-foldincrease in federal funding, a 3-fold increasein corporate funding and a 3.5-fold increase infunding from charitable foundations, whereasresearch grant funding by the state <strong>of</strong> Floridadeclined to 80 percent <strong>of</strong> 1994 levels.4<strong>Research</strong> • University <strong>of</strong> Florida <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Veterinary</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong>••www.vetmed.ufl.edu5