Mexican Free-Tailed Bats In Texas Do Not Carry The Chagas Disease Parasite, Texas A&M Researchers Find
While bats spread a number of zoonotic diseases that affect both people and animals, researchers found no indication of T. cruzi in 300 Mexican free-tailed bats, making it unlikely that bats contribute significantly to the spread of Chagas disease in Texas. Bats are widely known around the world for their role in the spread of […]
Texas A&M Avian Health Center Receives Donation Supporting Nutrition Research
The Texas A&M Schubot Center for Avian Health has received a $250,000 donation from Harrison’s Bird Foods to advance avian health research, with a focus on nutrition, and allow the center to hire a postdoctoral researcher to help lead projects. The new research to be conducted by the Schubot Center will determine how different diets […]
Texas A&M Receives Over $1 Million In USDA Grants to Study SARS-CoV-2 In Deer
Texas A&M University scientists and research partners have received two National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) grants to study the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in deer. These funds will help researchers understand the impact of the virus in Texas’ deer populations and its relationship to human and ecological health. […]
Texas A&M Researchers Play Key Role In National Animal COVID-19 Research
Nine Texas A&M University researchers made key contributions to the first national-scale COVID-19 animal surveillance study that analyzed companion animal COVID-19 data from across the United States. The study was led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and aimed to characterize the clinical and epidemiological features of COVID-19 in companion animals. The […]
Texas A&M, Austin’s Community Cats Program Study Feline Coronaviruses
Dr. Sarah Hamer, an associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS), has teamed up with the Austin Humane Society (AHS), Austin Animal Center (AAC), and Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to conduct a study on coronaviruses in cats. The study aims to determine if coronaviruses are […]
New Study Indicates Captive Texas Deer Can Contract, Likely Transmit SARS-CoV-2 Virus To Each Other
A new study by Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS) has revealed that captive white-tailed deer in Texas are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. With over 90% of the captive deer at one facility testing positive for the virus, the authors indicate their findings likely reflect deer-to-deer transmission. […]
Does The COVID-19 Omicron Variant Spread Affect Pets?
With the holiday season winding to a close, COVID-19 cases are spiking across the country. As pet owners quarantine, questions of pet safety against this disease and the quickly spreading omicron variant continue to arise as well. Drs. Sarah Hamer and Lori Teller, both associate professors at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & […]
West Nile Virus Doesn’t Pose A Huge Threat, But Animal Owners Should Remain Cautious
This summer, mosquitos sampled as part of routine surveillance in Texas have tested positive for West Nile Virus, a disease commonly associated with humans but that can also affect birds, bats, horses, cats, dogs, and rabbits. Although the summer months are waning, because mosquitos remain active during warm months, people and pets are not out […]
Texas A&M Research Uncovers First Known COVID-19 UK Variant In Animals
The United Kingdom variant (B.1.1.7) of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been detected for the first time in a dog and a cat from the same household in Brazos County, Texas, as part of a study led by researchers at Texas A&M University. The first reported finding of the B.1.1.7 human variant virus […]
Texas A&M Research Project Identifies First COVID-19 Positive Cats In Texas
By sampling dogs and cats whose owners have tested positive in Brazos County, the team is working to understand how pets living in ‘high-risk’ households may be impacted by SARS-CoV-2. The transmission of COVID-19 to pets has been the source of much discussion within the scientific community. While reports have confirmed a small, but growing, […]
