It’s been a very productive summer so far and we have two new publications to share with you:

An outbreak of canine schistosomiasis in Utah: Acquisition of a new snail
host (Galba humilis) by Heterobilharzia americana, a pathogenic parasite on the move

Secretory microRNA Profiles of Third- and Fourth-Stage Dirofilaria immitis Larvae with Different Macrocyclic Lactone Susceptibility: In Search of Biomarkers for Early Detection of Infection

We would like to welcome our new veterinary research students for the summer: Andrew Brown, Hannah Danks, and Veronica Negron. Click on our current team link to view their research projects and interests.

Check out the new Verocai Lab publication showing that Texas is an endemic region for the zoonotic parasite Onchocerca lupi!

Autochthonous, zoonotic Onchocerca lupi in a South Texas dog, United States

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Check out the most recent publication from the Verocai Lab on Thelazia californiensis, or what is commonly known as “the Californian eyeworm”.

Recently Dr. Meriam Saleh was invited to share her parasitology expertise with members of the Livestock Guardian Dog Program at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in San Angelo, TX. She presented a webinar on common intestinal parasites that can infect livestock guardian dogs. Producers from across the United States were able to attend the one-hour session and learn more about how dogs are infected with these parasites and how to prevent them in their livestock guardian dogs. To learn more about the Livestock Guardian Dog Program you can check out their website.

The Verocai Lab would like to welcome new postdoctoral researcher Dr. Meriam Saleh. Prior to joining the lab she served as a lecturer in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at Oklahoma State University and project leader for the National Center for Veterinary Parasitology. Dr. Saleh completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship focused on ticks, their geographic disruption, and tick-borne diseases at Oklahoma State University. Originally from east Tennessee, she earned a BS in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee in 2011 and a PhD in Veterinary Parasitology from Virginia Tech in 2017. Dr. Saleh is fascinated by zoonotic parasites and loves teaching students in the laboratory. She is also an active member of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists. In her spare time Meriam enjoys spending time with her husband Chris and their two dogs Blue and Bella. They frequently are on the search for rare birds and enjoy traveling and exploring natural parks. Although while Chris is bird watching Meriam keeps an eye out for ticks.

O. lupi, a filarial nematode parasite, is an emerging infectious threat in southwestern United States to both domestic animals and humans. Relatively little is known about the parasite’s epidemiology, including what role wild canids (e.g., coyotes) could play in transmission. Check out the Verocai’s Lab most recent paper to learn more about the surveillance of O. lupi in coyotes!

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/12/19-0136_article

 

We want to thank and wish the very best to Nathalia Nguyen! Nathalia has been an important part of the Verocai Lab for the past year and she is graduating with her bachelors degree in biomedical sciences. She now plans to work as a veterinary technician as she applies to veterinary school. We hope for the very best as she embarks on her new journey!

The Verocai Lab would like to welcome new PhD student Matthew Kulpa to the research team! Matt recently graduated from veterinary school at Michigan State University and his research interests align at the intersection of wildlife disease, parasitology, and public health. In particular, he will be focusing on filarial parasite diversity and distribution and their effect on wildlife/human populations in North America. More information about his research interests and personal adventures can be found at his personal website: https://kulpamat.wixsite.com/matthewkulpa