Visiting Vet Student: Aurora Jimenez

Verocai lab hosted veterinary student, Aurora Gallardo Jimenez, from Spain. Aurora plans to join a mixed animal practice once she graduates but has always had a passion for Parasitology! Aurora submitted the following statement about her experience here in the Verocai lab.

“I am a Spanish student from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Córdoba. In January, I began an exchange program at Texas A&M University to complete my studies and conduct my research project on Parasitology. This program has not only allowed me to advance my academic knowledge but also to gain invaluable practical experience in a leading research environment. I plan to return to Spain to graduate in May 2024 and subsequently to apply what I have learned.

The laboratory provided me with the opportunity to learn and enhance my knowledge of diagnosing flukes in bison. Specifically, Kaylee assisted me in understanding the situation of the Fasciola hepatica parasite on bison ranches, offering insights into the prevalence, impact, and control measures for this parasite. This hands-on experience has been instrumental in developing my diagnostic skills and understanding of veterinary parasitology.

Both my home university and I are very grateful for the experience and for the support in my project on such an interesting and crucial topic. This exchange program has been a significant step in my academic and professional journey, and I am deeply appreciative of the opportunity to collaborate with esteemed professionals and researchers at Texas A&M University”

Lucienne Visits TAMU!

Dr. Lucienne Tritten, colleague and friend of the Verocai Lab, came to visit sunny and warm College Station this past month to collaborate, tour the lab, and give a excellent presentation on her fascinating research (“Nematode extracellular vesicles and microRNAs: tiny players with great impact”). Dr. Tritten is a Assistant Professor at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where she studies the molecular crosstalk between parasitic helminths and their mammalian hosts. She is particularly interested in the roles played by helminth nucleic acids and extracellular vesicles (EVs) in host immunomodulation. In other words, she hopes to determine how EVs released by helminths shape the outcome of an infection in hosts. Collaborations with scientist like Dr. Tritten, is one of the key reasons the Verocai Lab is able to produce novel and impactful research in the field of parasitology. If you like to learn more about Dr. Tritten, check out her webpage. Also, don’t miss some of the work that has already transpired between our labs!

Visiting Extern: Sarah Macomber-Bouton

Image of Sarah Macomber-Bouton

During the month of October the Verocai lab hosted 4th year veterinary student Sarah Macomber-Bouton. Sarah plans to join a mixed animal practice once she graduates in May, but wanted to get a deeper insight into the world of Parasitology! Sarah submitted the following statement about her experience here in the Verocai lab.

“I am a 4th year from Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM) and visiting the lab for my Public/Corporate rotation to learn more about Parasitology in the academic and diagnostic setting. I am planning to graduate in May of 2024 and return to the Brazos Valley to work as a mixed animal practioner. I also want to integrate parasitology into the practice I work at, in order to improve client knowledge and compliance, as well as spread public health awareness.

I really enjoyed my time here. Everyone is so passionate about Parasitology and the work they are doing. If you have questions or specific interests, they will do their best to answer or show you what you need. I definitely left with more knowledge than I started and feel more comfortable with the parasites, and the tests performed, that may come up in my future as a clinician.”

The Virbac Vets

Yesterday, AAVP TAMU was delighted to host Virbac for a fun, informative, and interactive lunch seminar! We would like to thank personally Dr. Ryan Reynolds, Dr. Cristiano von Simson, and Dr. John Wood for coming and delivering a very helpful presentation to our students. The Verocai Lab was personally impressed by the range of parasites covered (in less than hour!) but still being able to focus on individual and broad range treatment/prevention plans of specific parasites of veterinary relevance. We are very grateful and excited for potentially more collaborations in the future. Great work and thank you!

Dr. John Gilleard visits the Verocai Lab!

This week the Verocai Lab hosted distinguished parasitologist Dr. John Gilleard at Texas A&M University. Dr. Gilleard is a Professor of Parasitology and Associate Dean of Research at the University
of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. His research group integrates parasitology, genetic
and genomic approaches to study the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in parasites and population genetic approaches to investigate its emergence and spread. Furthermore, Dr. Gilleard has developed novel molecular approaches to study the epidemiology of parasitic infections. Many of these ideas were highlighted in his very informative and engaging VTPB Seminar at the TAMU Veterinary School.

Not only is Dr. Gilleard an esteemed colleague of the parasitology community, he is also a active mentor and supporter of the Verocai lab. Together, we are always excited to share ongoing research projects and discuss potential collaborative opportunities to advance the study of parasitology. Indeed, we are very lucky to have wonderful colleagues like Dr. Gilleard, and we were honored to host him for these days of parasitology fun. The only downside was the sudden gray, cold weather (a bit too ‘English’ as Dr. Gilleard would put it, a native Liverpool resident), but we will make sure to bring him back for some of that Texas heat and sunshine!

Juan David visits from Spain!

Juan David Carbonell Bonelo is a veterinarian from Cali, Colombia, has a master’s degree in tropical parasitic diseases, and is currently a resident of the European College of Veterinary Parasitology at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). He is also a Ph.D. student in the department of animal health of the UCM under the supervision of professor Aranzazu Meana Mañes. His research focuses on parasitic dermatitis in horses, particularly hypersensitivity to insect bites due to Culicoides, or biting midges. Juan David elaborated on his work: “I hope to understand the ecology, biology and diversity of biting midges that affect horses in southern Spain and to carry out in vitro and in vivo clinical trials of insecticides and repellents that improve the welfare of these pruritic animals.” Juan David’s passion for parasitology stems from his desire to end human and animal suffering: “I believe I can help humans through animals, whether they are companion animals, food animals, or wildlife.”

In order to expand his parasitic and diagnostic knowledge, Juan David chose to come to the Verocai Lab! In the Verocai Lab, he was learning a variety of molecular techniques that will allow him to diagnose and reveal vector hosts for his doctoral research involving Onchocerca cervicalis: “Onchocerca cervicalis is a parasite of equids transmitted by biting midges. This parasite generates clinical signs similar to that of insect bite hypersensitivity in horses; therefore, it should be considered an important differential diagnosis upon discovery of equine dermatitis”.

Juan David also discussed further why the Verocai Lab stood out to him personally: “It impressed me the large volume of samples analyzed in the diagnostic laboratory compared to other labs I have seen. This will certainly help me apply my knowledge in daily practice when I become a European Diplomate and specialist in veterinary parasitology. Not only did they receive a large volume, but also from a wide range domestic and wild animals. I had the opportunity to analyze samples from giraffes, zebras, and even bison from different wild and zoo populations!”

Overall, we were thrilled to have Juan David come to Texas! Juan David is a great example of the type of mutual collaboration we strive to provide for students, post-docs, and/or other professionals here. We at the Verocai lab know that our scientific colleagues, both locally and internationally, are critical to unravel the mysteries of the parasitology world and we are very fortunate that we can mediate such collaborative studies here in College Station, Texas!