Dr. Verocai goes to Philly – One Parasitology in Action
April 16, 2024
Dr. Verocai recently went to Philadelphia as an invited speaker of the One Health in Action (OHiA) initiative at University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (PennVet). The hosts were a Verocai Lab alumni, former NCVP resident and postdoc, Dr. Caroline Sobotyk, who is now the Assistant Professor of Clinical Parasitology at PennVet, and Dr. […]
Checking for Ticks!
Last week, We had our first Tick Identification Wet Lab sponsored by Merck! Dr. Tiana Sanders and Ian Daniel (both tick experts in the Verocai Lab) gave presentations about common ticks one might see at their veterinary clinic and how to identify them. The lab also had an interactive component where students went from station […]
2024 VMBS Trainee Research Symposium
February 29, 2024
As always, The Verocai Lab strives to have a strong presence at Texas A&M and in the local community. So, we were thrilled to have three amazing talks at this year’s 2024 VMBS Trainee Research Symposium. Not only did each student give a informative, well-delivered talk about their own research area, but our very own […]
Welcome Pabasara and Likun!
January 31, 2024
The Verocai Lab would like to welcome new incoming postdoctoral researcher Pabasara and our new lab manager Likun! We are very excited to have each of them joining our lab. Pabasara is from Badulla, Sri Lanka, and earned her Bachelor of Science in Zoology (2014) and Master of Science in Food Science and Technology (2017) from the […]
Verocai Lab is in the news!!
January 18, 2024
Happy New Year! We are excited to share a recent Verocai Lab publication that has drawn considerable public interest (see below). The article features the “rat lungworm”, or Angiostrongylus cantonensis, and how it has spread across the southeastern United States. These new details are significant to both human and animal health because of the parasite’s […]
Verocai Lab Goes to First Friday!
December 6, 2023
The Verocai Lab attended First Friday, a community street fair held in Bryan, TX once a month, where we educated the community on common parasites of companion animals and livestock! Our booth featured specimens of heartworm, a microscope with bison parasites, and a “guess how many worms are in this jar” game! The community was […]
Worms and Wellbeing 🎄☃❄
December 5, 2023
For our November AAVP Student Chapter meeting we hosted a mental health and wellbeing event featuring cookie decorating, coloring, Christmas music, and more! This time of year can be stressful for everyone and we encouraged our students to slow down and relax a bit! Thanks to everyone who came out!
Visiting Extern: Sarah Macomber-Bouton
November 17, 2023
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 […]
Happy Halloween! Some scary new papers!
November 1, 2023
At the Verocai Lab, one of our favorite holidays is Halloween because we get to talk about all the frightening (and cool) parasites that are out there. To celebrate, we have two new papers to pique your interest and give you chills! The first paper is about Angiostrongylus cantonensis, or the rat lungworm. This is […]
Verocai Lab Goes to Lexington (AAVP 2023)!
July 28, 2023
This summer the Verocai Lab returned to Lexington, KY for the 68th annual American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists Meeting. Not only did Verocai Lab bring a variety of diverse parasitology work to share, many lab members were the recipients of prestigious awards and scholarships! We are very proud of our whole team and had an […]
Welcome Tiana Sanders!
July 20, 2023
The Verocai Lab would like to welcome new incoming PhD graduate student Tiana Sanders! Tiana is from Catoosa, Oklahoma and earned her BSAG in Natural Resource Ecology and Management in 2019 and her DVM in 2023 from Oklahoma State University. During veterinary school Tiana found a passion for parasitology and decided her next step would be a […]
Welcome the new veterinary students!
June 20, 2023
Please welcome our new 2023 summer veterinary students for VMSRTP (Veterinary Medical Scientist Research Training Program): Kelsey O’Hara, Carmen Volz, Diane Briceno, and Mary Schech (Left to Right). Check out their individual biographies on the team webpage to find out more about their individual research interests! We are excited for they are joining the Verocai […]
Texas Bison Association Conference 2023
June 14, 2023
Congratulations to Kaylee for giving a great talk at the Texas Bison Association (TBA) annual conference in Waco, Texas! Kaylee presented management strategies and how they relate to controlling parasite populations in ranched bison. She also wrote an article on the topic that was published in the TBA 2023 journal magazine! Great job, Kaylee! To […]
VMBS Research Trainee Symposium awards Verocai Lab Members!
June 13, 2023
Hassan Hakimi and Kaylee Kipp both entered the poster/oral competition at this year’s VMBS Research Trainee Symposium and both were awarded distinguished awards including: the People’s Choice for Best Flash Talk (Kaylee Kipp), and 3rd place best poster (Hassan Hakimi). Please join us in congratulating their hard work and great science communication skills! Great job […]
Go ahead…Make my May!
May 15, 2023
It’s time to recognize again all the scientific contributions that the Verocai Lab has made this year thus far. Enjoy catching up on all these really interesting publications! Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) in carnivores kept in zoos in Texas, USA: risk perception, practices, and antigen detection Occurrence of Dirofilaria immitis infection in shelter cats in the […]
Congrats to all our 2023 award recipients!
The Verocai Lab swept the Grammys!….The Grammys of veterinary school at least! We are so very proud of all the members who received an award at this year’s VMBS Honors and Awards Ceremony: Merck Parasitology Award: Hannah Danks & Veronica Negron Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation Student Research Scholar Award: Cora Garcia American College of Veterinary […]
Charles Dar-worm Day
March 7, 2023
Happy Darwin Day! The TAMU Parasitology Club and members of the awesome Criscione Lab had a great time interacting with the Texas A&M and College Station community. We had games, prizes, and, of course, the best parasite specimens you could ask for! Take a look through our photo album to see how much fun we […]
AAVP STUDENT WEBINAR SERIES
March 3, 2023
We are thrilled to announce the launch of the AAVP Student Webinar Series: “We Are Veterinary Parasitologists”. These parasite-centric seminars are intended for the student chapters of AAVP (like our own AAVP TAMU Parasitology Club!) and all students who wish to be apart of AAVP. Our first talk will be from Dr. Jairo Alfonso Mendoza […]
The Virbac Vets
February 9, 2023
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 […]
New Year, New Papers!
January 11, 2023
It’s been a busy year and that means lots, and lots of papers! The last time we updated our recently published papers was in Spring(!), so we have a ton of hard work to share from the past year. We hope everyone had a wonderful break and we look forward to another productive new semester. […]
Dr. John Gilleard visits the Verocai Lab!
November 22, 2022
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 Universityof Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. His research group integrates parasitology, geneticand genomic approaches to study the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in parasites and population […]
NCVP Newsletter features the lab!
November 19, 2022
Check out this month’s NCVP Fall Newsletter! Many current and former members of the lab are highlighted in the newsletter, including the cover! Congratulations to Dr. Verocai (the boss), Dr. Caroline Sobotyk (former post-doc), (soon-to-be) Dr. Tiana Sanders (former visiting student), and Dr. Sarah Myers (former visiting student) on all their recent successes and parasitology […]
Kaylee wins bison scholarship!
November 11, 2022
Verocai Lab PhD student Kaylee Kipp has been awarded the Throlson American Bison Foundation scholarship! Check out the link to learn more about this prestigious award. Congrats Kaylee!!! (Photo Credit: Ryan Moehring / USFWS, Flickr/Creative Commons)
Juan David visits from Spain!
November 2, 2022
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 […]
American Heartworm Society’s Triennial Symposium
September 30, 2022
Multiple current and former members of the Verocai Lab showed out at the American Heartworm Society’s Triennial Symposium this year! This included: Dr. Guilherme Verocai Temporal patterns of Dirofilaria immitis–derived microRNA populations in serum of experimentally infected dogs in the search for novel diagnostic biomarkers Probe-based qPCR as an alternative Knott’s test when screening dogs for […]
A ‘cheesy’ post from our Wisconsin visitor!
September 7, 2022
Hello, my name is Kailey Wichman and I am currently a vet student at the University of Wisconsin Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. I first received my Bachelor of Dairy Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and, as you can guess, my hope is to go into farm animal medicine. I also have […]
Congrats Vet Students!
September 1, 2022
As summer now officially comes to an end, we need to congratulate our veterinary students for completing the Veterinary Medical Scientist Research Training Program (VMSRTP). All three made the Verocai lab proud and we our so grateful they came to our lab to pursue and experience parasitology research. The amazing projects and students included: We […]
Congrats and Good Luck Neha!
August 28, 2022
We again have to say goodbye and congratulations to another wonderful friend and colleague, Neha Tyagi. As our research associate, Neha was what we all would consider the “glue” that held our lab together at its metaphorical seams! From establishing new techniques and protocols to maintaining the daily upkeep of a busy molecular lab, Neha […]
ASP 2022 & ‘Parasites on the Green’
August 5, 2022
In early July we were able to ‘travel’ to the 97th annual conference of the American Society of Parasitologists in College Station, Texas! Although only down the road from our lab, our team was exposed to new colleagues, ideas, and all kinds of strange parasites (if you don’t know about the horse hairworm, we suggest […]
So Long, and Thanks for All the Worms
July 27, 2022
We now must say goodbye and congratulations to our friend/colleague, Dr. Caroline Sobotyk de Oliveira. Although we are saddened that her post-doctoral term has ended here in the Verocai Lab, we cannot express how proud we are of her accomplishments and her future endeavors she will embark upon. Dr. Sobotyk completed her DVM in 2013 […]
AAVP Meeting 2022
July 18, 2022
This June we were able to travel to the 67th annual American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists in lovely Snowbird, Utah! This once in a lifetime trip exposed us to new exciting parasitology work, new colleagues/friends, and not to mention – mountains! This year’s AAVP conference was ultimately a special one for the Verocai lab. Overall, […]
Congrats Kaylee!
June 5, 2022
This weekend, Kaylee delivered a wonderful presentation on the ongoing bison parasitology work being done in the Verocai lab at the Texas Bison Association Conference. Not only are we very proud of her, but we are so grateful for having the opportunity to collaborate with such an important industry in the Texas area. Way to […]
Congratulations Dr. Verocai!
June 3, 2022
This year, Dr. Verocai was officially named to the National Center of Veterinary Parasitology Board! Serving on this committee is a great honor and we are very proud that he was nominated for this prestigious parasitology position. Way to go Gui and good luck!
Welcome Maureen!
May 20, 2022
The Verocai Lab would like to welcome new PhD graduate student Maureen Kelly! Moving from Pittsburgh to Miami, she earned her BS in Biology in 2018 from Barry University. She then received her MS from Tulane University in Tropical Medicine in 2021. During her Masters, she found her passion for Public Health and Epidemiology. Maureen […]
Congrats Hannah!
Veterinary student and current member of the Verocai Lab, Hannah Danks, presented her awesome research at the 2022 VMBS Trainee Research Symposium. In addition, her work was recently published and is linked below. Way to go! Opening a can of lungworms: Molecular characterization of Dictyocaulus (Nematoda: Dictyocaulidae) infecting North American bison (Bison bison)
April showers bring spring papers
April 12, 2022
More wonderful work from the Verocai Lab, check it out! Detection of Dirofilaria immitis via integrated serological and molecular analyses in coyotes from Texas, United States Dirofilaria immitis in an Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus) from southeastern Louisiana, United States
And the award goes to…
Congratulations to all the Verocai Lab Awards reciepinets! They are well-deserved and include: Congratulations to these outstanding lab members and all the VMBS award winners.
The Parasitologists Come to Town!
February 23, 2022
We were delighted to host our esteemed colleagues and friends from Cornell (Dr. Mani Lejeune) and from Zoetis (Dr. Pablo David Jimenez Castro) earlier this month. Research collaboration is an important facet of the Verocai lab and we were all very excited to share data, ideas, and of course bad parasite puns. Below is a […]
Welcome Back and New Papers!
January 21, 2022
Hello everyone! We hope you all had a restful winter break and happy holidays!! Although, the Verocai Lab had no shortage of productivity during the Texas “cold” months of December and January. Perhaps even our most productivity! Check out some of the great recent work on monkeys, reptiles and even whales: Molecular characterization of Dipetalonema yatesi from […]
Texas Bison Association Fall Meeting
December 2, 2021
The Verocai Lab attended the 2021 Fall Texas Bison Association meeting, hosted by Wild Horse Ranch and Lucky B Bison Ranch! Dr. Guilherme Verocai, Joe Luksovsky, Kaylee Kipp Ph.D. student, and Hannah Danks veterinary student were able to meet with many local bison ranchers. Informative presentations and networking opportunities regarding bison production and management strategies […]
Congrats on your Oath Ceremony!
October 22, 2021
We want to congratulate all the Verocai Lab members who participated in the VMBS TAMU Graduate Student Oath Ceremony! In addition, we welcome all the new TAMU graduate students that were honored at this fun event and wish them well on their new scientific journey.
Welcome Tati Harvey!
The Verocai Lab would like to welcome new postdoctoral researcher Tatiani Harvey! Tati has an amazing background and will be a welcomed addition to the Verocai Lab. Read more about Tati below: “I was a consultant for the Zoonoses Surveillance Unit in the city of Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil, and was a columnist for a local […]
New Sept/Oct Papers!
October 15, 2021
New school year, but same old production in the Verocai Lab! Check out the most recent fruits of our labor: Retrospective study of canine endoparasites diagnosed by fecal flotation methods analyzed across veterinary parasitology diagnostic laboratories, United States, 2018 Presence of a cryptic Onchocerca species in black flies of northern California, USA Lungworms in ruminants from Brazil: […]
Welcome Neha Tyagi
October 5, 2021
The Verocai Lab would like to welcome new Research Associate Neha Tyagi! We are very excited to have such a dedicated and hard-working member join the lab.
Visiting Extern: Sarah
September 17, 2021
For the past month, The Verocai Lab has been hosting fourth year veterinary student Sarah Myers! Sarah is originally from Olathe, KS (suburb of Kansas City), and got her B.S in Veterinary Medicine from Kansas State in 2020. She is now a 4th year veterinary student at Kansas State, with a primary interest in pursuing a […]
Welcome Kaylee Kipp
September 3, 2021
The Verocai Lab would like to welcome new incoming PhD graduate student Kaylee Kipp! Born and raised in Texas, Kaylee earned her BS in Animal Science in 2018 and a MS in Agricultural Sciences in 2020 at Texas A&M University–Commerce. During her Masters, Kaylee found her passion for ruminant parasites and decided to do her […]
Congratulations Meriam!
September 2, 2021
We like to congratulate Dr. Meriam Saleh on starting her new position as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Veterinary Parasitology at Texas A&M University! For nearly a year, Meriam has been a integral part of the Verocai Lab, and while she will still be important of the lab (and only down the hall), we want […]
Joe wins prestigious award!
September 1, 2021
We like to acknowledge Joe Luksovsky on winning the VMBS Staff Recognition Award for his tireless efforts in the Parasitology Diagnostic Lab. This is a well-deserved award and we hope that you join us in congratulating Joe for this major accomplishment!
New August Papers!
August 24, 2021
The summer is winding down, but the production never stops in the Verocai Lab! Check out these recent papers: Evaluation of the in vitro susceptibility of various filarial nematodes to emodepside Complete mitochondrial genome of Onchocerca lupi (Nematoda, Onchocercidae)
New Papers!
July 14, 2021
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 snailhost (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 […]
66th Annual AAVP Meeting – Lexington, KY
June 24, 2021
The Verocai Lab had a big presence at the AAVP 2021 hybrid/virtual conference this year! Dr. Verocai, Dr. Sobotyk de Oliveira, Dr. Saleh, Dr. Kulpa, and veterinary student Kaitlyn Upton all gave presentations on exciting, new parasitology research. Check out more photos of the event on the Verocai Lab Flickr photostream and stay tuned for […]
Welcome New DVM Students!
June 3, 2021
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.
New Paper: First case of O. lupi found in Texas
April 30, 2021
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
New Paper!
March 16, 2021
Check out the most recent publication from the Verocai Lab on Thelazia californiensis, or what is commonly known as “the Californian eyeworm”.
Livestock Guardian Dogs and Parasites
January 28, 2021
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 […]
Welcome Dr. Meriam Saleh!
January 11, 2021
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 […]
Coyotes Are a Probable Reservoir for Onchocerca lupi
December 4, 2020
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 […]
Congratulations Nathalia!
November 23, 2020
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 […]
Welcome Matthew Kulpa!
October 2, 2020
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 […]
New NCVP resident comes to TAMU’s Verocai Lab!
April 16, 2020
Caroline Sobotyk de Oliveira DVM, MSc, PhD, the Merck Resident in Veterinary Parasitology, will be completing research and clinical training toward board certification in parasitology under the direction of Dr. Gui Verocai (DACVM-Parasit.) at Texas A&M University where he serves as Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Parasitology Diagnostic Laboratory. Dr. Sobotyk completed her DVM in […]