BACTERIOLOGY

Research foci include emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including zoonotic diseases, in the areas of diagnosis, antibiotic resistance, vaccine development, disease modelling (epidemiology), vector-borne diseases, infectious diseases of cold-water aquaculture and wildlife, veterinary pharmacology, and disease surveillance and spatial epidemiology as applied to production animals, wildlife (including free-roaming dogs), and aquatic species.

Research on biofilm development, gene regulation of virulence factors, and vaccine and diagnostic test development is being led by Dr. Tom Inzana. Dr. Soo Jin Jeon is working on bacterial uterine infections of dairy cows, and the genetics and bacterial infections of aquatic species. Dr. Reta Abdi investigates antimicrobial resistance in bacteria, the role of membrane proteins in resistance to antimicrobial agents, and development of alternative therapies to antibiotics.

VIROLOGY AND MYCOLOGY

Dr. Maria Forzan works on the pathogenesis and host response to FV3, a ranavirus responsible for large mortalities in amphibians worldwide. She also collaborates with ecologists, molecular biologists and immunologists to explore the application of new diagnostic technologies to aid in the detection of emerging amphibian fungal pathogens, particularly Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, arguably the most important potential threat to North American salamanders.

The focus of Dr. Maged Hemida’s research has been the investigation of emerging and re-emerging viral diseases in the context of the One Health, with an emphasis on corona viruses. His work involves studying virus/host interactions, developing novel diagnostic assays, and development of novel viral vaccines.

Parasitology

Parasitology research, led by Dr. Pratap Kafle, focuses on disease ecology and the use of traditional and modern parasitology techniques to improve parasite diagnostics. The goal of the research is to improve animal health and address public health concerns by enhancing our ability to detect and control parasites, while promoting the one-health approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of animal, human, and environmental health, particularly in light of ongoing climate change.