Latest news with #CollegeofVeterinaryMedicine
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Health
- The Irish Sun
New coronavirus only ‘one small step from spilling over into humans' and sparking widespread outbreak, say scientists
A NEW coronavirus may only be "a small step away from spilling over into humans", scientists have warned - sparking fears of another pandemic. Scientists believe the variant, called 1 Dr Michael Letko, a molecular virologist at WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, is leading the research into the concerning variant Credit: Ted S. Warren/College of Veterinary Medicine/WSU American scientists fear the virus - found in China - may be one small mutation away from also being able to infect humans, which could lead to a widespread outbreak. The new study, published in , looked at a lesser-known group of coronaviruses called merbecoviruses. It includes HKU5 and MERS-CoV, which is responsible for the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. First noted in 2012, the virus typically spreads from infected camels to humans and causes severe respiratory disease, which can be fatal to 34 per cent of its victims. Read more on pandemics The research team, which included scientists at Washington State University (WSU), the California Institute of Technology and the University of North Carolina, sought to understand how merbecoviruses infiltrate the cells of their hosts. While most bugs in the group seemed to pose little threat to people, scientists said one subgroup, HKU5, has concerning traits. Michael Letko, a virologist at WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, said: "Merbecoviruses – and HKU5 viruses in particular – really hadn't been looked at much, but our study shows how these viruses infect cells. "What we also found is HKU5 viruses may be only a small step away from being able to spill over into humans." Most read in Health Like other coronaviruses, merbecoviruses rely on a spike protein to bind to receptors and invade host cells. Dr Letko's team used virus-like particles containing the part of the spike protein responsible for binding to receptors and tested their ability to infect cells in their lab. World is not prepared for looming Disease X pandemic says Doctor Tedros Ghebreyesus While most merbecoviruses appeared unlikely to be able to infect humans, HKU5 viruses — which have been found across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East — were shown to use a host receptor known as ACE2, the same used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19. But for now HKU5 viruses can only use the ACE2 gene in bats and can't deploy it on humans nearly as well. Examining HKU5 viruses found in Asia - where their host is the Japanese house bat - the researchers demonstrated some mutations in the spike protein that may allow the viruses to bind to ACE2 receptors in other species, including humans. 'These viruses are so closely related to MERS, so we have to be concerned if they ever infect humans,' Dr Letko said. 'While there's no evidence they've crossed into people yet, the potential is there — and that makes them worth watching.' Dr Letko said the study and its methods could be used for future research projects and to help the development of new vaccines and treatments. What is the new Covid variant confirmed in the UK? The new strain - called NB.1.8.1 - has been spotted in the parts of the UK, such as Ireland and Wales. It's also cropped up in Europe, the US and Australia, as well as Egypt, the Maldives, Thailand, China and Hong Kong. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently issued a warning over NB.1.8.1, designating it as a "variant under monitoring" due to its global spread and key mutations. 'Despite a concurrent increase in cases and hospitalisations in some countries where NB.1.8.1 is widespread, current data do not indicate that this variant leads to more severe illness than other variants in circulation,' the WHO said. But while it may not be particularly severe, it may infect people more easily than previous variants, with some evidence suggesting that the variant binds more tightly to human cells. The WHO stressed that, based on available evidence, the variant's risk to public health was "low at the global level". "Currently approved Covid-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective to this variant against symptomatic and severe disease," it added. Symptoms include sore throat, fatigue, fever, mild cough, muscle aches and a blocked nose. Some people may also get gastrointestinal symptoms. It's not the first time concerns have been raised over HKU5. Earlier this year, Chinese scientists warned that This suggests a higher potential for zoonotic spillover - when a disease spreads from animal to human. If there is no 'intermediate middle animal', it becomes harder to predict and prevent spillover events through interactions such as wildlife trading or hunting. "There is the potential for this new virus to spillover to humans, like previous coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2," said Dr Gary R McLean, a research fellow at the Imperial College London, who was not involved in the study. But he noted that, so far, there is no "evidence" that HKU5-CoV-2 can infect people – the paper is based on tests in a laboratory, showing the bug's "potential". "Hopefully the Chinese authorities now have good surveillance systems in place and the laboratories work to rigid safety standards that minimise the risk of spillover occurring," he said. The WHO has previously listed MERS and Covid as two of several diseases - alongside the mysterious disease X - that could spark a pandemic, but for which there is no specific treatment or vaccine.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
New coronavirus only ‘one small step from spilling over into humans' and sparking widespread outbreak, say scientists
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A NEW coronavirus may only be "a small step away from spilling over into humans", scientists have warned - sparking fears of another pandemic. Scientists believe the variant, called HKU5-CoV-2, may infect a broader range of animals than Covid-19 and may have more potential for jumping between species. 1 Dr Michael Letko, a molecular virologist at WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, lead the research into the concerning variant Credit: Ted S. Warren/College of Veterinary Medicine/WSU American scientists fear the virus - found in China - may be one small mutation away from also being able to infect humans, which could lead to a widespread outbreak. The new study, published in Nature Communications, looked at a lesser-known group of coronaviruses called merbecoviruses. It includes HKU5 and MERS-CoV, which is responsible for the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. First noted in 2012, the virus typically spreads from infected camels to humans causes severe respiratory disease, which can be fatal to 34 per cent of its victims. The research team, which included scientists at Washington State University (WSU), the California Institute of Technology and the University of North Carolina, sought to understand how merbecoviruses infiltrate the cells of their hosts. While most bugs in the group seemed to pose little threat to people, scientists said one subgroup, HKU5, has concerning traits. Michael Letko, a virologist at WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, said: "Merbecoviruses – and HKU5 viruses in particular – really hadn't been looked at much, but our study shows how these viruses infect cells. "What we also found is HKU5 viruses may be only a small step away from being able to spill over into humans." Like other coronaviruses, merbecoviruses rely on a spike protein to bind to receptors and invade host cells. Dr Letko's team used virus-like particles containing the part of the spike protein responsible for binding to receptors and tested their ability to infect cells in their lab. World is not prepared for looming Disease X pandemic says Doctor Tedros Ghebreyesus While most merbecoviruses appeared unlikely to be able to infect humans, HKU5 viruses — which have been found across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East — were shown to use a host receptor known as ACE2, the same used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19. But for now HKU5 viruses can only use the ACE2 gene in bats and can't deploy it on humans nearly as well. Examining HKU5 viruses found in Asia - where their host is the Japanese house bat - the researchers demonstrated some mutations in the spike protein that may allow the viruses to bind to ACE2 receptors in other species, including humans. 'These viruses are so closely related to MERS, so we have to be concerned if they ever infect humans,' Dr Letko said. 'While there's no evidence they've crossed into people yet, the potential is there — and that makes them worth watching.' Dr Letko said the study and its methods could be used for future research projects and to help the development of new vaccines and treatments. What is the new Covid variant confirmed in the UK? The new strain - called NB.1.8.1 - has been spotted in the parts of the UK, such as Ireland and Wales. It's also cropped up in Europe, the US and Australia, as well as Egypt, the Maldives, Thailand, China and Hong Kong. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently issued a warning over NB.1.8.1, designating it as a "variant under monitoring" due to its global spread and key mutations. 'Despite a concurrent increase in cases and hospitalisations in some countries where NB.1.8.1 is widespread, current data do not indicate that this variant leads to more severe illness than other variants in circulation,' the WHO said. But while it may not be particularly severe, it may infect people more easily than previous variants, with some evidence suggesting that the variant binds more tightly to human cells. A recent study that has not yet been peer reviewed suggests that a person infected with NB.1.8.1 may be more likely to pass the virus on to someone else, compared to earlier variants. The WHO stressed that, based on available evidence, the variant's risk to public health was "low at the global level". "Currently approved Covid-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective to this variant against symptomatic and severe disease," it added. Symptoms include sore throat, fatigue, fever, mild cough, muscle aches and a blocked nose. Some people may also get gastrointestinal symptoms. It's not the first time concerns have been raised over HKU5. Earlier this year, Chinese scientists warned that HKU5-CoV-2 may be able to jump straight from bats to humans without another animal in between. This suggests a higher potential for zoonotic spillover - when a disease spreads from animal to human. If there is no 'intermediate 'middle animal', it becomes harder to predict and prevent spillover events through interactions such as wildlife trading or hunting. "There is the potential for this new virus to spillover to human, like previous coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2," said Dr Gary R McLean, a research fellow at the Imperial College London, who was not involved in the study. But he noted that, so far, there is no "evidence" that HKU5-CoV-2 can infect people – the paper is based on tests in a laboratory, showing the bug's "potential". "Hopefully the Chinese authorities now have good surveillance systems in place and the laboratories work to rigid safety standards that minimise the risk of spillover occurring," he said. The WHO has previously listed MERS and Covid as two of several diseases - alongside the mysterious disease X - that could spark a pandemic, but for which there is no specific treatment or vaccine.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Veterinary students are in high demand despite huge school debt and alarming suicide rates
Fourth-year veterinarian student Alexandra Ponkey maneuvered the camera and the surgical tools through the insertions on the belly of a 2-year-old German Shepherd named Jackie. On her last day as a student, as part of her laparoscopic procedural class, Ponkey took on the role of primary surgeon to spay the dog and remove its ovaries. But before she could cross the graduating stage as a licensed veterinarian, she had to go back into the surgery room — this time as the assistant to another student taking on the job of primary surgeon. Ponkey, 34, left her first career of teaching and training horse riding and care to achieve her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian. The hands-on classes at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona represented the first step toward achieving that dream. Today, her new skills are in high demand. As she enters the field, California and the rest of the nation is experiencing a shortage of veterinary professionals due to high turnover rates, rising student debt and a surge in pet ownership spurred by the pandemic, according to John Tegzes, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University. A recent survey by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals found that more than 344,000 shelter animals in California do not have adequate access to veterinary care staff. Across the state, about 60% of shelters say they have unfilled veterinarian positions and approximately 54% have unfilled registered veterinarian technicians positions, according to the SPCA. Read more: 'We can't give up on her': Couple turns to bloodhounds, animal psychics to find lost dog The lack of animal medical care has led to overcrowded shelters, a rise in pet illnesses and an increasing rate of adoptable animals being euthanized, according to the survey. The shortage of veterinarians also leads to a lack of medical care available for pet owners, which leads to more animals being surrendered to shelters, according to the survey. "The pandemic really elevated a crisis that was probably brewing in the background for the last 20 to 40 years, but really accelerated it when many new people adopted pets," Tegzes said. "The demand for veterinary services started to increase exponentially quickly in Southern California." Western University College of Veterinary Medicine is one of only two veterinary schools in California. The U.S. has 33 schools for veterinarian medicine, each with a cap on students being admitted. For Western University, the number of students accepted into its four-year program is limited to 120, Tegzes said. Its 2025 graduating class will see 104 students entering the profession. Tuition for veterinary students at Western University costs roughly $67,000 per year, which means most graduating students are leaving school with large student debt. Another concern is the high suicide rate among veterinarians. A 2019 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that veterinarians are as much as four times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. In an interview with National Public Radio, psychologist Kerry Carafa attributed the high rate of suicide in the pet-care field to the balance of care they must shoulder. A veterinarian needs to care not only for the pets, but for the owners and for themselves. 'While social media can be a platform for education, community support, and sharing positive stories, it also has a darker side,' Dr. Karen Lee, medical director of Inland Valley Humane Society, said in an email. 'In some cases, dissatisfied clients have used these platforms to publicly attack veterinarians, sometimes sparking viral backlash without the full context being known.' Read more: At Puppy Fades dog salon, the formerly incarcerated get a second chance Second-year veterinary student Amber Elalem, 30, is well aware of the pressures that come with a job that often results in life-or-death decisions for beloved pets. 'You have to understand that you are going into an industry that you are going to have late nights, you are going to be working longer hours," Elalem said. "You are going to be doing these things that are going to be taxing you but at the same time you need to make sure you're taking a little bit of time for yourself as well. As pet ownership increases, so has the willingness of owners to spend on pet care. That has made investments in veterinarian medicine very popular among corporations and private-equity firms, according to a report by The Atlantic. Corporate-owned clinics see pet care as a viable revenue source, causing prices for visits to increase. Mars Inc., the makers of Skittles and Snickers candies, is the largest owner of stand-alone veterinary clinics in the country, operating more than 2,000 facilities under the names Banfield, VCA, and BluePearl, according to the Atlantic report. When her 5-year-old Chihuahua, Shrek, became ill, Alejandra Cervantes, an operations associate at Western University, said it was difficult to find care that was both affordable and met her standards. 'Trying to navigate finding [an affordable veterinarian] took a while,' said Cervantes, cradling Shrek in her arms at a coffee shop in Pomona. As a student, Ponkey has not yet felt as much of the stress that she said she probably will face when she becomes a professional veterinarian. For now, she loves being around animals even when she is unwinding outside of class. She also makes sure to surround herself with a group of mentors who can help her maneuver through the many obstacles of animal medicine and human interaction. 'I think that the students that struggle much less when they get into practice are the ones that live some life beforehand,' Ponkey said. 'I find that it's not necessarily the sciences and the knowledge base that people struggle with as much.' Ponkey plans to specialize in surgery after finishing veterinarian school, which will require her to work as an intern in a hospital. The salary of a hospital intern is much less than that of a full fledged veterinarian but she points out that she already has paid off her undergraduate tuition with money she earned being a professional equestrian. "I think that when its your money going towards your education, I think you have maybe a little bit more willingness to have a perspective on how happy am I going to be in this career." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
21-05-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Veterinary students are in high demand despite huge school debt and alarming suicide rates
Fourth-year veterinarian student Alexandra Ponkey maneuvered the camera and the surgical tools through the insertions on the belly of a 2-year-old German Shepherd named Jackie. On her last day as a student, as part of her laparoscopic procedural class, Ponkey took on the role of primary surgeon to spay the dog and remove its ovaries. But before she could cross the graduating stage as a licensed veterinarian, she had to go back into the surgery room — this time as the assistant to another student taking on the job of primary surgeon. Ponkey, 34, left her first career of teaching and training horse riding and care to achieve her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian. The hands-on classes at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona represented the first step toward achieving that dream. Today, her new skills are in high demand. As she enters the field, California and the rest of the nation is experiencing a shortage of veterinary professionals due to high turnover rates, rising student debt and a surge in pet ownership spurred by the pandemic, according to John Tegzes, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University. A recent survey by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals found that more than 344,000 shelter animals in California do not have adequate access to veterinary care staff. Across the state, about 60% of shelters say they have unfilled veterinarian positions and approximately 54% have unfilled registered veterinarian technicians positions, according to the SPCA. The lack of animal medical care has led to overcrowded shelters, a rise in pet illnesses and an increasing rate of adoptable animals being euthanized, according to the survey. The shortage of veterinarians also leads to a lack of medical care available for pet owners, which leads to more animals being surrendered to shelters, according to the survey. 'The pandemic really elevated a crisis that was probably brewing in the background for the last 20 to 40 years, but really accelerated it when many new people adopted pets,' Tegzes said. 'The demand for veterinary services started to increase exponentially quickly in Southern California.' Western University College of Veterinary Medicine is one of only two veterinary schools in California. The U.S. has 33 schools for veterinarian medicine, each with a cap on students being admitted. For Western University, the number of students accepted into its four-year program is limited to 120, Tegzes said. Its 2025 graduating class will see 104 students entering the profession. Tuition for veterinary students at Western University costs roughly $67,000 per year, which means most graduating students are leaving school with large student debt. Another concern is the high suicide rate among veterinarians. A 2019 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that veterinarians are as much as four times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. In an interview with National Public Radio, psychologist Kerry Carafa attributed the high rate of suicide in the pet-care field to the balance of care they must shoulder. A veterinarian needs to care not only for the pets, but for the owners and for themselves. 'While social media can be a platform for education, community support, and sharing positive stories, it also has a darker side,' Dr. Karen Lee, medical director of Inland Valley Humane Society, said in an email. 'In some cases, dissatisfied clients have used these platforms to publicly attack veterinarians, sometimes sparking viral backlash without the full context being known.' Second-year veterinary student Amber Elalem, 30, is well aware of the pressures that come with a job that often results in life-or-death decisions for beloved pets. 'You have to understand that you are going into an industry that you are going to have late nights, you are going to be working longer hours,' Elalem said. 'You are going to be doing these things that are going to be taxing you but at the same time you need to make sure you're taking a little bit of time for yourself as well. As pet ownership increases, so has the willingness of owners to spend on pet care. That has made investments in veterinarian medicine very popular among corporations and private-equity firms, according to a report by The Atlantic. Corporate-owned clinics see pet care as a viable revenue source, causing prices for visits to increase. Mars Inc., the makers of Skittles and Snickers candies, is the largest owner of stand-alone veterinary clinics in the country, operating more than 2,000 facilities under the names Banfield, VCA, and BluePearl, according to the Atlantic report. When her 5-year-old Chihuahua, Shrek, became ill, Alejandra Cervantes, an operations associate at Western University, said it was difficult to find care that was both affordable and met her standards. 'Trying to navigate finding [an affordable veterinarian] took a while,' said Cervantes, cradling Shrek in her arms at a coffee shop in Pomona. As a student, Ponkey has not yet felt as much of the stress that she said she probably will face when she becomes a professional veterinarian. For now, she loves being around animals even when she is unwinding outside of class. She also makes sure to surround herself with a group of mentors who can help her maneuver through the many obstacles of animal medicine and human interaction. 'I think that the students that struggle much less when they get into practice are the ones that live some life beforehand,' Ponkey said. 'I find that it's not necessarily the sciences and the knowledge base that people struggle with as much.' Ponkey plans to specialize in surgery after finishing veterinarian school, which will require her to work as an intern in a hospital. The salary of a hospital intern is much less than that of a full fledged veterinarian but she points out that she already has paid off her undergraduate tuition with money she earned being a professional equestrian. 'I think that when its your money going towards your education, I think you have maybe a little bit more willingness to have a perspective on how happy am I going to be in this career.'
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
WSU Study: Bat cells could help fight humans' most deadly diseases
Researchers are hoping that by solving the mystery of why bats can harbor viruses like hantavirus and coronavirus — pathogens that are highly dangerous to humans — without becoming ill themselves, they might also find the answer to preventing outbreaks and fighting the diseases. Washington State University molecular virologist Michael Letko led the team studying how bats and their immune systems respond to these viruses. 'Bats are a reservoir for many pathogens that can infect humans and domestic animals, yet we lack effective tools to study bat viruses in the lab,' said Letko, an assistant professor in WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine. 'One big question is how do bats tolerate these infections? These cell lines and future research can help us uncover those mechanisms, and that could lead to new therapies for human diseases.' According to the study published by WSU, 'A cell line is a population of cells that are cultured and maintained in a laboratory for research purposes. These cells are typically derived from a single original cell and go through a process known as immortalization, which allows them to be grown and divided indefinitely under controlled conditions, making them a valuable tool for viral research.' Most labs have been limited to using cell lines developed more than 50 years ago, limiting their usefulness. Therefore, new lines were developed from kidney tissue of a Seba's short-tailed bat (Carollia perspicillata) that came from a colony at WSU Vancouver. The new lines will be particularly useful for studying coronaviruses and orthohantaviruses. The orthohantaviruses family includes sin nombre virus, which is found in the western United States and recently caused a fatal infection in Whitman County, Washington. 'These viruses have the potential to impact not just our own national health, but global health, because they're found all over,' Letko said. The study outlines one major challenge to developing useful lines — ensuring the cells maintain their ability to mount immune responses to pathogens. 'We started off with a pile of different tissues and cells, and then we went through different immortalization routes and basically started to weed them out,' Letko said. 'By the end, we had a small number of cells that were immortalized in specific ways, and those were the ones that actually still retained the properties we think are going to let us study how bats actually respond to viruses.' Much of the research thus far has relied on cell lines from humans, rodents, or primates, which won't answer why bats tolerate viruses that make other species sick. 'We could study a virus like Ebola just fine in a human cell, and we can watch how it interacts with that immune system,' Letko said, 'but that won't help us identify the reason why bats tolerate these infections.' According to WSU, while some bat lines have been developed in private labs, those are not often made available to other researchers. Letko wanted to ensure their work would aid future research. 'We have a lot of really good immunologists and virologists here and elsewhere, but they just don't have access to all this specialized material,' Letko said. 'That creates tiers in bat research between the groups that have access and basically everybody else who had to rely on old cell lines that were collected in the 1960s.' To learn more, visit the WSU Insider website.
