Researchers still have a lot to learn about Crohn’s disease, a chronic form of inflammatory bowel disorder that affects as many as 700,000 Americans. It’s unknown, for example, precisely how heredity, environment, diet, and stress all interact to influence the risk of developing Crohn’s. But new insights into a possible cause of the disease are emerging from a surprising source: cattle researchers at Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine.
In the late 1940s, pharmaceutical companies seeking an additional market for newly achieved antibiotics happened on “growth promoters” – microdoses of antibiotics given to livestock that boosted the animals’ weight, got them to market faster, and jumpstarted profits for both pharma and agriculture. Today, many recognize the growth-promoter effect as a deliberate perturbation of the gut microbiome.
To ensure the global population is food secure, it’s estimated that food production must increase at least 50 percent by 2050. One of the best means to achieve that increase is by boosting yield, that is, producing more food on existing cropland with fewer resources.
With an outbreak of Salmonella illness attributed to backyard poultry flocks in the United States, Penn Vet offers 12 important tips to keep people and their poultry safe this summer.
Heat and humidity can be dangerous for dairy cows, threatening their health and lowering their milk production, said Dr. Meggan Hain from the Marshak Dairy at New Bolton Center.
Oriol Sunyer, a professor of immunology and pathobiology, shared his research on fish immunology and vaccine development as well as his keen interest in marine conservation.
PennAg Industries Association honored Penn Vet’s Dr. Sherrill Davison, Associate Professor of Avian Medicine and Pathology, with the PennAg Distinguished Service Award.
Infectious disease can take a major toll on swine farms. Thanks to a monitoring effort at Penn Vet, the impact of these illnesses has been significantly reduced.
This year’s unusual winter weather has presented a significant challenge to dairy farmers and their animals. The wide temperature swings and wet-warm weather in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions have stressed cattle and led to an increased incidence of disease. Experts at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center have seen an increase in pneumonia cases, ranging from sudden death of apparently healthy animals to chronic illness and poor production, particularly in growing heifers and calves, but also in adult cows.
Summertime is great for eating ice cream, but the heat and humidity can be dangerous for dairy cows, lowering milk production and threatening their health, said Dr. Meggan Hain, Staff Veterinarian at Penn Vet’s Marshak Dairy at New Bolton Center.