From securing grants to support a new translational cancer immunology research programme, to publishing a paper around the surveillance for highly pathogenic avian influenza A in a raptor rehabilitation centre, a lot has been happening across our five key research communities. Not to mention that one of Bristol’s researchers was awarded Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) Early Career Animal Welfare Researcher of the Year. Read all this and more in our latest research round-up!
Animal Welfare and Behaviour
Undoubtedly one of the main successes for our Animal Welfare and Behaviour community in recent months was Vikki Neville, Research Fellow and Proleptic Lecturer, being named the UFAW Early Career Researcher of the Year. You can read more about Vikki’s story and what winning this award meant to her in our recent case study: 2024: UFAW award | Bristol Veterinary School | University of Bristol
Success also came this month for the community in receipt of funding from The Langford Trust. Congratulations to Maud Helwegen, PhD student, and Sarah Lambton, Senior Lecturer in Livestock Welfare and Innovation, who will use the funds to supplement post-mortem and pathology to increase data for their study of laying hen mortality.
Another achievement in the world of Animal Welfare and Behaviour was the publication of a paper by Nicola Rooney, Senior Lecturer in Wildlife and Conservation, and MSc student James Dimbleby. Nicola, James and the team explored how the movements of a cheetah are impacted by various environmental factors. Read the full paper to see the conclusions drawn: Rewilding landscapes with apex predators: Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) movements reveal the importance of environmental and individual contexts — University of Bristol
Did you know?
Dairy calves may not experience hunger in the same way that humans do. Ben Lecorps and Mike Mendl recently published a paper which assessed how hunger is experienced in cows.
Read the full paper to find out more: Using the conditioned place preference paradigm to assess hunger in dairy calves: Preliminary results and methodological issues — University of Bristol
Infection, inflammation and immunotherapy
When it comes to research in our Infection, Inflammation and Immunotherapy (I3) community, there is no doubt that the work being done will support animals and humans alike. Two recent publications highlight this with the first looking at HIV-1 to explore if a cure could become more than a concept. Bristol Veterinary School’s Katja Klein, Lecturer in Endemic, Enzootic and Emerging Infectious Diseases, and Jamie Mann, Senior Lecturer in Vaccinology and Immunotherapy, were involved in this research which suggested that a particle called HLP may help to treat HIV. Click here to read more: Effective and targeted latency reversal in CD4+ T cells from individuals on long term combined antiretroviral therapy initiated during chronic HIV-1 infection — University of Bristol
The I3 community also congratulates Linda Wooldridge, Chair in Translational Immunology, on her award of a University Research Fellowship. Linda will be using the funding to establish a new translational cancer immunology research programme at Bristol Veterinary School.
Did you know?
We’ve all heard of Covid-19, but did you know that Bristol Veterinary School has been involved in the research of the virus? Tristan Cogan, Senior Lecturer in Infectious Diseases, and Jamie Mann, have been investigating how the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air effects the aero stability and infection risk of Covid-19.
Read our recent article to find out more: April: Carbon dioxide aerosol study | News and features | University of Bristol
Veterinary Education
There has been a flurry of publications in the world of Veterinary Education research. Sarah Baillie, Emeritus Professor, has been involved in two papers that have recently been published. The first involved work with Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Bangladesh to determine the benefits and outputs for veterinary education following five years of close collaboration between the two schools. The second paper focussed on setting up and running Communities of Practice for veterinary educators. Full details of both papers can be found here:
A third paper coming out of this community recently was led by Susan Holt, Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Nursing, Jenny Mason, Lecturer and Sheena Warman, Professor of Veterinary Education. This piece of work analysed the socio-cultural experiences of student veterinary nurses in the clinical learning environment through the lens of Situated Learning Theory (the process and development of learning where individuals have the opportunities to participate in a community of practice). Further details of the publication can be found here:
Sheena Warman was also lead author of a paper focusing on how to provide students with the opportunity to practice contextualised care. This publication specifically showcases the role of different clinical settings in workplace-based training, and highlights the importance of a collaborative approach to optimise students’ preparedness for practice. The full paper can be found here:
Did you know?
You may have heard of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) but did you know that Sheena Warman of Bristol University is a member of the Spectrum of Care Initiative (SOCI) task force and will be co-leading this group from the end of the year? SOCI supports veterinary schools internationally to train their students in the provision of a wide range of care options, practising evidence-based, contextualised care.
Find out more here: The Spectrum of Care Initiative - AAVMC
Clinical Research
Particular success in the clinical world came for Melanie Hezzell whose research on canine myxomatous mitral valve disease was highlighted in a review of projects funded by BSAVA PetSavers.
Did you know?
Bristol Veterinary School is well and truly global, not just in terms of the impact of its research but also in the opportunities afforded to students. In June, Cosette Ayoub, a Year 2 Bachelor of Veterinary Science: Accelerated Graduate Entry student, had a poster presented on her INSPIRE summer project at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum in Minneapolis.
One Health approaches to Antimicrobial Resistance
The community celebrated the publication of research involving an in-depth analysis of highly pathogenic (severe impact in birds) avian influenza in a raptor rehabilitation centre. The study analysed different genotypes of birds and how genotype may influence the likelihood of birds becoming infected with avian influenza. Congratulations to Irene Bueno Padilla, Lecturer in Wildlife Health and Conservation for this publication. Click here to read more:
Did you know?
The work performed at Bristol Veterinary School positively impacts the future, not just for animals but also for humans. One recent publication analysed antimicrobial resistance among bacteria on South American farms. This study looked specifically at E. coli – a bacterium that lives in the gut of both animals and humans – and revealed a diversity of resistance mechanisms on these farms, suggestive of long-term circulation of resistance in this region. This important work demonstrates the value of surveying poorly studied regions for antimicrobial resistance, a major global health challenge for both people and animals. Bristol Veterinary School’s Director of Research, Kristen Reyher, was one of the leads for this work and continues to focus on antimicrobial resistance along with an interdisciplinary team including veterinarians, microbiologists, data scientists and social scientists.