Learn More About the Division
Charitable gifts make it possible for the division to continue making research breakthroughs that form the foundation of new and improved methods of veterinary care.
Currently, we are seeking support for two of our major clinical research initiatives.
Rabbit Research Fund: Encephalitozoon cuniculi is a microsporidian parasite that can infect all species. In rabbits, while infection can often be unknown, some patients have very severe clinical signs including head tilt, rolling, and blindness. This can be a very hard syndrome to treat and manage and not all rabbits will respond completely to medication. As some other diseases can result in similar clinical signs and since this infectious agent is so prevalent in rabbits, diagnosis through serological testing is difficult. Developing better blood tests has been a main focus of our clinical research program as well as to understand how the results may reflect the future health of the patient and perhaps better engineer treatment regimens.
Avian Research Fund: Aspergillosis is a major cause of poor health and death in avian species ranging from pet parrots to penguins. It can often be a chronic infection with ill health not shown until it is too late to successfully treat. Diagnostic testing has proven difficult necessitating a multimodal approach involving bloodwork and often radiography and endoscopy in addition to assessment of clinical signs. Strengthening the specificity and sensitivity of bloodwork has been the main goal of our laboratory. We have made several strides with the development of novel assays and seek to continue our clinical research program in this area with special focus on new biomarker development.
For more information on making a gift or naming and endowment opportunities, please contact:
Carolyn Cray, Ph.D.
University of Miami
Comparative Pathology
P.O. Box 016960 R-46
Miami, FL 33101
Phone: 305-243-6700
Email: ccray@miami.edu