The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, commonly referred to as the Dick Vet, is the veterinary school of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine the head of which is Moira Whyte. David Argyle has been Dean and Head of School since 1 November 2011.The school was ranked first in the UK by the UK Government in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework and the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). The School was ranked second in the world in the ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2020 – Veterinary Sciences, 3rd in the world by the QS World University Rankings for Veterinary Science in 2021, first in the UK for the fourth year running by The Guardian University Guide 2021, and first in the UK for the fifth year running by the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide ranking for Veterinary Medicine.
This article presents the clinical and histopathological findings from two horses that developed severe postoperative complications following suprachoroidal procedures routinely employed in the management of equine recurrent uveitis (ERU). Case 1 was a 5-year-old warmblood stallion that initially received a unilateral suprachoroidal triamcinolone injection, followed later by bilateral suprachoroidal cyclosporine implant (CSI) placement. At 9 weeks postoperatively, the right eye (which had undergone both procedures) developed secondary glaucoma necessitating enucleation. Case 2 was a 14-year-old Appaloosa mare that presented 9 days postoperatively with suspected bilateral CSI rejection. Due to poor visual prognosis, the horse was euthanized. Histopathologic examination of all three affected globes demonstrated findings consistent with severe, suppurative endophthalmitis of bacterial etiology.
This review summarizes recent advancements in gastrointestinal surgery in pet ferrets, rodents, and African pygmy hedgehogs, emphasizing species-specific perioperative considerations and evolving surgical approaches. Key innovations include adapted minimally invasive techniques, systematic full-thickness biopsies for unexplained gastrointestinal disease, and updated management of uncommon conditions such as gastric dilatation-volvulus, colonic obstruction, and congenital fistulas. The article highlights the particular susceptibility of hindgut-fermenting herbivores to postoperative ileus and dysbiosis, underscoring the need for gentle tissue handling, multimodal analgesia, early enteral nutrition, and prudent antimicrobial use. Standardized postoperative monitoring protocols are recommended to optimize outcomes across species.
India is home to a diverse range of indigenous chicken breeds, which are crucial for rural livelihoods, genetic conservation, and sustainable poultry farming. These breeds exhibit unique traits, including disease resistance, climate adaptability, and superior meat and egg quality, making them valuable genetic resources. However, intensified commercial poultry production has led to the decline of native breeds, necessitating urgent conservation efforts. This review systematically examines the genetic diversity, population structure, and conservation strategies of Indian indigenous chicken breeds. Molecular tools such as microsatellite markers, SNP genotyping, and whole-genome sequencing have been extensively used to characterize genetic variations and phylogenetic relationships among these breeds. The study compiles data from the 20th Livestock Census, ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal, india, and peer-reviewed genetic studies to present a comprehensive overview of population trends and genetic uniqueness. Findings indicate that despite their genetic richness, several indigenous breeds face the risk of genetic dilution and population decline. To address this, structured breeding programs, in situ and ex situ conservation strategies, and genomic selection techniques must be reinforced. Future research should focus on genome-wide association studies (GWAS), epigenetics, and climate resilience traits to enhance productivity while preserving genetic integrity. Strengthening national conservation policies will be essential to ensure the sustainability of indigenous chicken biodiversity in India.
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a fast emerging method for passively monitoring diseases in a population. By measuring the concentrations of pathogenic materials in wastewater, WBE negates demographic biases in clinical testing and healthcare demand, and may act as a leading indicator of disease incidence. For a WBE system to be effective, it should detect the presence of a new pathogen of concern early enough and with enough precision that it can still be localised and contained. In this study, then, we show how multiple wastewater sensors can be strategically placed across a wastewater system, to detect the presence of disease faster than if sampling was done at the wastewater treatment plant only. Our approach generalises to any tree-like network and takes into account the structure of the network and how the population is distributed over it. We show how placing sensors further upstream from the treatment plant improves detection sensitivity and can inform how an outbreak is evolving in different geographical regions. However, this improvement diminishes once individual-level shedding is modelled as highly dispersed. With overdispersed shedding, we show using real COVID-19 cases in Scotland that broad trends in disease incidence (i.e., whether the epidemic is in growth or decline) can still be reasonably estimated from the wastewater signal once incidence exceeds about 5 infections per day.
