The principal aims and accomplishments and of the program are to prevent or minimize the effects of diseases of laboratory animals on the results of biomedical research, conduct research on diseases of laboratory animals and establish technical, professional and graduate teaching programs in the health sciences. Many of these programs are now well developed in that diagnostic services in gross and microscopic pathology, aerobic and anaerobic, microbiology, parasitology and hematology, ELISA serology for murine mycoplasmosis, and viral serology (by others) are done routinely in the animal research facilities of the University of Minnesota, the Minneapolis VA Hospital and in our survelliance programs of several suppliers of laboratory animals. The research programs have centered on basic studies on the cell wall and endotoxins of Pasteurella multocida with a view to improving prevention and control of Lapine pasteurellosis, experimental studies on gastric foreign bodies (trichobezoars) using neoprene in rabbits, studies on the importance of the carrier state in the pathogenesis of Citrobacter freundii colitis and collaborative studies in the value of antioxidants as cancer preventive agents. Aside from the aforementioned laboratory methodologies we routinely use column (gel filtration, ion exchange) chromatography, immunofluorescencse microscopy, immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis spectrophotometry and high speed centrifugation as laboratory aids in diagnosis and research. Our teaching and training programs continue to develop in that we teach a 3 credit course in laboratory animal medicine to 3rd year veterinary students, have established a summer fellowship program, instruct about 50 persons annually in animal care (nearly 75 technicians have become certified by AALAS the past year) and a graduate course in animal experimentation will be taught winter quarter 1983. In addition, the faculty participate in several other courses as guest lecturers and aides. These include: laboratory animal anatomy and graduate level laboratory animal pathology in the veterinary medicine college; animal models and experimental design in the public health department.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 17 publications
