Pathobiology encompasses veterinary microbiology, parasitology and pathology. We provide a diagnostic service to the UCD Veterinary Teaching Hospital, about one hundred and fifty general practitioners and various organisations, including the National Wildlife Service.
- Head:
- Unit Administration:
- Ms Patricia Kiersey
- Ms Sarah Moyney
- Academic Staff:
- Dean/Professor Grace Mulcahy
- Dr Nola Leonard
- Dr Bryan Markey
- Dr Theo De Waal
- Dr Jarlath Nally
- Dr Hugh Bassett
- Dr Joe Cassidy
- Dr Peter O'Brien
- Residents:
- Olwen Golden (Parasitology)
- Margaret Wilson (Morphological Pathology)
- Eve Ramery (Clinical Pathology)
- Technicians:
- George Cloughley (Microbiology)
- Dores Maguire (Parasitology)
- Sean Hogan (Parasitology)
- Yvonne Abbott (Microbiology)
- Mary Gleeson (Microbiology)
- Bernadette Leggett (Microbiology)
- Justin Lyng (Laboratory support)
- Sheila Worrall (Histopathology & Principal laboratory technician)
- Mick Garrett (Clinical chemistry)
- Maureen McCollough (Haematology)
- Joe Brady (Histopathology)
- Brian Cloak (post mortem room)
- Christy King (teaching support and photography)
- Alex Whelan-Buckley (research lab technician)
We have responsibility for teaching veterinary microbiology, parasitology, clinical and morphological pathology mostly to students in the 3rd and 4th stages of the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (MVB) degree.
The microbiology course deals with micro-organisms pathogenic for animals, the diseases they produce and their public health significance. The course comprises lectures and practical classes.
The aim of the parasitology course is to enable students to acquire an understanding of parasitic diseases of animals and their public health significance. Lectures, seminars and tutorials over two semesters deal with diseases by helminths, arthropods and protozoa.
During the second semester of 3rd year and both semesters of the 4th year, we participate in the system modules and lectures, practical classes, tutorials and problem based learning sessions deals with appliced aspects of infectious diseases, in particular the pathogenesis, laboratory diagnosis and applied aspects of the prevention and control of parasitic, bacterial, mycotic, viral and prion diseases of domesticated animals.
A foundation course covering the general aspects of the morphological and clinical pathology of companion and farm animals is given over the first semester of 3rd year. Lectures are supplemented by practical classes in gross, microscopic and clinical pathology. The course is designed to introduce students to the terminology and concepts of pathology and to provide them with a grounding in general disease mechanisms.
An integrated course in systemic and clinical pathology is given over the second semester of 3rd year and over both semesters of 4th year. Lectures and laboratory practicals are supplemented by tutorials and gross pathology demonstrations. Morphological and pathophysiological aspects of disease are related to clinical findings. Teaching material is in part provided by the diagnostic service provided to the University Veterinary Hospital and to external agencies by the Department. Commercially available medical and veterinary pathology audiovisual material is also utilised.
Postgraduate research degree courses include: Master of Animal Science (MAnSc), Master of Science (MSc), Master of Veterinary Medicine (MVM) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Very active research programmes have developed within this multidisciplinary environment. The research group is using a number of parasites relevant to veterinary medicine to study host-parasite relationships. These studies also have implications for improving methods of diagnosing and controlling parasitic diseases.
Some of the current research projects include:
- Immunodiagnostics for emerging animal and human parasitic diseases: neosporosis, toxoplasmosis and fasciolosis
- A recombinant vaccine for the control of liver fluke disease of agricultural animals
- Development of screening test for Salmonella infection in pigs
- Differential diagnosis of foot-and-mouth disease in sheep
- Vaccines against sea lice of salmonids
- On-farm food safety: Factors affecting the survival and transmission of E. coli O157:H7
Over several years, a substantial part of the Department's resources have also been devoted to the production of textbooks to international standards, to which both academic and technical staff have contributed.
Title: Veterinary Microbiology & Microbial Diseases
Author: PJ Quinn , BK Markey , ME Carter , WJ Donnelly , FC Leonard
ISBN: 0632055251
Title: Concise Review of Veterinary Microbiology
Author: PJ Quinn , BK Markey
ISBN: 1405108983
Type: Paperback Description: This book, following on from the authors' previous publication, Veterinary Microbiology and Microbial Disease, presents essential information on veterinary microbiology, using a double-page format.
Internal and External Collaborations
Practically all the research projects involve collaboration not only within the School and UCD, but also with other research organizations in Ireland, notably the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, Abbotstown, the School of Biotechnology in Dublin City University, and the Departments of Microbiology in University College Cork and University College Galway, as well as TEAGASC.
We also have links with several international institutes including, in the USA, Tulane University, and in the UK, the University of Warwick, Institute of Animal Health and the Moredun Research Institute. Researchers in the discipline also participate in several COST Actions of the EU, including COST 854 (Protozoal Agents affecting reproduction of ruminants), COST 855 (Animal chlamydiosis & zoonotic implications) and International Consortium of Tick and tick-borne diseases.
Summary of Current Veterinary Pathology Research Programmes
Research projects encompass the study of a diverse range of animal diseases and of animal models of human disease given the broad range of interests and skills of the Departmental academics. A common strand through all however is the central role of both morphological and clinical pathology in elucidating pathogenetic mechanisms.
Semliki Forest virus infection in mice as a model of multiple sclerosis and laterally as a vector system in vaccine development has been a major focus of research for many years. The pathogenesis of tuberculosis, paratuberculosis and bovine spongiform encephalopathy represent a second major area of interest and a third area has been animal health surveillance in regions in the vicinity of chemical/industrial plants. Research programmes into the pathogenesis of viral encephalitis and viral oncogenesis are also well established in addition to the investigation of aspects of asthma and ‘Whooping Cough’ pathogenesis in murine models.
Research is enhanced through strategic linkages both within and outside the Faculty with virologists, bacteriologists, immunologists, veterinary clinicians, zoologists and molecular biologists. Within the Faculty collaborations exist with the departments of large animal clinical studies, small animal clinical studies, surgery and microbiology and parasitology. Such involvements vary from collaborative projects to contributions on an ad-hoc basis to research projects or the provision of expertise in the development of case reports for publication. Institutions outside the Faculty with whom on-going collaborations exist include:
- The Conway Institute,
- Trinity College Dublin,
- The University of Glasgow,
- Central Veterinary Laboratory, Abbotstown,
- The Karolinska Institute, Stockholm,
- The University of Vienna,
- The Queen’s University of Belfast,
- The Institute of Immunology, Maynooth,
- The Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen,
- Veterinary Sciences Division, Belfast,
- The Marine Institute, Cork County Council.
Currently there are also research projects on-going with Intervet Ltd (identification of putative agent causing a novel meningo-encephalitis in Greyhounds) and Chiroxia Ltd. (development of a novel method of oviduct occlusion in a rabbit model).
Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology operates a diagnostic laboratory which provides services to the UCD Veterinary Hospital (UVH), as well as to external clients.
Staff in the bacteriology section have set up new measures to monitor and investigate antibiotic resistance in bacteria isolated from pathological specimens. The details of all unusual isolates, including those which show exceptionally resistant antimicrobial resistance patterns, are now recorded in a new database. Data is reviewed regularly and isolates considered of particular interest are identified for further analysis. To-date extensive analysis has been carried out into the molecular basis of resistance in isolates of Acinetobacter spp. and molecular techniques have been employed in the investigation of the epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in animals and associated human personnel. Three articles are now either published or accepted for publication in scientific journals and a number of others are in preparation.
