![[slide showing infected cell producing interferons]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/yoo-slide1-260x157.jpg)
Arteriviruses in pigs, horses, mice, and apes appear to use the same non-specific protein to evade the body’s immune system From the common cold to HIV, many illnesses—in fact, more than 90 percent of human illnesses—are caused by viruses. In the war against viruses, medical researchers called virologists are constantly seeking new avenues of attack. Vaccinations...
![[Hergenrother and Fan]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/news-feb2015-fan1-260x157.jpg)
A new drug that prompts cancer cells to self-destruct while sparing healthy cells is now entering phase I clinical trials in humans. The drug, called PAC-1, first showed promise in the treatment of pet dogs with spontaneously occurring cancers, and is still in clinical trials in dogs with osteosarcoma. “The compound was discovered and is...
![[Adam Ahlers and Mark Mitchell]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/news-jan15-mitchell1-260x157.jpg)
A new study of muskrats and minks in central Illinois indicates that toxoplasmosis, a disease spread by cats, is moving rapidly through the landscape and contaminating local waterways. Researchers found antibodies for Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, in 18 of 30 muskrats and 20 of 26 minks tested for the disease in central...
![[Multidisciplinary team studies endometriosis]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/news-jan21-ko1-260x157.jpg)
Two new drug compounds – one of which has already proven useful in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis – appear to be effective in treating endometriosis, a disorder that, like MS, is driven by estrogen and inflammation, scientists report in Science Translational Medicine. The researchers hope to eventually use the new compounds and others like...
Findings suggest a faster and more reliable way to diagnose TB in captive elephants Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the organism that causes tuberculosis in humans, also afflicts Asian (and occasionally other) elephants. Diagnosing and treating elephants with TB is a challenge, however, as little is known about how their immune systems respond to the infection. A new...
![[Matt Allender in his lab with a snake]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Allender20141-260x157.png)
Now we can identify the infections earlier, we can intervene earlier and we can potentially increase our success of treatment or therapy. Researchers have developed a faster and more accurate way to test for infection with Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, a fungus that is killing snakes in the Midwest and eastern United States. The test also allows...
Researchers have conducted hundreds of studies of the potential health effects of exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical compound found in some plastic food containers, cash-register receipts and resin coatings in food-storage cans. Because it is a hormone mimic, a key concern is that exposure to BPA disrupts normal reproductive function. University of Illinois...
The porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has killed at least 4 million young pigs since being identified in the U.S. one year ago. A research team led by University of Illinois veterinarian James Lowe recently concluded and published a study investigating how the devastating virus is being spread. Lowe is a clinical instructor in the...
![[Rabbits under UVB lamps]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/RabbitsLights1-260x157.png)
Rabbits that remain indoors may suffer from a lack of vitamin D, researchers report in a new study. In rabbits kept as pets or used in laboratory studies, the deficiency could lead to dental problems, undermine their cardiovascular health, weaken their immune systems and skew scientific findings. The study found that regular exposure to artificial...
![[Fred Kummerow in lab]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/news-kummerow1-260x157.jpg)
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad cholesterol” that doctors consider a sign of potential heart disease, is merely a marker of a diet lacking all of the essential amino acids, says University of Illinois comparative biosciences professor Fred Kummerow, 99, a longtime opponent of the medical establishment’s war on cholesterol.While writing about the causes of heart disease for...