Team Snake Introduction

Hello from Team Snake!!

Welcome to Katie and Kennymac’s summer journey in the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab! Katie is a second year veterinary student and is interested in public health, and Kennymac is a first year veterinary student interested in zoological medicine.

This summer, we are both working on projects related to Ophidiomyces, a snake fungal disease caused by Ophidiomyces ophidiicola. Katie is investigating the use of Ultraviolet light as a field-accessible diagnostic tool and Kennymac is investigating the biosecurity related to the capturing methods of snakes with suspected ophidiomycosis. We will be spending the summer split between field work, testing wild populations of snakes for Ophidiomyces, and laboratory work, to improve treatment options for Ophidiomyces positive snakes.

We are very excited for this summer’s work, so stay tuned for future blog posts about our adventures and stories!

2019-04-29T13:01:58-05:00

About the Author: Katie V. and Kennymac

Katie is a second year student veterinary student in the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab. Katie is interested in public health, and aims to focus her career on helping both humans and animals improve their health outcomes. Kennymac is a first year veterinary student in the WEL. Kennymac is interested in zoological medicine and aims to utilize his career to conserve species for future generations.