Posted April 17, 2018
House mice aren't just a nuisance but a potential source of infections, say researchers who trapped and tested more than 400 of the rodents from apartments across New York City.
City dwellers tend to fear rats more than mice because they're bigger and can be seen scurrying in subways or in alleys. The researchers previously studied how rats carry disease-causing bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella and C. difficile.
But they were concerned mice might actually pose a greater health risk because they live with us in houses and apartments.
Dr. Scott Weese, an infectious disease specialist at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph who worked on the Vancouver study, said a bit of perspective is needed when evaluating the possible threat of mice spreading drug-resistant diseases.
"Everything that moves" could be carrying such bacteria, he said, so it depends on the likelihood of exposure. For example, there's probably a much better chance you could be exposed to disease-causing microbes in your food or from touching a pet without washing your hands than from rodents.
"If you say, 'OK cook your meat properly or get mice out of your house, which is going to be the best thing to protect you?' Well, cook your meat properly."
Read full story at CBC News
Congrats Doug Campbell on his retirement. A huge turn out reflects the quality of the man and the impact he’s had on the department, CWHC, and wildlife pathology in Canada.
Dr. Dale Smith, in the Ontario Veterinary College’s Department of Pathobiology, was named University Professor Emerita at the University of Guelph Convocation ceremonies in June.
Ontario Veterinary College professor Carlton Gyles is being honoured with a Life Membership to the 
Bone cancer (osteosarcoma) is a particularly aggressive disease in dogs – one that has limited treatment options and is almost always fatal. Worse, the current standard method of determining how badly the cancer will behave, tumour grading, can be unreliable and offers little information about the dog’s prognosis.
“While tick activity varies by species and life stage, spring and fall are when you generally see peaks in blacklegged tick activity and when the risk of tick bites is high for dogs and people,” says Dr. Katie Clow, DVM and post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Scott Weese’s lab at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College (OVC).
A new 
Livestock producers have been urged to cut unnecessary antibiotic use to try to prevent resistant bacteria from developing in their herds and flocks. But on the farm, the question being asked is where and how?
Potentially harmful germs dwell inside the guts of urban mice, according to a team of scientists who trapped more than 400 of the rodents around New York City. The researchers, conducting the largest survey of microorganisms living in city mice, also identified several genes that give germs resistance to antibiotic drugs.
Racehorses need their breath to run their best. But inflammatory airway disease (IAD) can rob them of their stamina.