Monday, July 09, 2007

College of Veterinary Medicine dedicates new facility for tick-control research

Source: Michael Dryden, 785-532-4613, dryden@vet.k-state.edu

News release prepared by: Joe Montgomery, 785-532-4193, jmontgom@vet.k-state.edu
 

Small things can sometimes be big problems. Finding solutions to those problems can sometimes lead to more problems, especially without the proper tools and facilities. K State has successfully filled one such void regarding a “little” problem by unveiling its newest facility: the Dryden-Merial Tick Research Center.

“Historically, researching ticks that infest dogs and cats had not been such a serious issue because ticks have not always been a big problem,” said Dr. Michael Dryden, Frick Professor of Veterinary Medicine at K State. “Today, this situation has changed due to several climatic and ecological factors. After looking at the research gaps in the knowledge base on ticks that infest dogs and cats, Dr. Pat Payne and I realized that a facility was needed to conduct tick bionomic and control studies and disease-vectoring research.”

Ticks expose both humans and animals to a number of diseases and infections including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia or ehrlichiosis, which are widespread in the eastern United States.

“In addition, up till now, there had not been good evaluations of knockdown, repellency, speed-of-kill or resistance to insecticides and tick-control products,” Dr. Dryden said. “There was also very little biological information as far as how efficiently and rapidly the ticks that infest dogs and cats transmit pathogens, how long and how successfully they feed and what is the reproductive success of ticks feeding on dogs. We realized there was a marked lack of information on the host associated bionomics of ticks on dogs and cats.”

The tick research center was made possible through an $815,000 sponsorship from the Merial pharmaceutical corporation. The center was dedicated in June.

“The new research center puts K-State at the forefront of tick-control research,” said Dr. Ralph Richardson, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “It’s a relevant area, not simply for the research opportunity, but because we are invested in the results of this knowledge so we may provide better health care in our profession and here at K-State.”

In addition to the tick-research center, Merial is the primary sponsor to K-State’s Dog Angel Foundation. This program allows Dr. Dryden to adopt into a home the dogs used in these research projects.