Publications by authors named "K K Lahmers"

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how pooling samples affects the sensitivity of tests for diseases that cause severe anemia in cattle, which is important for the cattle industry in Virginia and beyond.* -
  • Researchers used 200 known-positive samples to analyze the dilution effect by creating pools of varying sizes and comparing the results to individual tests.* -
  • Findings showed a maximum sensitivity loss of only 2%, suggesting that pooling up to 10 samples is feasible for effective disease surveillance using their rtPCR testing method.*
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Introduction: Ikeda genotype is an emerging cattle disease in the US. Since 2017, when Ikeda was discovered in beef cattle in two counties in Virginia, cattle infections have risen to include ~67% of Virginia counties and 14 states. Consistent with New Zealand studies, many infected herds in Virginia were >90% positive upon initial testing without overt evidence of infection.

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Emerging tick-borne viruses such as Powassan virus (POWV), Bourbon virus (BRBV), and Heartland virus (HRTV), whilst rare, can cause severe health problems in humans. While limited clinical cases have been reported thus far in Virginia, the presence of tick-borne viruses poses a serious health threat, and the extent of their prevalence in Virginia is unknown. Here, we sought evidence of POWV, BRBV, and HRTV exposure in Virginia via a serological assessment of wildlife and livestock.

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Brucella abortus is a facultative, intracellular, zoonotic pathogen that resides inside macrophages during infection. This is a specialized niche where B. abortus encounters various stresses as it navigates through the macrophage.

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A 9-year-old, spayed female, mixed-breed dog was initially presented for evaluation of chronic dermatitis on the nasal planum, where a clitoral mass was discovered as an incidental finding during the exam. No further investigation of the clitoral mass was undertaken due to other significant dermal lesions and the lack of clinical significance of the mass at the time. However, ~1 month later, the dog was presented to the Emergency Service for bleeding from the vulva.

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