There may soon be a new weapon in the centuries-old battle against anthrax in wildlife thanks to groundbreaking work at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS).
There may soon be a new weapon in the centuries-old battle against anthrax in wildlife thanks to groundbreaking work at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS).
Anthrax, a disease caused by a bacterium called Bacillus anthracis, contaminates surface soil and grasses, where it may be ingested or inhaled by livestock or grazing wildlife. This is especially common in the western Texas Hill Country, where each year the disease kills livestock and wildlife.
While normally not an attention-grabbing problem, a spike of cases in 2019 made headlines around the state.
According to Dr. Jamie Benn Felix, a postdoctoral research associate in the Cook Wildlife Lab led by CVMBS Department of Veterinary Pathobiology’s (VTPB) Dr. Walt Cook, that spike may have been responsible for the deaths of more than 10,000 animals.
Read more at Texas A&M University
Image: Dr. Jamie Benn Felix, along with a team of Texas A&M researchers, is working to develop an anthrax vaccine that could be delivered orally to deer and wildlife. (Credit: Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences)
