Human & Animal Health

As COVID-19 spreads across the globe, a common question is, can infectious diseases be connected to environmental change? Yes, indicates a study published today from the University of California, Davis’ One Health Institute.

A parasite known only to be hosted in North America by the Virginia opossum is infecting sea otters along the West Coast. A study from the UC Davis One Health Institute elucidates the sometimes surprising and complex pathways infectious pathogens can move from land to sea to sea otter.

Scientists have detected Marburg virus in fruit bats in Sierra Leone, marking the first time the deadly virus has been found in West Africa. Eleven Egyptian rousette fruit bats tested positive for active Marburg virus infection. Research teams caught the bats separately in three health districts.

Congratulations are due to Dr. Brian H. Bird, co-principal investigator for the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARP)-funded Preventing Emerging Pandemic Threats (PREEMPT) project, as well as lead for Ebola-related surveillance activities as part of the USAID-funded PREDICT project led by UC Davis.

In conjunction with One Health Awareness Month, the One Health Institute is kicking off a contest urging students to explore their understanding and connection to the concept of "One Health."

Applications for the 2020 Rx One Health Field Institute are now open! This four-week, field-based experiential summer program in East Africa offers career training for recent graduates or students in medical and veterinary school, as well as early-career health, agriculture, environmental sciences, and conservation professionals. 

On November 2, the 6th annual UC Davis One Health Symposium will bring together veterinarians, physicians, public health officials and scientists at the UC Davis School of Medicine in Sacramento to explore current issues impacting the health of animals, people, plants and the environment.

UC Davis will join students and health professionals around the world in support of One Health Day with the 6th annual UC Davis One Health Symposium on Saturday, November 2, at the UC Davis School of Medicine in Sacramento.

The U.S. Agency for International Development will award up to $85 million over the next five years to the University of California, Davis’ One Health Institute and consortium partners to implement the One Health Workforce—Next Generation project.

The sixth ebolavirus, Bombali virus, has been detected in insect-eating bats in Guinea. In addition to findings reported by researchers earlier this month, scientists from the University of California, Davis, detected the virus in Angolan free-tailed bats roosting inside people’s houses in Guéckedou and Kissidougou.

Many wild southern sea otters in California are infected with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, yet the infection is fatal for only a fraction of sea otters, which has long puzzled the scientific community. A study from the University of California, Davis, identifies the parasite’s specific strains that are killing southern sea otters, tracing them back to a bobcat and feral domestic cats from nearby watersheds.