Happy Halloween From The Vet School

Above: Me in the boots and mask.
Below: Class photo. I'm nibbling on the nun's ear and she's giggling as a result.

Below: One of my classmates, who happens to be in my tutor group, dressed up as Amblyomma americana, the Lone Star tick. Awesome!

Fun With Differential Diagnoses-- Alimentary Tract

Cattle Alimentary Tract Infections
Bovines Are Extremely Fun And Never Smoke. Bovines Can Cross Crazy Marsh Streets.
Bovine Rotavirus
Actinobacillus lignieresi-- wooden tongue
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli
Fusobacterium necrophorum-- calf diphtheria
Actinomyces bovis-- lumpy jaw
Necrotoxigenic Escherischia coli
Salmonella enterica-- serovars Dublin, Typhinmurium, Newport
Bovine Coronavirus
Clostridium perfringens
Clostridium novyi-- black disease
Clostridium novyi type D
Mycobacterium avium spp paratuberculosis
Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli

Horse Alimentary Tract Infections
Rotavirus Can Cross Crazy Streets
Rotavirus
Clostridium difficile
Clostridium perfringens-- A,B,C
Clostridium piliform-- Tyzzer's disease
Salmonella enterica serovars Anatum, Typhimurium

Swine Alimentary Tract Infections
Swine Break The Law. Swine Can Enjoy New Fun.
Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli-- edema disease
Brachyspira hyodysenteriae
Transmissible Gastroenteritis virus
Lawsonia intracellularis
Salmonella enterica serovars Choleraesuis, Typhimurium
Clostridium perfringens type A, C
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli
Necrotoxigenic Escherichia coli
Fusobacterium necrophorum

Sheep Alimentary Tract Infections
Everyone Can Cross Crazy Marshes.
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli
Clostridium novyi-- black disease
Clostridium novyi type D-- redwater
Clostridium perfringens types A, B, C, D
Mycobacterium avium ssp paratuberculosis

Goat Alimentary Tract Infections
My Caprines
Mycobacterium avium ssp paratuberculosis
Clostridium perfringens type B, C, D

Dog Alimentary Tract Infections
Canines Cross Crazy Cosmpolitan Cities And Also Catch Every Single Infectious Pathogen.
Canine Parvovirus
Campylobacter jejuni
Campylobacter coli
Clostridium perfringens type A
Actinomyces viscosus
Actinomyces hordeovulneris
Clostridium piliforme-- Tyzzer's disease
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimuirium
Infectious canine hepatitis
Prototheca zopfi

Cat Alimentary Tract Infections
Some Felines Cross Cities
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium
Campylobacter jejuni
Cambylobacter coli
Feline panleukopenia virus

Chicken and Turkey Alimentary Tract Infections
Some Cross Cities
Salmonella enterica serovars Pullorum, Gallinarum
Clostridium perfringens types A, C
Closteridium albicans

Zoonotic
Never Ever Say Caboom Cashmoom (That's me running out of neumonics-- Cashmoom???)
Necrotoxigenic Escherichia coli
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli
Salmonella enterica
Campylobacter jejuni
Campylobacter coli

More Fun With Differential Diagnoses-- Neuro

Cattle Neurological System Infections
Bovines Can Clap. Holy Listeria!
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (prion)
Clostridium tetani
Clostridium botulinum
Histophilus somni
Listeria monocytogenes

Horse Neurological System Infections
Equines Can Clap Equally Well
Equine herpes virus 1
Clostridium tetani
Clostridium botulinum
Eastern, Western, Venezualan encephalitides
West Nile Virus

Pig Neurological System Infections
Pseudorabid Swine Clap
Streptococcus suis
Clostridium tetani
Pseudorabies

Sheep&Goat Neurological Infections
Caprines Can Clap Lovely Scrapies
Caprine arthritis encephalomyelitis
Clostridium tetani
Clostridium botulinum
Listeria monocytogenes
Scrapie

Dog Neurological Infections
Rabid Canids Clap
Rabies
Clostridium tetani
Cryptococcus neoformans

Cat Neurological Infections
Felines Clap
Cryptococcus neoformans
Feline panleukopenia

Bird Neurological Infections
Avians Clap
Avian encephalitis
Clostridium botulimun

Rabbit Neurological Infections
Encephalitozoon cuniculi

Zoonotic Neurological Infections
Listeria Sucks Rabid Eggs
Listeria monocytogenes
Streptococcus suis
Encephalitozoon cuniculi
Rabies

Hint Of Winter

sun warms my skin
wind, silky soft, licks my face and bare arms

i could almost forget
it is fall

except in the shade
there is the hint of winter
a slight nip to the air,
an unexpected chill

and all around me
the trees are exploding with color
leaves leaching chlorophyll
to yield
fiery orange and blood red maples
burnt copper oaks

i want it to stay like this forever
yellow-orange leaves brushing against
robin egg blue sky

but winter is knocking
hail pinging against my windshield
portends the ominous cold to come

i prepare to hibernate
hunker down against the now bitter, driving wind
in the spring my heart and mind will thaw
*
Note: It hailed for the first time Friday and snowed for the first time Sunday, on Halloween (and also hailed again). I wrote this poem on Saturday afternoon while taking a lovely walk from a friend's house to the commons where I perused the local used bookstore and bought an old out of print book of Hebrew poetry which I read walking home and which inspired me to write a series of poems instead of studying Saturday night.

There's A First Time For Everything

Today I fell asleep in class for the first time in my entire multi-decade academic career. I've zoned out before, but never konked out.

My friend says that it was extremely obvious I was asleep because I put my head down on the table and sprawled my arm out. I feel kind of bad about it. Oh well.

There's a first time for everything but perhaps it would have been better if there hadn't been in this case. I guess I'll never know the history of Marek's disease research at Cornell (yes, we have historical lectures as well as scientific ones!) Too bad.

Fun With Differential Diagnoses Or How To Goof Off When You Don't Want To Study

I know I haven't posted anything veterinary related in a long time, which is a reflection that I now have a much more balanced life. In fact, I have been entertaining renaming my blog Skies Of Ithaca since mostly I post photos of the interesting clouds and sunsets.

However, I have to buckle down now. In the next five days I somehow have to learn a massive number of differential diagnoses. I guess I should've started this earlier. I am hoping to come up with some good neumonics. Any help appreciated! (Note: the lists are not exhaustive, simply the most important pathogens. There are always more!)

Cattle Respiratory Tract Infectious Ddx:
Man! My, My, My, My, Holy Infectious Bovine Pasteurella=
Manheimia hemolytica-- shipping fever
Mycobacterium bovis
Mycoplasma bovis
Mycoplasma mycoides spp. mycoides (small colony type)-- contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
Mycoplasma dispar
Histophilus somni
Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (BHV-1)
Bovine respiratory syncitial virus
Pasteurella multocida

Horse Respiratory Tract Infectious Ddx:
Alas! My! A Runover Sloth Stinks, Ew, Ew, Ew=
Actinobacillus equuli
Mycoplasma felis
Aspergillus spp.
Rhodococcus equi
Streptococcus equi spp. equi-- strangles
Streptococcus equi spp. zooepidemicus
Equine herpes virus 1 (equine abortion virus)
Equine herpes virus 4 (equine rhinopneumonitis virus)
Equine influenza

Goat Respiratory Tract Infectious Ddx:
Man! My, My, My!=
Manheimia haemolytica
Mycoplasma mycoides ssp mycoides (large colony type)
Mycoplasma mycoides spp capri
Mycoplasma capricolum ssp capripneumoniae-- contagious caprine pleuropneumonia

Pig Respiratory Tract Infectious Ddx:
Alack! My! Pasteurella Porcines Have Strong Backs!=
Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae
Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae
Pasteurella multocida
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus
Haemophilus parasuis
Streptococcus suis
Bordatella bronchiseptica

Sheep Respiratory Tract Infectious Ddx:
Man! My! Pasteurella!=
Manheimia haemolytica
Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae
Pasteurella multocida

Dog Respiratory Tract Infectious Ddx:
Cough, Cough, Cough, Cough! No! No! Bad Aspergillosis!=
Canine parainfluenza virus-- canine tracheobronchitis
Canine distemper virus
Canine adenovirus type 1
Canine adenovirus type 2
Nocardia asteroides
Nocardia nova
Bordatella bronchiseptica
Aspergillus spp. (A. fumigatas most common)

Cat Respiratory Tract Infectious Ddx:
Such Fat Felines!=
Streptococcus canis
Feline viral rhinotracheitis
Feline calicivirus

Chicken Respiratory Tract Infectious Ddx:
My, My! An Aspergillosis Egg! Insidious Avian Infectious Newcastle=
Mycobacterium avium ssp. avium-- tuberculosis
Mycoplasma gallisepticum
Avibacterium paragallinararum-- infectious coryza
Aspergillosis spp (A. fumigatas most common)
Escheria coli

Turkey Respiratory Tract Infectious Ddx:
My, My! A Bad Cold Egg!=
Mycoplasma gallisepticum
Mycoplasma meleagridis
Aspergillus spp. (A. fumigatus most common)
Bordatella avium-- turkey coryza
Chlamydophila psittaci
Escheria coli

Mice Respiratory Tract Infectious Ddx:
Mycoplasma pulmonis

Rabbit Respiratory Tract Infectious Ddx:
Pasteurella multocida-- snuffles

Bird Respiratory Tract Infectious Ddx:
Mycoplasma gallisepticum
Chlamydia psittaci

ZOONOTIC respiratory tract pathogens:
My! Pasteurella Can Rock!
Mycobacterium bovis
Pasteurella multocida
Chlamydophila multocida
Rhodococcus equi

Leaves Of Ithaca