Case Studies

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Dr Mark Westman

Dr Mark Westman holds a BVSc (Hons) PhD MANZCVS (Animal Welfare) GradCertEdStud (Higher Ed). He is a Professional Officer (Veterinary) for the microbiology and parasitology sections at Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, the NSW Department of Primary Industries. Honorary Research Affiliate at the University of Sydney. Mark has been the recipient of several grants from ACAHF to continue his research in feline retroviruses, in particular, the diagnosis of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) infections, and vaccination against FIV and FeLV.

How long have you been working in veterinary research?

I completed a PhD at the University of Sydney over four years, spent almost a year completing postdoctoral research at the Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow, Scotland, and for the past four years have tried to keep an active small animal research profile as my academic hobby on the weekends.

I would like to be able to encourage others that they can be actively involved in research projects, even if not formally in paid research positions. Most of my research would not have been possible without the (unpaid) contributions of other veterinarians working in clinical practice, contributing essential samples and expertise that the project was lacking. Any veterinarian wanting to be involved in research just needs to start by connecting with a researcher or research group of interest to them. For example, one veterinarian whom I have collaborated with reached out to me after a talk at a conference and we started a conversation that led to her collecting samples for a field efficacy study I was running (Sally Coggins, who has since started her own PhD in feline infectious diseases).

Why did you choose this work?

I love research and I try to perform research that is ‘real world’ and has direct clinical applications. I still see myself as a clinician first, research scientist second, and so always try to bring my clinical brain to any research I am involved in. I love working with clinicians and doing field research that challenges the way I think about things or changes how I practice. For example, when I first graduated in 2003 I paid little attention to vaccinating against FeLV. Now I am a passionate advocate that most kittens and young adult cats can benefit from FeLV vaccination.

What is your area of study and what do you hope to achieve?

My main area of interest is feline retroviruses, in particular the diagnosis of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) infections, and vaccination against FIV and FeLV. However, I am interested in all small animal infectious diseases, in particular those more common in animal shelters, and animal welfare projects. I am a supervisor for one PhD student (Bronwyn Orr) who is doing some fascinating research into the health and welfare of pig-hunting dogs in Queensland. Through my work with the DPI, I also have a developing interest in bovine venereal diseases (campylobacteriosis AKA ‘vibriosis’, and trichomonosis).

What is your greatest research achievement with funding from ACAHF to date?

I am very grateful that to date I have been awarded seven ACAHF grants for various research projects (and Bronwyn has been awarded a further two ACAHF grants for her PhD project). One of my greatest achievements was partially funded by my first ever ACAHF grant in 2015, when I (along with my supervisors Richard Malik, Jacqui Norris and Paul Sheehy) discovered that some FIV point-of-care test (PoC) kits could differentiate FIV-vaccinated and FIV-infected cats. This completely changed the landscape for FIV diagnostics, since until that time it had been a long-held dogma that FIV PoC kits could not be used in any cat with a possible history of FIV vaccination. This finding enabled clinicians to be able to quickly and affordably use certain FIV PoC kits to diagnose FIV infection, irrespective of FIV vaccination history, contributed to the upgrading of FIV vaccination by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) from ‘Not Recommended’ to ‘Non-Core’ in 2015, and led to my involvement with the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP)/American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) feline vaccination guidelines update in 2020.

What is the biggest research challenge you have met with or continue to face?

Time and money. I can do what I do at the moment (i.e. pursue research as a hobby) because I don’t have kids and I have a very understanding partner. This may not always be the case, and I completely understand why this is a limitation for many others (e.g. veterinarians in practice) who would like to be involved in research but don’t have the spare hours in the day! Funding for any research is challenging, in particular research into feline retroviral infections and other infectious diseases. This is why the grants I have received from the ACAHF over the years have been invaluable – there is no way I would have been able to complete most of my research projects without this support.

What does the work of the ACAHF mean to you?

Quite simply the ACAHF is one of few bodies actively supporting quality Australian research. It’s the lifeline for many research projects and many early career researchers. Personally, I am so grateful to the ACAHF for making my research goals a reality, both from financial support for specific projects as well as the moral support and encouragement that comes with a successful ACAHF grant application.

Papers published as a direct result of ACAHF support

  1. Westman M., Yang D., Green J., Norris J., Malik R., Parr, Y.A., McDonald, M., Hosie, M.J., VandeWoude S., & Miller C. (2021). Antibody Responses in Cats Following Primary and Annual Vaccination against Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) with an Inactivated Whole-Virus Vaccine (Fel-O-Vax® FIV). Viruses, 13(3): 470. Doi.org/10.3390/v13030470
  2. Westman, M., Norris, J., Malik, R., Hofmann-Lehmann, R., Parr, Y. A., Armstrong, E., ... & Hosie, M.J. (2021). Anti-SU Antibody Responses in Client-Owned Cats Following Vaccination against Feline Leukaemia Virus with Two Inactivated Whole-Virus Vaccines (Fel-O-Vax® Lv-K and Fel-O-Vax® 5). Viruses, 13(2): 240. Doi.org/10.3390/v13020240
  3. Orr, B., Ma, G., Koh, W.L., Malik, R., Norris, J.M., Westman, M.E., Wigney, D., Brown, G., Ward, M.P., Šlapeta, J. (2020). Pig-hunting dogs are an at-risk population for canine heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection in eastern Australia. Parasites & Vectors, 13(1): 69. Doi.org/10.1186/s13071-020-3943-4
  4. Westman, M., Norris, J., Malik, R., Hofmann-Lehmann, R., Harvey, A., McLuckie, A., Perkins, M., Schofield, D., Marcus, A., McDonald, M., Ward, M., Hall, E., Sheehy, P., Hosie, M. (2019). The diagnosis of feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) infection in owned and group-housed rescue cats in Australia. Viruses, 11(6): 503. Doi.org/10.3390/v11060503
  5. Westman, M., Malik, R., Norris, J. (2019). Diagnosing feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) infection: An update for clinicians. Australian Veterinary Journal, 97(3): 47-55. Doi.org/10.1111/avj.12781
  6. Westman, M.E., Malik, R., Hall, E., Sheehy, P.A., Norris, J.M. (2017). Comparison of three feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) point-of-care antigen test kits using blood and saliva. Journal of Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 50: 88-96.
  7. Westman, M.E., Malik, R., Hall, E., Harris, M., Hosie, M.J., Norris, J.M. (2017). Duration of antibody response following vaccination against feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 19(10): 1055–1064.
  8. Westman, M.E., Malik, R., Hall, E., Harris, M., Norris, J.M. (2016). The protective rate of the feline immunodeficiency virus vaccine: an Australian field study. Vaccine, 34: 4752-4758. Doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.06.060
  9. Westman, M.E., Malik, R., Hall, E., Norris, J.M. (2016). Diagnosing feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in FIV-vaccinated and FIV-unvaccinated cats using saliva. Journal of Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 46: 66-72. Doi.org/10.1016/j.cimid.2016.03.006
  10. Westman, M.E., Malik, R., Hall, E., Sheehy, P.A., Norris, J.M. (2015). Determining the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) status of FIV-vaccinated cats using point-of-care antibody kits. Journal of Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 42: 43-52. Doi.org/10.1016/j.cimid.2015.07.004

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  • Name and current title

Peter Irwin – Emeritus Professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University

  • How long have you been working in veterinary research?

My first serious research experience came when I did my PhD on canine babesiosis at James Cook University in the late 1980s. I returned to research after starting at Murdoch University in 1998, and together with Professor Una Ryan, established the Vector and Waterborne Pathogens Research Group at Murdoch during the 2000s. So all-in-all I’ve been working in veterinary research for over 30 years.

  • Why did you choose this work?

My interest in veterinary research was first piqued in 1980 when I was a veterinary student at the Royal Veterinary College in London. I joined a research team that went to Kenya to work alongside overseas aid programs. It was an amazing experience, both culturally and scientifically. I took part in a project studying East Coast Fever, an important tick-borne disease of cattle that causes significant economic losses throughout most of East Africa. I was fascinated by the whole concept of vector-borne infections and the diseases they cause have become my professional lifelong interest.

  • What is your area of study and what do you hope to achieve?

The vast majority of my research concerns vector-borne disease (VBD), although the ACAHF has supported some of my clinical studies endocrine and neurological diseases of dogs and cats as well. Originally my focus was on VBD in companion animals (studying tick- and flea-borne infections in dogs and cats) and much of this work was supported through grants from the ACAHF. Because wildlife plays an important role in maintaining the life cycles of vector-borne infections, my research has also taken me and my students into the bush to study ticks and the native animals they cohabit with. And then, over time, my research group has been drawn inevitably into the study of tick-associated illness in humans, which is a complicated scientific field in Australia, and I am now investigating the cause(s) of what the government refers to as ‘Debilitating Symptom Complexes attributable to Ticks” (DSCATT). Ultimately I hope to be able to provide tangible information about why some people become unwell after being bitten by ticks in Australia.

  • What is your greatest research achievement with funding from ACAHF to date?

It is difficult to choose just one achievement here! The ACAHF has generously supported quite a few of my research projects over the last 15 years and during this time my research group has discovered new information about babesiosis in dogs (Babesia gibsoni infections), potentially zoonotic bacteria in the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus), and a new tick-borne infection in dogs, hepatozoonosis, that is caused by Hepatozoon canis. I believe that the application of our research efforts, collectively, leads to better health outcomes and welfare for dogs and cats in Australia as a result of us being able to inform veterinarians about the diseases that we have studied.

  • What is the biggest research challenge you have met with or continue to face?

The biggest challenge is insufficient funding for companion animal research in Australia. Unfortunately, conducting most research is expensive because of the high cost of equipment and the salaries that sometimes need to be paid. The ACAHF is a truly wonderful resource for researchers wishing to study diseases of dogs and cats (and other companion animal species) but is one of only very few funding bodies that are available. Additionally, the total pool of funds is relatively small, especially when compared with the situation overseas in countries such as the UK or USA where there are very much larger grants supported and available. To some extent I think this reflects the small population in Australia too, but unfortunately there is no government funding for research into canine and feline diseases either.

  • What does the work of the ACAHF mean to you?

The ACAHF has been a tremendous support for me – not only with respect to achieving research outcomes, but successful funding has also helped my veterinary academic career. “Publish or perish” was the mantra and to a large extent this is still true – veterinary academics are expected to conduct research by their universities, and the ACAHF has helped many an early career researcher establish their academic career – myself included. The funds also indirectly support our research students to complete their studies. So thank you ACAHF – and thank you to all the many donors to this worthy cause from all around Australia!

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Claire Sharp

Senior Lecturer; Emergency and Critical Care

School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University

  • How long have you been working in veterinary research?

I first started doing research during my emergency and critical care residency back in 2006, and have been involved in research every since.

  • Why did you choose this work?

For me it is a privilege to do veterinary research aimed at understanding more about companion animal diseases, so that we can improve the lives of patients.

As a veterinarian treating sick dogs and cats every day, it becomes evident how little we know about some of the diseases that occur commonly in dogs and cats.

Doing research helps to fill some of these knowledge gaps so that we can improve patient care.

 

  • What is your area of study and what do you hope to achieve?

I study a variety of diseases relevant to emergency medicine and critical care for dogs and cats.

ACAHF funds some of my research on blood banking and transfusion medicine.

The goals of this research are to better understand how best to store and administer blood transfusions to dogs and cats to optimise the benefits of transfusion therapy, while making the most of this precious resource.

 

  • What is your greatest research achievement with funding from ACAHF to date?

ACAHF funding has allowed us to explore the stability of clotting factors in dog plasma when stored refrigerated, rather than frozen.

Traditionally plasma has been stored frozen, but the time it takes to thaw wastes crucial minutes during the stabilisation of bleeding patients.

This work has allowed us to double the storage time of refrigerated plasma from 14 days to 28 days, meaning less wastage of precious plasma, and ensuring that liquid plasma is available when needed for critically ill dogs requiring transfusion.

 

  • What is the biggest research challenge you have met with or continue to face?

The biggest research challenge I face is finding funding to allow us to continue our veterinary research. Government funding is available to fund research in human medicine, but unfortunately this is not the case in veterinary medicine. As such, we rely on the generosity of donors and foundations such as ACAHF to support this important work.

  • What does the work of the ACAHF mean to you?

The work of ACAHF means the world to me because it not only helps fund our research, but also that of other veterinary research groups around Australia.

Without ACAHF funding we would not be able to continue research to improve the lives of our pets.

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