April is National Heartworm Awareness month. Spring is also the time of year when mosquitoes, the heartworm vector, become active. As the month winds down and the temperature goes up, the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, TVMDL, is addressing three common misconceptions related to heartworm disease and testing. “Heartworm disease is serious issue,” said…
As temperatures drop, outdoor cats may be spending more time indoors, which calls for attention to a health threat — Toxoplasma gondii, also known as the “cat parasite.” This infectious agent infects over 40 million people in the U.S. The parasites reproduce exclusively within cats; however, any warm-blooded animal, including humans, is susceptible to the…
Mycoplasma bacteria can cause a variety of symptoms in many of our animal species. These bacteria are unique because they lack a cell wall, making them challenging to detect and treat. The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) commonly detects infections in dogs, cats, and livestock. One of the most common signs of mycoplasma…