veterinary medicine

It is not uncommon for patients to ask me whether an illness in a pet could be related to symptoms they are experiencing. For example, a patient suffering from allergies caused by mold in her house told me about her dog that was being treated by a veterinary allergist. Was it possible that human and dog were dealing with the same problem?

The past two decades have seen some remarkable emergence of new and deadly pathogens, from SARS to avian influenza H5N1 and the novel 2009 H1N1 influenza strain. It is often pointed out that a majority of recent emerging infections are “zoonotic” (transmitted from animals to people) in origin.

A recent article in the New York Times is a reminder of the potential for new approaches to comparative medicine outside of the typical research laboratory.