VTMED 6423 - Clinical Diagnostic Parasitology

Fall, spring, summer. 0.5 credits (may be repeated up to 1 credit). S/U grades only.

Prerequisite: VTMED 5510. Enrollment limited to: third- and fourth-year veterinary students. This course gives students in their clinical years credit for attending one-hour parasitology sessions associated with the five participating rotations (Ambulatory, Community Practice Service, Dermatology, Pathology, and Wildlife).

D. D. Bowman, A. Lucio-Forester.

This courses is intended to give students experience in diagnosing parasitic infections by performing appropriate parasitological testing methods on clinical samples from patients on their rotation. Students evaluate the test results in terms of treatment or management of the infections. If clinical specimens are not available, appropriate materials are provided for study and evaluation. Ambulatory students typically do qualitative and quantitative flotations on samples from large-animal cases they have encountered that week. In CPS, one hour is spent testing samples from current dog and cat patients, while a second hour is devoted to a discussion of the treatment of common endo- and ecto-parasites. Pathology students typically examine and identify intact parasites they retrieve from various organs at necropsy. This course is considered to be a logical extension of Foundation Course IV: Host, Agent, and Defense, and is expected to build on the didactic material presented in Large- and Small-Animal Parasitology.