Hello everyone! Welcome to my summer journey as I search the wetlands of Illinois for a deadly virus, Frog Virus 3 to be specific. FV3 is the most prevalent ranavirus in the United States and responsible for large frog and toad mortality events. What, did you think I was dealing with a virus that could kill me? No way! Anyway, I'm a veterinary student with an interest in wildlife and ecosystem health… and what better way to learn about it than getting out, catching frogs, and gettin’ my hands dirty!
I have already traveled throughout western Illinois to collect samples (you will hear more about this in future posts), and am about to start lab work consisting of extracting DNA and running PCR . All this is to determine if any of the frogs in these wild populations were positive for the disease . Sounds pretty fancy, doesn’t it? Well, follow me this summer and find out just how fun conducting research is and why we want to save the frogs!
I would love to thank the Merial Veterinary Scholars Program for my stipend and the Summer Research Training Program at the University of Illinois. Together, they are making this research possible!
You can find more information on both right here...
- http://vetmed.illinois.edu/research/summertraining/
- http://www.merialscholars.com
I would love to thank the Merial Veterinary Scholars Program for my stipend and the Summer Research Training Program at the University of Illinois. Together, they are making this research possible!
You can find more information on both right here...
- http://vetmed.illinois.edu/research/summertraining/
- http://www.merialscholars.com
Ribbit.
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