The University of California (UC), Davis, Center for Equine Health (CEH), has announced its research topics for 1999-2000. According to Director Gregory Ferraro, DVM, in The Research Preview, the studies funded by the CEH this year are particularly reflective of current problems relevant to the equine industry. The expertise of various researchers complement studies that range from contagious disease transmission to the measurement of brain function in the horse.

One of the more unique projects is an investigation of the fatal disease of man and the horse caused by the nematode (worm) Halicephalobus gingivalis, which is free-living in soil, manure, and decaying humus. The rare and mysterious disease always is rapidly fatal due to the parasites’ ability to invade the body and reproduce in the body’s tissues.

“I am most pleased and impressed with this year’s group of projects selected by the CEH Scientific Review Committee,” says Ferraro. “I have no doubt that when these projects are completed, they will have a significant impact on the equine industry and the welfare of the horse, and possibly man.”

Several endowments that support these research endeavors, as well as CEH’s educational and service activities, have been established over the past year. Eleven such endowments have been established. These range from $10,000 to more than $1 million