
WormsAndGermsPod
WormsAndGermsPod
Our take on infectious diseases in animals, from our old nemeses to emerging diseases, with a focus on infectious diseases in pets, spread of disease between people and animals, and whatever else in the infectious disease realm seems interesting,
Brought to you by WormsAndGermsBlog.com, an infectious disease blog coordinated at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Canada.
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Top 10 WormsAndGermsPod Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best WormsAndGermsPod episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to WormsAndGermsPod for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite WormsAndGermsPod episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Quick bite: Antimicrobial targets
WormsAndGermsPod
10/01/24 • 14 min
Freshly back from the United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance, where antimicrobial use targets in animals were a key topic, Dr. Scott Weese provides an overview of the issues around this controversial but important area.
Do we need targets for antibiotic use in animals? What are they meant to do? Why are they controversial? What can do to make them actionable, aspirational and effective? This quick podcast highlights those important topics.

Quick bite: Is MRSP zoonotic?
WormsAndGermsPod
08/26/24 • 13 min
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) is a multidrug resistant bacterium that's an increasing problem in dogs. But can it poses a risk to people as well? This episode will delve into the potential zoonotic disease risks from MRSP and what we can consider to assess and mitigate risks.

Using antibiotics in animals for growth promotion
WormsAndGermsPod
11/20/24 • 15 min
Our World AMR Awareness Week series continues with Dr. Weese talking about the issues around use of antibiotics in animals for growth promotion.
Here's the link to he World Organization for Animal Health's ANIMUSE program that was mentioned: https://amu.woah.org/amu-system-portal/home

Antimicrobial dogmas, misconceptions and barriers
WormsAndGermsPod
11/18/24 • 19 min
As part of World AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance) Awareness Week (WAAW), Dr. Scott Weese outlines some dogmas, misconceptions and barriers that are commonly encountered in antimicrobial treatment of companion animals (and beyond).

Antiviral treatment of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP): how long should we treat?
WormsAndGermsPod
09/10/24 • 13 min
Antivirals have revolutionized treatment of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), turning it from an almost invariably fatal disease to one that's usually treatable. However, antivirals are expensive and administration can be a hassle (as many cat owners can attest to). "As long as needed but as short as possible" is what we aim for with anti-infective treatments, but what does that really mean?
In this Quick Bite, we discuss treatment duration, highlighting a recent paper that shows we might be able to use shorter durations.

Tick talk
WormsAndGermsPod
10/07/24 • 38 min
Dr. Katie Clow joins Scott Weese for a talk about ticks and tick borne diseases in companion animals.
Resources mentioned in the podcast:
Ontario risk map: https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/Documents/O/24/ontario-blacklegged-tick-established-risk-areas-2024.pdf?rev=d7dafd390245466483d51e910f02c882&sc_lang=en
eTick: eTick.ca
AEROH lab: https://aeroh.uoguelph.ca/

Antimicrobial prophylaxis in animals...it's messy
WormsAndGermsPod
11/19/24 • 11 min
Part 2 of our World AMR Awareness Week series covers the controversial issue of antimicrobial prophylaxis in animals.
Should we use antibiotics in healthy animals to prevent disease?
No...except when we need to.
It's not a black and white issue....there's a lot of grey in between and understanding that great area is important. This pod tries to explain some of those issues and nuances.

H5N1 influenza testing in dogs and cats
WormsAndGermsPod
12/27/24 • 25 min
As H5N1 avian influenza continues to spread, we are seeing more issues with spillover into companion animals. This episode provides some thoughts about when, why and how to test dogs and cats for this virus. It's not as straightforward as you might think.
A companion podcast to a post on WormsAndGermsBlog: https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2024/12/articles/animals/cats/h5n1-testing-in-dogs-and-cats-who-when-why-how/

11/21/24 • 7 min
Do changes in antibiotic use in animals lead to changes in resistance in people? It's a bit of yes, no, maybe situation because it's complicated. However, there are some good data showing that what we do in animals can affect resistance in humans.
We dug into the archives for this interesting and still highly relevant 2010 paper (see link below) about changes in the use of ceftiofur in chickens and 3rd generation cephalosporin resistance in Salmonella from people.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2874360/

H5N1 influenza and raw pet food
WormsAndGermsPod
02/11/25 • 14 min
As H5N1 continues its unprecedented march through wild and domestic animals, recent infections of cats have highlights concerns about risks to dogs and cats from raw diets. This quick podcast outlines the main issues and prevention measures related to H5N1 exposure from raw diets.
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FAQ
How many episodes does WormsAndGermsPod have?
WormsAndGermsPod currently has 12 episodes available.
What topics does WormsAndGermsPod cover?
The podcast is about Animals, Health & Fitness, Infectious Diseases, Pets, Podcasts and Science.
What is the most popular episode on WormsAndGermsPod?
The episode title 'Rabies' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on WormsAndGermsPod?
The average episode length on WormsAndGermsPod is 22 minutes.
How often are episodes of WormsAndGermsPod released?
Episodes of WormsAndGermsPod are typically released every 10 days, 15 hours.
When was the first episode of WormsAndGermsPod?
The first episode of WormsAndGermsPod was released on Aug 26, 2024.
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