Contact: Sandra Harbison, 865/974-7377 or 865/755-6861
sharbiso@utk.edu

For immediate release

Lecture Series Underway

KNOXVILLE – The Large Animal Clinical Sciences Research Lecture Series at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine kicked off June 30th with Dr. Rafat Al Jassim, a microbiologist from the University of Queensland, with his lecture entitled "Bacterial Community of the Horse Stomach: Its Relationship to Gastric Ulceration." Dr. Al Jassim is Lecturer in the School of Animal Studies, Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, Queensland, Australia. He, in collaboration with Dr. Frank M. Andrews, Professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, is the Principle Investigator on a grant funded by Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation in Australia to evaluate the role of bacteria and lactic acid in the pathogenesis of gastric ulceration in horses. Dr. Al Jassim's research group is determining bacterial populations present in the stomach of horses and conducting feeding trials to determine the role of bacterial fermentation of concentrates (grain) and production of lactic and volatile fatty acids. Dr. Andrews and colleagues at UT are determining the effect of lactic acid on stomach tissues from horses using an in vitro Ussing's Chamber system. Dr. Al Jassim recently presented his initial data at the Fifth Joint RRI-INRA Gastrointestinal Tract Microbiology Symposium in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK on June 21, 2006. His poster is currently on display in the large animal hallway near the classroom. We want to thank Dr. Al Jassim for his presentation and collaboration with UT. Also, we want to thank Dr. Robert Moore, Associate Dean of Research, and the office of Research and Graduate Studies for funding this speaker and the future speakers in the lecture series.

 

Sandra Harbison
Media Relations
UT College of Veterinary Medicine
865-974-7377

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