BSTP Infectious Disease Module

Those of you who have attended the BSTP educational modules will probably remember having been "blackmailed" by the Scientific Organiser to complete and return the feedback questionnaires in order to receive your attendance certificates! That questionnaire included the opportunity for attendees to suggest new topics to be included in the future. As a result of this, the BSTP has for the first time decided to base an entire module on infectious disease of laboratory animals, which is expected to take place in July 2008.

Although infectious disease has been covered piece-meal in the organ system modules, this has inevitably left gaps which this module will hopefully fill.  Effective barriers in commercial breeder facilities has meant that infectious disease is becoming increasingly rare but the causal agents are still out there and so it is important to be aware of them and be familiar with the associated pathology.  Furthermore, the increasing number of transgenic animals being used in studies has led in some cases to an increased susceptibility to disease, and for those who are preparing for veterinary pathology exams, infectious disease is a popular and perennial topic!

The module will cover infectious disease in all the usual species and also some of the less commonly encountered species such as ferrets and mini-pigs.  It will also highlight the impact of disease on toxicology studies and the effects of infections in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised animals.  We hope this module will prove to be a useful and popular addition to the series of modules offered by the BSTP, and that it will become a regular feature of future rounds.

Full provisional programme of the Infectious Diseases module

To see the programme of all BSTP modules click here