Training Wildlife Disease Specialists... Specialized Graduate School Shares Research Findings

A forum will be held to share research findings from a program that trains specialists to strengthen the capacity to respond to wildlife diseases.

The National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control, under the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, announced on November 1 that it will hold an academic symposium on November 2 at the Ramada Hotel in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, as part of its “Specialized Graduate School Support Program for Training Wildlife Disease Specialists.”

The flying squirrel, a Class II endangered wildlife species, was recently confirmed to live in the Daejeon area.

At the event, graduate students participating in the specialized graduate school program will present their research findings, while experts in wildlife diseases, bioethics, and ecology will give lectures and share their research experience and knowledge. Experts from relevant institutions and universities, including the National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control, the National Institute of Biological Resources, the Korea National Park Service, and Jeonbuk National University, will also take part.

Graduate students from four universities—Kangwon National University, Seoul National University, Jeonbuk National University, and Chungbuk National University—will present their research. Chungbuk National University will introduce a case of Spirometra infection identified in a weasel that died of suppurative pleuropneumonia. Jeonbuk National University will present the results of a performance evaluation of molecular diagnostic methods for wildlife infectious diseases.

Seoul National University will share research evaluating the biological characteristics and pathogenicity of mammalian orthoreovirus serotype 2, derived from bats and isolated in South Korea in 2020.

Kangwon National University will present two studies: one that established hematological and blood chemistry reference intervals for raccoon dogs infected with mange and developed the “MANGE Score,” a tool for predicting mortality risk; and another that analyzed the behavioral ecology of endangered Korean gorals using tracking data.

Chungbuk National University will also present findings on the detection of coccidia in rescued water deer and research into the morphological and molecular biological characteristics of the genus Eimeria.

Lee Chang-gyu, director of the National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control, said, “I hope this event will provide a meaningful opportunity for future specialists in wildlife diseases to share their research findings and connect with experts in related fields.” He added, “We will continue to train specialists and expand the research base to strengthen our capacity to respond to wildlife diseases.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.