Large animal resident honored

Dr. Amy Stieler

Dr. Amy Stieler with a foal in the UF Large Animal Hospital. (Photo by Diana Andersen-Davis)

Dr. Amy Stieler, a second-year resident in large animal internal medicine at UF, received a Resident Research Award at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine’s annual forum, held June 4-7 in Nashville.

Given in the large animal internal medicine category, the award was for Stieler’s abstract presentation on the role of impaired sweat responses in macrolide-induced hyperthermia in foals.

“This project focuses on an antibiotic, specifically erythromycin, that is commonly used in foals being treated for pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi, which is one of the more common bacterial causes of pneumonia in foals between two and six months of age,” Stieler said.

She added that one of the documented side effects of the medication is hyperthermia, or overheating, but the exact reason why this occurs has been unknown.

“We discovered in our research that the reason the foals are likely overheating is because of a decreased ability to sweat after being on the medication,” Stieler said. “Interestingly, the foals could not sweat normally for several weeks after stopping the medication as well.”

The next phase of the research will attempt to determine the mechanism behind why this decreased sweating occurs and will investigate the effects of other medications on the normal sweat response, Stieler said.

“This research is clinically important, as many foals may be treated with this medication and the need for preventative cooling measures, such as shade, trees and fans, should be recognized,” she said.

Stieler is a 2011 graduate of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine.

Share this article with others:
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Twitter

...also in this issue

People

News

Around the College