Merging clues with progressive thought to solve mysteries in the areas of infectious disease and neonatal medicine will be spotlighted when renowned equine internist Dr. John Madigan delivers the Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture on Dec. 8 during the AAEP’s 60th Annual Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah.
During Madigan’s lecture, titled “Gumshoe Sleuthing in the World of Infectious Disease and Neonatology: Discoveries That Changed Equine and Human Health,” attendees will be immersed into the process of infectious disease investigation, specifically related to mysterious clusters of fevers of unknown origin and pursuit of causes of colitis symptoms in adult horses. From there, the investigation will turn to specific disorders of the equine neonate and the science that translates to actions that can be taken by practitioners in the field.
Madigan is Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine as well as clinician in equine medicine and neonatal care in the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Teaching Hospital. He received his veterinary degree from UC Davis in 1975 and is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American College of Animal Welfare.
In 1975, Madigan discovered Anaplasma phagocytophilia infection in Mendocino County, California, ultimately leading to a National Institute of Health grant with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine that described infection in humans and the tick vectors. Madigan’s seminal work elucidating the life cycle and transmission of Neorickettsia risticii (Potomac horse fever) revealed the infection was caused by ingestion of aquatic insects and not vectored by ticks or other biting insects.
His contributions to the body of knowledge in equine neonatology includes his most recent research that describes a “failure of transition of consciousness” as a cause for the Maladjusted or dummy foal, and he recently proposed a relationship to some human neonatal conditions.
Madigan has published 160 peer-reviewed scientific publications and authored the 4th edition of the Manual of Equine Neonatal Medicine. He has received numerous awards, including the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence in 1996, AVMA Animal Welfare Award in 2006, Red Cross Hero Award in 2006, AAEP Distinguished Service Award in 2006, Legend of Academic Medicine Award from Kansas State University in 2007 and UC Davis Alumni Achievement Award in 2008.
The convention lecture, sponsored by Platinum Performance, is named for AAEP past president and distinguished life member Frank J. Milne.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, AAEP reaches more than five million horse owners through its nearly 10,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.
