AD2VHN: Veterinary Health and Disease

Module code: AD2VHN

Module provider: School of Agriculture, Policy and Development

Credits: 20

Level: 5

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Kate Johnson , email: k.f.johnson@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Dr Kirsty Kliem, email: k.e.kliem@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2025/6

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 29 April 2025

Overview

Module aims and purpose

How do we keep animals in the best possible health? Animals in our care depend on us to ensure their health by managing the environment, minimising pathogens, and maximising animal defences. Students will develop and enhance fundamental knowledge in animal health biology, including immunology and epidemiology, develop understanding of evidence-based approaches to evaluate a range of animal health and disease challenges, systematically evaluate animal health risks and propose appropriate disease management strategies. Examples of diseases in domestic species are utilised throughout, and the module culminates in a mini-symposium on animal health with guest speakers contributing to explain the practicalities of how the UK caries out disease surveillance and how businesses contribute to vaccine development and health management.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Explain and evaluate the underlying concepts and principles of contagious disease epidemiology, and apply those principles to selected examples of important contagious diseases in domestic species
2. Explain and evaluate, using evidence from the peer reviewed literature how animals respond to and recover from disease, including the intrinsic (immunology) and extrinsic factors (antimicrobials)
3. Critically evaluate the risks for animal diseases influenced by human management and apply this knowledge to plan animal management strategies to minimise ill health
4. Critically evaluate methods for preventing or controlling animal diseases and create evidence-based plans for disease prevention

Module content

Topics covered will include:

• Immunology
• Epidemiology
• Infectious and non-communicable diseases – with case study/examples in the domestic species
• Impact of animal management decisions on animal health
• Disease control/management and health planning, including practical teaching of disease scoring
• One Health, with an introduction to antimicrobial resistance and zoonoses

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Weekly lectures will be supplemented by some practical teaching and also weekly peer assisted learning sessions.

The course will end with an animal health and disease mini-symposium, with external speakers invited to present current work and career opportunities – depending on availability a different range of speakers may be present (in person or virtually) and students can get involved in organising/inviting speakers so that the symposium can be shaped by their interests. Students will present their posters at the mini-symposium.

Study hours

At least 50 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.