Historical announcement, originally published on 25 February 2025. The sampling date below has passed.
Summary of the call for volunteers:
Get involved!
A call for free sample collection from the pet species listed below, in collaboration with the University of Córdoba, to study parasitic and infectious diseases affecting our animals.
Free sample collection on 3 March 2025, from 10:00 to 11:00 and from 16:30 to 17:30, at Centro de Especialidades Veterinarias Generalife (Granada). Please email hola@danielbvazquez.eu to let us know you are coming and which animals you will bring, or if you have any questions.
Full announcement:
Dear animal guardians,
As you know, science is humanity’s greatest ally. Scientific advances have given us medicines that cure diseases or relieve pain. All this has required considerable effort and financial investment, often supported by the generosity of researchers and collaborators.
At Clínica Veterinaria Aracavia (Málaga), we have collaborated with universities on a voluntary basis for many years. Our work therefore extends beyond caring for the health of your small animals to include teaching, welcoming dozens of students from Spanish public universities and technical training programmes. This contributes to veterinary training in these newer companion animal species—rabbits, rodents, birds, ferrets and reptiles—as well as to research and the development of medical knowledge about them.
We have now extended sample collection to Granada (CEV Generalife), collecting samples from rabbits, rodents, ferrets and other exotic mammals to assess the presence of certain diseases that can be transmitted to people. Testing will include zoonotic parasites (Giardia sp., Cryptosporidium, Encephalitozoon spp., Balantioides coli, E. bieneusi, Blastocystis, among others). Working with the University of Córdoba and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, and with your help, we can increase knowledge about these species, which in many cases will also benefit human health.
How can you help?
The samples we need can be obtained with minimally invasive procedures. We need:
- Rabbits, ferrets, rodents, hedgehogs and other pets:
- A small container of fresh faeces, either frozen or collected on the same day. Label the container with the owner’s full name, the animal’s name if it has a clinical record, the collection date and the animal species. We will remove your identifying details and assign the sample a reference number known only to us.
- Only for animals at least the size of a guinea pig: a small blood and hair sample, which we will collect at the clinic.
- You will complete a consent form and a short questionnaire.
What are the benefits?
- Participation is free.
- We will learn about the presence or absence of many of these diseases in the animals. This knowledge may benefit their health in the future.
- Knowledge about animal diseases has direct implications for people. Human health cannot be understood without considering animal health. Policymakers are increasingly recognising that health is everyone’s responsibility. Veterinarians are the first line of defence in protecting people from animal diseases. This is the ONE HEALTH approach.
IMPORTANT:
- We will report only samples that test positive for a pathogen. This does not oblige us to explain the implications, make recommendations or provide treatment on the basis of the findings. We do not have the capacity to answer unlimited questions from hundreds of study participants on a voluntary basis; our experience in Málaga has shown this is not feasible. We can provide veterinary care for your animals and discuss findings privately during a consultation. You may also discuss a positive result with a veterinarian who is not involved in the studies.
- Sample collection is minimally invasive and does not pose a risk that could reasonably be regarded as significant for the animal. Animals that appear unwell on direct observation, or for which sample collection is suspected to carry a risk, will not be accepted.
- The samples will be tested for pathogens selected by the Animal Health and Zoonoses Research Group at the University of Córdoba. Participation in the study is NOT intended to investigate an active illness in the patient.
- Samples will be analysed according to the research group’s timetable and organisation. There is no maximum processing time: this is a voluntary contribution to science rather than a private laboratory service.
Free sample collection on 3 March 2025, from 10:00 to 11:00 and from 16:30 to 17:30, at Centro de Especialidades Veterinarias Generalife (Granada). Please email hola@danielbvazquez.eu to let us know you are coming and which animals you will bring, or if you have any questions.
