MU College of Veterinary Medicine - Research and Graduate Studies

Research and Graduate Studies

Prenatal Opioid Exposure May Trigger Neurological, Behavioral Changes Later in Life

MU study links changes in gut bacteria to prenatal exposure to oxycodone, a commonly abused opioid during pregnancy.

While infants exposed to opioids during their mother’s pregnancy have been linked to adverse health outcomes, a new study at the University of Missouri has found prenatal opioid exposure could trigger long-term neurological or behavioral effects later in a child’s life.

The key is the opioid’s impact on the developing fetus’ gut microbiome – a collection of bacteria and other microorganisms that naturally live inside the guts of all humans and animals and can serve as a barometer for overall health and wellness.

Cheryl Rosenfeld, a professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, collaborated with Trupti Joshi, an assistant professor in the MU School of Medicine, to compare the gut microbiome of adult mice who were exposed during gestation to oxycodone, a commonly abused opioid that treats pain, in utero with the gut microbiome of mice who were not exposed to any opioids.

“Opioids are increasingly being prescribed to pregnant women to treat pain, yet when they are consumed, we are learning it is not just the mother who is being exposed, but also the fetus at a time when their organs are still developing,” Rosenfeld said. “These findings highlight the potential long-term health effects for the offspring, not just when they are born, but well into adulthood as well.”

After collecting fecal matter from both groups of mice at 120 days of age, the researchers identified significant changes and disruptions to the natural balance of bacteria in the guts of the mice who were exposed to oxycodone in utero. These changes were linked with alterations in metabolic pathways, which impacts metabolism and potentially both neurological and behavioral health long-term.

Rosenfeld added that the gut microbiome of humans is very similar to the gut microbiome of mice, making the animal a useful biomedical model for translational and precision medicine research.

“While this research can lead to human studies down the road, those can take 20 to 30 years due to the much longer lifespan of humans compared to mice,” Rosenfeld said. “The opioid epidemic, one of the biggest public health crises facing the United States, is causing real harm right now, so our goal is to raise immediate awareness and hopefully protect the health and well-being of women who are currently pregnant or seeking to become pregnant and their offspring from the potential negative and longstanding effects of opioids.”

The research is personal for Rosenfeld, whose niece was in utero when her sister-in-law was given Quaaludes to relieve anxiety. While her niece was born healthy and seemed fine early in childhood, she later developed respiratory issues, neurological issues and behavioral abnormalities in her teenage years, and is now living in a nursing home in her 30s.

“For these children who were exposed to opioids in utero, there is also now an increased risk for them to get addicted to opioids themselves, so I do worry about them as they progress into adulthood,” Rosenfeld said. “Hopefully by identifying these correlations as early as possible, potential interventions can be developed and alternative treatment options can be discussed for dealing with pain in pregnant women.”

Joshi, a bioinformatics scientist in the MU School of Medicine’s Department of Health Management and Informatics, was a clinical doctor who occasionally assisted with pregnancies in India before coming to the United States to study bioinformatics.

“Genomic sequencing technology, bioinformatics tools and computational techniques can all be applied together to help us as researchers start to find the links that tie together our physiology and our overall health,” Joshi said. “We are starting to learn how changes in the gut microbiome can potentially impact one’s mood and mental health later on in adulthood. This research helps us start to better understand the gut-brain axis, as there is a lot of communication among the brain, central nervous system, endocrine system, immune system and gut microbiome.”

“Long-term effects of developmental exposure to oxycodone on gut microbiota and relationship to adult behaviors and metabolism” was recently published in the American Society for Microbiology. Funding was provided by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Co-authors on the study include Zhen Lyu, Robert Schmidt, Rachel Martin, Madison Green, Jessica Kinkade, Jiude Mao and Nathan Bivens.

Story courtesy of Show Me Mizzou
Story Contact: Brian Consiglio, 573-882-9144, consigliob@missouri.edu

Personalizing the Fight Against Flu

With the opening of the NextGen Center for Influenza and Emerging Infectious Diseases, MU researcher Henry Wan is working toward a deeper understanding of the flu.

MU Tracking Spread of Bird Flu, One Test at a Time

MU Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab helps identify avian influenza among Missouri poultry.

Throughout the country, an extremely infectious disease called highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been circulating rapidly among flocks of chicken and turkeys.While the disease poses little risk to humans, it presents a serious threat to infected birds as well as the nation’s poultry industry, which is already facing supply chain disruptions.

At the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (VMDL) is on the frontlines, tracking the disease and alerting veterinary officials to confirmed cases of the virus in poultry. When the first presumed HPAI case turned up on March 3 in Stoddard County, Missouri, MU’s VMDL ran the test.

“Missouri ranks in the top 10 of broiler production and is also an important source for egg production and turkeys,” said Daniel Shaw, a professor emeritus of veterinary pathobiology and a researcher at MU’s VMDL. “Our ultimate goals are to keep animals healthy, support the agriculture and farming industries in Missouri, and help poultry producers monitor their flocks by quickly testing for suspected cases.”

During the last outbreak of HPAI in 2015, the virus affected flocks throughout the country, resulting in almost $3 billion in economic impacts and the deaths of an estimated 50 million birds. This year, it has already been found in 23 states and nearly 17 million birds, leading to entire flocks being euthanized in an effort to limit the spread of the virus, as well as an increase in egg and chicken prices at grocery stores.

“When birds present signs of possible infection, such as decreased eating or drinking, they are given throat-swab PCR tests, similar to those performed to screen for COVID-19,” Shaw said. “These samples are sent to our VMDL here in Columbia, where we work to process the samples to provide results to the poultry producers, often in less than four hours.”

MU’s VMDL, led by Shuping Zhang, a professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, performed more than 162,000 diagnostic tests in 2021 for a range of animal diseases, including chronic wasting disease in deer and African swine fever in pigs. The efforts have helped protect both animal health and the agriculture and farming industries, which are critical to Missouri’s economy.

Shaw explained wild waterfowl act as carriers of HPAI, producing and shedding large amounts of the virus in nasal secretions and fecal material.

“The virus is preserved by cool, moist conditions and protected by mucus and fecal material,” Shaw said. “It can easily infect poultry flocks, particularly those that are free-range or in small, backyard populations.”

Since people and equipment are common means of transmission of the virus between farms, strong bio-security strategies are encouraged, including feed delivery trucks unloading from outside farms and requiring those entering to put on clean shoes and protective suits.

“In the weeks and months ahead, we will continue tracking HPAI and supporting farmers navigating the challenges brought on by this outbreak,” Shaw said. “We are simply doing our part to keep animals healthy, help poultry producers and support our state’s vital agriculture industry.”

Story courtesy of Show Me Mizzou
Contact: Brian Consiglio, 573-882-9144, consigliob@missouri.edu

An Illustrated Life

Mizzou’s longest-serving staff member, Don Connor, has been creating visuals for 54 years.

Social, Cultural Factors in Veterinary Field May Hinder Students, Professionals from Seeking Mental-health Help

Study found those with more severe depressive symptoms mentioned barriers at higher rates.

Previous research has shown veterinarians have higher rates of mental health concerns than most people in other professions, and even greater compared to other health professionals, such as physicians or nurses.

Despite increased awareness of mental health resources and work to destigmatize mental health concerns, many veterinary professionals and those studying to be veterinarians do not seek help when they experience distress.

Now, a new study, led by Tamara Hancock, an assistant teaching professor at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, found that the high-achieving and perfectionist culture associated with veterinarians, along with the perceived stigma that comes with reaching out for help, may prevent veterinary students from taking advantage of mental health resources.

The findings may help institutions and mentors brainstorm practical solutions to provide veterinary students and professionals more flexibility to seek help when needed and be more well-rounded individuals. Hancock said although solutions could be easy to implement, educators and supervisors first must identify the barriers and then work to change the culture.

“A previous study had indicated two-thirds of licensed veterinarians are clinically depressed, yet nearly one-third do not seek help,” Hancock said. “These are people that can really benefit from mental health services, so we wanted to better understand the barriers that might be keeping veterinary students in distress from taking advantage of the mental health resources available to them.”

Hancock collaborated with Kerry Karaffa, a MU Counseling Center psychologist embedded specifically within the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, to distribute a survey to more than 500 veterinary students throughout North America. The survey screened the students for depression and anxiety symptoms and asked the students about their experiences utilizing mental health resources, or their reasons for not doing so.

“We found many respondents say the high-achieving and perfectionist culture that often comes with the veterinary field can contribute to not only the stigma of others thinking you are a failure if you reach out for help, but also the internalization of that stigma, where they themselves start to feel ashamed for needing help,” Hancock said. “Another respondent said, ‘I feel like most of us just accept vet school is going to be very hard and feeling miserable all the time is just how it goes.’ These perceived norms, whether true or not, quickly become reality because it is so embedded in the culture and identity of being a vet student.”

Hancock also found that students with more severe depressive symptoms mentioned these barriers at a higher rate, and these perceptions were more likely to interfere with their daily functions, relationships and overall well-being.

“When discussing barriers to seeking help, we often talk about individual factors like time, financial constraints, lack of access or transportation,” Hancock said. “These are definitely still at play as well, but our research shows there are also social and cultural factors involved. If we want to address mental health and promote mental well-being, we need to better understand the various barriers preventing people from taking advantage of available resources, and then we will be in a better position to discuss how we can promote positive change.”

Hancock added some practical solutions institutions and mentors can consider based off the findings include incorporating more flexible classroom attendance polices or work-leave policies so students and employees can, for example, more easily attend a mid-day doctor’s appointment or care for a loved one.

“Another suggestion for academic advisors or professional mentors is to ask students about their hobbies outside of veterinary medicine and to share your own hobbies, so they know it is okay to have interests and passions besides just being a vet,” said Hancock, who also serves as the MU College of Veterinary Medicine’s coordinator of curriculum and student outcomes. “I want the students to know we don’t just want them to be good vets, we want them to be well-rounded individuals.”

“’Obligated to keep things under control’: Sociocultural barriers to seeking mental health services among veterinary medical students” was published in Journal of Veterinary Medicine Education. MU’s Kerry Karaffa is a co-author on the study.

Story courtesy of Show Me Mizzou
Contact: Brian Consiglio, 573-882-9144, consigliob@missouri.edu