September 18, 2003

 

Margaret Khaitsa Is New NDSU Epidemiologist

As a newly appointed epidemiologist at North Dakota State University, Margaret Khaitsa found herself studying a disease that was first identified in her native country of Uganda. Khaitsa began her duties last January as an epidemiologist and assistant professor in the department of Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences.

One of the first projects she became involved with was analyzing data on horses with West Nile virus disease (WNV). "I think it’s very ironic that one of the first projects I did here at NDSU was study West Nile virus because it was first identified in the West Nile District of my native Uganda back in 1937," Khaitsa says. The West Nile virus was first identified in North America in 1999.

"The N.D. state veterinarian had collected some data on horses with WNV in 2002, and these data needed to be analyzed," Khaitsa says. She collaborated on the project with Charles Stoltenow, NDSU extension veterinarian. "Because West Nile virus had just spread to North Dakota, it was important to know how the disease affects horses."

At the time the data was collected, a West Nile virus vaccine for horses had just been conditionally approved. It was found that the vaccine did improve the horse’s odds of recovery especially if the manufacturer’s recommendations as to number and time between shots were followed.

From the data, Khaitsa and Stoltenow found that it could be determined clinically, with some degree of certainty, whether an infected horse would live or die. "Horses that were infected and had become disoriented were mostly able to recover," Khaitsa says. The horses that were no longer able to get up from their hind legs or were completely down, usually didn’t recover. Also, older horses stood less chance of recovering from West Nile according to the study. The study will hopefully be published in the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association.

Khaitsa is also studying E-coli O157:H7 in beef that causes health problems mainly in children and older adults who have weak immune systems. She started working with E-coli O157:H7 at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln while doing post-doctorate work there.

As an assistant professor, Khaitsa will be teaching epidemiology courses to undergraduate and graduate students through the NDSU Great Plains Food Safety Institute and the department of Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences. She will be introducing two new courses in epidemiology this year.

"I like it when I can use the tools I have to answer practical questions," Khaitsa says. "Right now I’m trying to identify some of the animal health problems we have in the state and then I will try to solve the problems using the background training I have."

"Most food safety issues deal with organisms that affect animals and people so you can’t separate the two. We need to address the problem in animals so it doesn’t spread to the human population," Khaitsa says.

While growing up in her native Uganda, Khaitsa never thought she’d end up at North Dakota State University. "I felt NDSU was a good fit for me because I’m very interested in food safety which is one of the issues I’ll be able to address here," Khaitsa says. "I read about North Dakota and the prairies of North America as a child, especially about all the grain that is grown here, but I had no idea I’d end up here."

Through her studies and work, the road to North Dakota took some twists and turns. She studied veterinary medicine at Makerere University, Kampala in Uganda and received her master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. From there her travels took her to The Ohio State University for her doctorate, the University of Nebraska in Lincoln for her post-doctorate and then to NDSU.

Khaitsa says she has been impressed with the amount of collaboration that takes place on the NDSU campus. "I’m able to work with other departments on campus, the state veterinarian and the state epidemiologist. I’m also able to share some of the advanced equipment that we have here in the department and on campus."

###

Source: Margaret Khaitsa, (701) 231-5946, Margaret.Khaitsa@ndsu.nodak.edu
Editor: Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136, richard.mattern@ndsu.nodak.edu