Dr Ryan O'Handley

Biography/ Background

Ryan O'Handley was born and raised in the Canadian Province of Saskatchewan.  After completing his PhD in Parasitology at the University of Calgary, he was a postdoctoral scientist with the the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland.  He was then appointed Assistant Professor of Veterinary Parasitology at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island from 2001-2004.  From 2004-2010, Dr O'Handley was a Senior Research Fellow at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia and in January, 2010 became Senior Lecturer in Parasitology at the University of Adelaide.

Qualifications

BSc (Biology), The University of Saskatchewan

PhD (Parasitology), The University of Calgary

Teaching Interests

Ryan teaches veterinary parasitology into both the veterinary and animal science programs at the University of Adelaide.  He emphasises an evidence based approach to the control of parasites in companion animals and livestock and is a proponent of the use of good parasitology diagnostics in the clinical setting.

Research Interests

Ryan is interested in parasites of both companion animals and livestock.  He is particularily interested the pathogenesis and control of parasitic protozoa such as Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma and Neospora.  His current research involves discovering novel chemotherapies and immunogenic strategies to control parasitic infections.  He also has a keen interest in the use and overuse of antiparasitic drugs in companion animals.

He currently leads a research team that has recently developed a novel method of vaccination agaist Toxoplasma gondii and other apicomplexan protozoal parasites. 

He has also developed an interest in bacterial biofilms. Specifically their resistance to antimicrobials and there interactions with protozoa and nematodes.

Publications

Selected publications for the past 5 years:

1: Koh W, Geurden T, Paget T, O'Handley R, Steuart R, Thompson A, Buret AG.
Giardia duodenalis assemblage-specific induction of apoptosis and tight junction
disruption in human intestinal epithelial cells: Effects of mixed infections. J
Parasitol. 2012 Aug 27.

2: Uehlinger FD, Greenwood SJ, O'Handley R, McClure JT, Coklin T, Dixon BR, de
Boer M, Zwiers H, Barkema HW. Prevalence and genotypes of Giardia duodenalis in
dairy and beef cattle in farms around Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island,
Canada. Can Vet J. 2011 Sep;52(9):967-72.

3: VanLeeuwen JA, Greenwood S, Clark F, Acorn A, Markham F, McCarron J, O'Handley
R. Monensin use against Neospora caninum challenge in dairy cattle. Vet
Parasitol. 2011 Feb 10;175(3-4):372-6.

4: Wong HS, Townsend KM, Fenwick SG, Maker G, Trengove RD, O'Handley RM.
Comparative susceptibility of Salmonella Typhimurium biofilms of different ages
to disinfectants. Biofouling. 2010 Oct;26(7):859-64.

5: Wong HS, Townsend KM, Fenwick SG, Trengove RD, O'Handley RM. Comparative
susceptibility of planktonic and 3-day-old Salmonella Typhimurium biofilms to
disinfectants. J Appl Microbiol. 2010 Jun;108(6):2222-8.

6: Parameswaran N, O'Handley RM, Grigg ME, Fenwick SG, Thompson RC.
Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in wild kangaroos using an ELISA. Parasitol
Int. 2009 Jun;58(2):161-5.

7: Parameswaran N, O'Handley RM, Grigg ME, Wayne A, Thompson RC. Vertical
transmission of Toxoplasma gondii in Australian marsupials. Parasitology. 2009
Aug;136(9):939-44.

8: Coklin T, Uehlinger FD, Farber JM, Barkema HW, O'Handley RM, Dixon BR.
Prevalence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in dairy calves
from 11 farms in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Vet Parasitol. 2009 Mar
23;160(3-4):323-6.

9: Steuart RF, O'Handley R, Lipscombe RJ, Lock RA, Thompson RC. Alpha 2 giardin
is an assemblage A-specific protein of human infective Giardia duodenalis.
Parasitology. 2008 Dec;135(14):1621-7.

10: Uehlinger FD, Barkema HW, O'Handley RM, Parenteau M, Parrington LJ,
Vanleeuwen JA, Dixon BR. Comparison of flow cytometry and immunofluorescence
microscopy for the detection of Giardia duodenalis in bovine fecal samples. J Vet
Diagn Invest. 2008 Mar;20(2):178-85.

11: Wapenaar W, Barkema HW, Eysker M, O'Handley RM. An outbreak of dictyocaulosis
in lactating cows on a dairy farm. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2007 Dec 1;231(11):1715-8.

12: Thompson RC, Palmer CS, O'Handley R. The public health and clinical
significance of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in domestic animals. Vet J. 2008
Jul;177(1):18-25.

13: O'Handley RM. Cryptosporidium parvum infection in cattle: are current
perceptions accurate? Trends Parasitol. 2007 Oct;23(10):477-80.

14: Wapenaar W, Barkema HW, O'Handley RM, Bartels CJ. Use of an enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay in bulk milk to estimate the prevalence of Neospora caninum
on dairy farms in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Can Vet J. 2007 May;48(5):493-9.

15: Uehlinger FD, O'Handley RM, Greenwood SJ, Guselle NJ, Gabor LJ, Van Velsen
CM, Steuart RF, Barkema HW. Efficacy of vaccination in preventing giardiasis in
calves. Vet Parasitol. 2007 May 15;146(1-2):182-8.

16: Wapenaar W, Barkema HW, Schares G, Rouvinen-Watt K, Zeijlemaker L, Poorter B,
O'Handley RM, Kwok OC, Dubey JP. Evaluation of four serological techniques to
determine the seroprevalence of Neospora caninum in foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and
coyotes (Canis latrans) on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Vet Parasitol. 2007 Apr
10;145(1-2):51-8.

17: O'Handley RM, Olson ME. Giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis in ruminants. Vet
Clin North Am Food Anim Pract. 2006 Nov;22(3):623-43.

18: Wapenaar W, Barkema HW, Vanleeuwen JA, McClure JT, O'Handley RM, Kwok OC,
Thulliez P, Dubey JP, Jenkins MC. Comparison of serological methods for the
diagnosis of Neospora caninum infection in cattle. Vet Parasitol. 2007 Jan
31;143(2):166-73.

Professional Associations

Ryan is a member of the Australian Society for Parasitology, serving as the ASP Secretary in 2004-2005.  He is also a member of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitology and the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology.

Professional Interests

Ryan heads the the parasitology section of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Adeliade.  He has a keen interest in diagnostic parasitology and offers diagnostic servics in comapnaion animal, production animal, and equine parasitology 

Entry last updated: Sunday, 9 Dec 2012