Summer is the season for ticks, mosquitoes and other insects carrying vector-borne diseases such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus that can pose a danger to humans, pets and livestock.

As the nation observes National Mosquito Control Awareness Week June 15-21, University of Tennessee Extension specialists and UT Institute of Agriculture researchers have more resources available to help educate the public and prevent the spread of disease. The VECTOR Library, which stands for Vector Education, Community and Training Online Resources, provides more than 1,400 educational materials from the Cooperative Extension System across the United States in a centralized online database.

The library was developed by the VectorEd Network, created through a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant, stands for Vector-Borne Disease Regional Training and Evaluation Center. It is led by Penn State in collaboration with five additional institutions including the University of Tennessee.  

Approximately one in every 12 dogs in the U.K. will be diagnosed with diarrhea each year, with some breeds more susceptible than others, according to a study published June 11, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Dan O’Neill from the Royal Veterinary College, U.K., and colleagues.

In a study of 34 children, the volumes of part of the brain known as the basal ganglia differed significantly between children whose parents were pregnant with them during Superstorm Sandy versus children without prenatal Sandy exposure. Donato DeIngeniis of Queens College, City University of New York, U.S., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on June 11, 2025.

A new study analyzing more than 3,200 hospitals across the United States (U.S.) has revealed stark differences in how patients rate their hospital experiences depending on where they receive care. The research was published June 11, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One and led by Man Hung of the University of Utah, U.S., and colleagues.