Summary
Veterinary sciences encompass the study, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease in a wide range of animal species. They integrate anatomy and physiology, pharmacology and toxicology, surgery, anaesthesiology, diagnostics, epidemiology, public health and welfare science under a One Health framework. Research spans molecular to population levels: from vaccine design and precision drug dosing through physiologically based pharmacokinetic modelling, to imaging and artificial-intelligence tools that enhance pathology and clinical decision-making. Advances in minimally invasive surgery, point-of-care diagnostics, ‘omics’ technologies and computational modelling are transforming animal care, livestock production, wildlife conservation and zoonotic disease control. Together, these developments aim to safeguard animal welfare, secure sustainable food chains and reduce pathogen spillover between animals and humans.
Research from Nature Portfolio
A bioequivalence study of two etomidate fat-emulsion formulations in healthy volunteers demonstrated interchangeable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles, confirming safety and efficacy for intravenous anaesthetic induction and maintenance. These findings support flexible formulation choices in veterinary anaesthesia without compromising haemodynamic stability.
In Egyptian fruit bats undergoing gonadectomy, two balanced injectable regimens—dexmedetomidine–ketamine versus dexmedetomidine–butorphanol–midazolam—were shown to provide rapid and reliable sedation. Cardiopulmonary parameters varied between protocols, underlining the importance of species-specific anaesthetic optimisation for procedural safety and animal welfare.
An artificial-intelligence pipeline trained on human histology was adapted to 20 vertebrate species, accurately classifying immune cell populations within tumour microenvironments. Pan-species computational pathology enables standardised immune profiling across companion and wildlife patients, facilitating translational oncology and cross-species biomarker discovery.
Topic trend for the past 5 years
The graph below shows the article count in Nature Index journals for veterinary sciences.
* The ‘Current Index’ represents data for a 12-month rolling window, the current window is 1 May 2025 - 30 April 2026.
Technical terms
Pharmacokinetics: Study of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion over time.
Bioequivalence: Equivalence in the rate and extent of drug availability between two formulations.
Balanced anaesthesia: Use of multiple agents to achieve hypnosis, analgesia, muscle relaxation and autonomic stability.
Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model: A mathematical framework using species-specific physiological and biochemical parameters to predict drug kinetics.
Multiplex qPCR: Real-time PCR method that amplifies and quantifies multiple nucleic acid targets simultaneously in a single reaction.
Subcutaneous ureteral bypass: An implantable conduit creating a urinary shunt from a blocked ureter to the bladder beneath the skin.
Notable articles in veterinary sciences
- Spillover of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus to dairy cattle. Nature (2024).
- Airborne transmission of human-isolated avian H3N8 influenza virus between ferrets. Cell (2023).
- Evidence of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in cats and dogs from households in Italy. Nature Communications (2020).
- Dominant subtype switch in avian influenza viruses during 2016–2019 in China. Nature Communications (2020).
- Genome Sequencing and Analysis of the Tasmanian Devil and Its Transmissible Cancer. Cell (2012).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Research
Position of Veterinary Sciences in Nature Index by Count
Leading institutions
| Institution | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | 11 | 5.78 |
| Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) | 14 | 4.16 |
| St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (St. Jude) | 6 | 3.88 |
| Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) | 10 | 3.6 |
| University of Pennsylvania (Penn) | 6 | 3.49 |
| Cornell University | 6 | 3.04 |
| U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) | 4 | 2.33 |
| The Ohio State University (OSU) | 5 | 2.05 |
| University of Glasgow | 7 | 2.04 |
| University of Washington (UW) | 4 | 2.02 |
Leading countries/territories
| Countries/territories | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States of America (USA) | 64 | 48.11 |
| China | 35 | 28.48 |
| United Kingdom (UK) | 22 | 8.42 |
| France | 11 | 5.42 |
| Netherlands | 11 | 4.79 |
| Australia | 13 | 3.6 |
| Japan | 7 | 2.44 |
| Germany | 9 | 2.4 |
| Switzerland | 7 | 1.77 |
| Belgium | 4 | 1.38 |
Collaboration
Top 5 leading collaborators in Veterinary Sciences
Collaborating institutions
Note: Hover over the bars to view details about each institution's Share.
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