Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but everyone still needs a check-up from time to time! The same goes for the animals here at the Zoo, and the Molecular Diagnostics Lab at the Wild Animal Park helps keep the animals in top shape.

Dr. Mark Schrenzel, a Research Veterinary Pathologist, told us all about the lab and how it helps animals both here and around the world. What I found really interesting is that this lab was the first diagnostic lab at a zoo! Today there are many more, but the one at the Park still helps zoos around the world. While I thought that was interesting, getting to help with an actual experiment was even more exciting!

The experiment (pictured) we helped with uses a process called PCR (polymerase chain reaction). What this does is duplicate a section of DNA until there are more than a billion copies of it. That number may seem huge, but it helps the scientists study that region of the DNA. Some people are probably wondering why this is so important. By analyzing the DNA sequence of unknown disease in an animal, the scientists can compare this “DNA footprint” to those of other pathogens.

Even with the possibility of having billions of copies of DNA to work with, everyone in the lab is careful with these samples because not only can some diseases be transmissible to humans, but the substance that makes PCR possible (Taq polymerase) costs around $1000 for one small vial! And you thought your medical bills were expensive!

With supplies being this expensive, it’s easy to see how important it is to support the medical departments of the Zoo, but that’s not all that people can do! Some of the most dangerous diseases are the ones spread by wild animals. So next time that squirrel at the park looks hungry, remember that it is better off finding its own food. Also, if you see a dead animal, don’t just ignore it, call animal control to pick it up or use gloves and a bag to do it yourself, but NEVER pick a dead animal up with your bare hands. While all of that might seem a bit much right now, it really isn’t and it might just be the apple a day that everyone needs.

Madolyn, Real World Team

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