Animal health diagnosis

• US 6,287,254 B1
• Filed: 11/02/1999
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: W. Jean Dodds
• Original Assignee: Hemopet
• Inventors: Dodds, W. Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): Nasser, Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Astorino, Michael C
• Application Number:
  US09/432,851
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300-301, 128/897-898, 128/903, 128/904, 128/920-925, 705/2-3, 434/236
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 20/00 ICT specially adapted for functional genomics or proteomics, e.g. genotype-phenotype associations
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 20/20 Allele or variant detection, e.g. single nucleotide polymorphism [SNP] detection
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 50/00 ICT programming tools or database systems specially adapted for bioinformatics
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 50/20 Heterogeneous data integration
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/904 Telephone telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

Laboratory test data are analyzed in relation to the health assessment data of an animal together with the genetic data related to that same animal. These data are relevant to the likely morbidity, likely longevity, and/or the potential risk for disease or disorder for the animal, including temperament, immune stimulation and cellular inflammatory response mediators, markers for neoplastic or paraneoplastic change, inherited organ dysfunction or dysplasia, autoimmune thyroiditis, mammary cancer, immune surveillance markers, and inherited bleeding tendency. A panel of tests relates to at least one of endocrine function, immunologic function, gastrointestinal function and nutritional analysis, inborn errors of metabolism, paternity, DNA fingerprinting, hemostasis and coagulation function, vaccinal antibody status, adverse and potential adverse vaccine reaction, infectious diseases, pathology, blood typing and bone marrow analysis, cell cytotoxicity, cytokine and allergy testing, and markers of neoplastic and paraneoplastic change.

Claims

1. A veterinary diagnostic method of health profiling a selected subject animal to enhance the quality of life or extend the lifespan of the selected animal, the animal being non-livestock, comprising:

a) obtaining the

i) genetic data of the selected animal, the genetic data including at least one of the data relating to genetic mapping, genetic background, or genetic screening related to the selected animal; and

ii) phenotype health assessment data of the selected animal;

b) using a computer program, combining the genetic data and the phenotype health assessment data to determine a relationship between the genetic data and the phenotype health assessment data;

c) selecting from b) at least one of;

i) the data relating to the temperament of the selected animal;

ii) the data relating to the lifespan of the selected animal;

or

iii) a physiologic or genetic marker for autoimmune thyroiditis or thyroid dysfunction of the selected animal; and

d) analyzing the selection of the data of c), the analysis including an evaluation of health, disease or disorder probabilities to thereby enhance the quality of life or extend the lifespan of the selected animal, the selected animal being at least one of a selected animal family, selected animal breed, selected animal grouping, or selected animal species.

2. The method of claim 1, including the steps of communicating between a remote user and a central database processing resource through a computer network, and providing a report of the analysis to the remote user after charging for such report.

3. A method of claim 2, wherein the computer network is the Internet.

4. A method of claim 1 comprising the step of analyzing biological laboratory test data from a bodily fluid or a tissue of the selected animal, such test data being related to a neurotransmitter activity of the animal.

5. The method of claim 4, including obtaining data related to at least one of the value of serotonin, the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GAB), the glutamate, the dopamine, the glycine, the aspartate, the acetylcholine, the norepinephrine, the histamine, the substance P, the vasopressin, the vasoactive intestinal peptide, the neurotensin, or the other neuropeptides of the animal.

6. The method of claim 4, comprising the step of storing the report in a central database processing resource, including permitting a remote user to access the central database processing resource via a communications link, the communications link being a computer network, the access being for obtaining a report from the central database processing resource, the report including the health profile of that animal.

7. The method of claim 1 including obtaining additionally at least one of:

iv) the neurotransmitter data relating to the temperament of the animal;

v) the neurotransmitter data relating to the longevity of the animal;

vi) data assessing the bodily fluid and tissue immune stimulation reaction, neoplastic or paraneoplastic change, or cellular inflammatory response of the animal;

vii) metabolic marker of the animal for inherited organ dysfunction or dysplasia;

viii) data assessing the presence of or susceptibility to mammary cancer of the animal;

ix) data assessing the integrity of immune surveillance mechanisms of the animal;

or

x) data assessing the risk of inherited bleeding disease or disorder of the animal.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the genetic data is cross-related to the phenotypic data.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 including using the combination of data to create a computer driven statistical model for predicting the occurrence of disease, quality of life or a lifespan of an animal.

9. A veterinary diagnostic method of health profiling a selected subject animal to enhance the quality of life or extend the lifespan of the selected animal, the animal being non-livestock, comprising:

a) obtaining the

i) genetic data of the selected animal, the genetic data including at least one of the data relating to genetic mapping, genetic background, or genetic screening related to the selected animal; and

ii) phenotype health assessment data of the selected animal;

b) using a computer program, combining the genetic data and the phenotype health assessment data to determine a relationship between the genetic data and the phenotype health assessment data;

c) selecting from b) at least one of;

i) the data relating to the temperament of the selected animal;

ii) the data relating to the lifespan of the selected animal;

or

iii) a physiologic or genetic marker for autoimmune thyroiditis or thyroid dysfunction of the selected animal; and

d) analyzing the selection of the data of c), the analysis including an evaluation of health, disease or disorder probabilities and the nutrition of the selected animal, the selected animal being at least one of a selected animal family, selected animal breed, selected animal grouping, or selected animal species.

11. A method as claimed in claim 9 including using the combination of data to create a computer driven statistical model for predicting the occurrence of disease, quality of life or a lifespan of an animal and the nutrition of the animal.

12. The method of claim 9, including permitting communication of an access request message from a remote user via a communications link, and the communications link being a computer network, the access request being for obtaining a report of the analysis.

13. A method of claim 12, wherein the computer network is the Internet.

14. A method of claim 9 wherein the genetic data is cross-related to the phenotypic data.