About

Sarah Ho is the CVM Director of Student Engagement at the College of Veterinary Medicine at NC State University. Her role involves fostering a lively campus community that enriches students' academic, personal, and professional growth. She is dedicated to creating a caring, collaborative culture where students study, socialize, and build lifelong friendships alongside faculty and staff who support their success. Her focus includes promoting student achievement and well-being, and she actively engages students in extracurricular activities, study abroad programs, research projects, and community building initiatives.

Research topics

• Cell biology
• Biology
• Genetics
• Cancer research
• Internal medicine
• Microbiology
• Endocrinology
• Biochemistry
• Molecular biology
• Immunology
• Medicine

Selected publications

• Downregulation of a choline transporter gene in equine colitis indicates a role for choline supplementation to support the colonic epithelial barrier

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026-01-01

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Canine urothelial cell model to study intracellular bacterial community development by uropathogenic Escherichia coli

  PLoS ONE · 2025-01-09

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections of both dogs and humans, with most caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). Recurrent UPEC infections are a major concern in the treatment and management of UTIs in both species. In humans, the ability of UPECs to form intracellular bacterial communities (IBCs) within urothelial cells has been implicated in recurrent UTIs. However, the role of IBCs has not been explored in the pathogenesis of canine recurrent UTIs. In this study, we identified IBCs in both urine and bladder tissue from dogs with UPEC associated UTIs. In addition, we showed that UPECs derived from canine UTIs form IBCs within primary canine urothelial cells. As in human UTIs, formation of IBCs by canine UPECs correlated with the presence of the fimH gene as those isolates lacking the fimH gene formed fewer IBCs in canine urothelial cells then those harboring the fimH gene. Additionally, UPEC strains from clinical cases classified as recurrent UTIs had higher rates of IBC formation than UPEC strains from non-recurrent UTIs. These IBCs were tolerant to treatment with enrofloxacin, cefpodoxime and doxycycline at 150, 50 and 50 μg/mL respectively, which are representative of the concentrations achieved in canine urine after standard dosing. This is consistent with the clinical perspective that current UTIs are a common condition of dogs and are difficult to manage through antimicrobial treatment. Additionally, the dog could prove to be a powerful model of IBC formation as they are natural models of UPEC-causing UTIs and have similar pathophysiology of IBC formation.

  PublisherDOI

• A novel kirkovirus may be associated with equine gastrointestinal disease

  Equine Veterinary Journal · 2025-11-14 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Many cases of equine enterocolitis are suspected to be infectious in nature, but no pathogen is identified in many cases. OBJECTIVES: Perform next-generation sequencing on faeces collected from cases of equine enterocolitis for the presence of novel viruses and determine if an identified novel virus is associated with cases of equine enterocolitis. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Next generation sequencing was performed targeting viral genomes from n = 13 pooled faecal samples (n = 5 horses/pool) with enterocolitis. Subsequent qPCR was performed targeting the highly conserved replication-associated segment of the identified kirkovirus genome on n = 218 samples (collected between 2020 and 2025), divided into 3 groups [colitis (n = 87), colic (n = 56) and clinically normal (n = 75)]. Additional qPCR was performed on a subset of cases targeting the less well-conserved open reading frame 3 (ORF3) segment of the kirkovirus genome. In situ hybridisation and electron microscopy on kirkovirus-positive samples were also performed. RESULTS: Next generation sequencing identified a novel kirkovirus in 5/13 pooled samples from enterocolitis cases, including the full genome. There was an association between the novel kirkovirus and enterocolitis, specifically in two farm outbreaks. A retrospective case review of kirkovirus-positive cases suggested a seasonal pattern, with all cases presented in the autumn, winter, and spring. Additionally, there was an association with small colon impactions, with 25% of positive cases having a small colon impaction. MAIN LIMITATIONS: Whether equine kirkovirus is a cause of equine infectious enterocolitis remains unknown. There are limited available tissue samples from positive horses and efforts to definitively identify equine kirkovirus in the gastrointestinal tract tissues have been unsuccessful. CONCLUSIONS: We identified a novel equine kirkovirus that is associated with outbreaks of enterocolitis and small colon impactions. It is rarely identified in clinically normal populations. Further study must be performed to determine if the virus infects equine tissues and/or causes disease.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Equine neutrophils selectively release neutrophil extracellular traps in response to chemical and bacterial agonists

  Frontiers in Veterinary Science · 2025-02-24 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Introduction Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) play a significant role in response to a variety of infectious and inflammatory stimuli in human and veterinary medicine. Although entrapment of bacteria can be an important function of NETs, the exuberant release of DNA and other intracellular molecules has also been negatively implicated in the pathogenesis of different diseases. Thus, NET formation must be tightly controlled and represents an opportunity for therapeutic interventions. Horses are particularly sensitive to bacterial stimuli that have previously been shown to cause NETs in other species, but the species-specific processes that control NET release have not been fully elucidated. Methods The purpose of this study was to compare the magnitude of response of equine neutrophils to different chemical and bacterial stimuli, including phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a calcium ionophore (A23187), Staphylococcus aureus , and Escherichia coli . In addition, we investigated whether ex vivo equine NET formation is controlled by the NADPH-oxidase (NOX) pathway and by autophagy, both of which control NET formation in other species. Results We demonstrated that equine neutrophils produce robust NETs in response to calcium ionophore and E. coli stimuli and produce fewer NETs in response to PMA and S. aureus . Both NOX-dependent and NOX-independent pathways of NET formation were identified in equine neutrophils. Autophagy inhibition altered the mechanics of NET release, by reducing the amount of extracellular DNA stranding. Discussion These results provide insight into equine-specific neutrophil biology, which could be key for managing equine diseases such as asthma and laminitis.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Author response for "A novel kirkovirus may be associated with equine gastrointestinal disease"

  2025-10-07

  peer-reviewSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• A Review of Epithelial Ion Transporters and Their Roles in Equine Infectious Colitis

  Veterinary Sciences · 2024-10-07 · 1 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Equine colitis is a devastating disease with a high mortality rate. Infectious pathogens associated with colitis in the adult horse include Clostridioides difficile, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella spp., Neorickettsia risticii/findlaynesis, and equine coronavirus. Antimicrobial-associated colitis can be associated with the presence of infectious pathogens. Colitis can also be due to non-infectious causes, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug administration, sand ingestion, and infiltrative bowel disease. Current treatments focus on symptomatic treatment (restoring fluid and electrolyte balance, preventing laminitis and sepsis). Intestinal epithelial ion channels are key regulators of electrolyte (especially sodium and chloride) and water movement into the lumen. Dysfunctional ion channels play a key role in the development of diarrhea. Infectious pathogens, including Salmonella spp. and C. difficile, have been shown to regulate ion channels in a variety of ways. In other species, there has been an increased interest in ion channel manipulation as an anti-diarrheal treatment. While targeting ion channels also represents a promising way to manage diarrhea associated with equine colitis, ion channels have not been well studied in the equine colon. This review provides an overview of what is known about colonic ion channels and their known or putative role in specific types of equine colitis due to various pathogens.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A LGR5 reporter pig model closely resembles human intestine for improved study of stem cells in disease

  The FASEB Journal · 2023 · 18 citations

  • Biology
  • Molecular biology
  • Cell biology

  ISCs are reproducibly isolated in LGR5-H2B-GFP pigs and used to model CRC in an organoid platform. The known anatomical and physiologic similarities between pig and human, and those shown by crypt-base FISH, underscore the significance of this novel LGR5-H2B-GFP pig to translational ISC research.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 739 TREATMENT OF CYSTIC FIBROSIS WITH IN VIVO BASE EDITING OF THE INTESTINAL EPITHELIUM

  Gastroenterology · 2023-05-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Prolonged oral antimicrobial administration prevents doxorubicin-induced loss of active intestinal stem cells

  Gut Microbes · 2022-01-11 · 13 citations

  articleOpen access1st author

  Acute intestinal mucositis is a common off-target effect of chemotherapy, leading to co-morbidities such as vomiting, diarrhea, sepsis, and death. We previously demonstrated that the presence of enteric bacteria modulates the extent of jejunal epithelial damage induced by doxorubicin (DXR) in mice. Despite conventional thinking of the crypt as a sterile environment, recent evidence suggests that bacterial signaling influences aISC function. In this study, we labeled aISCs using transgenic Lgr5-driven fluorescence or with immunostaining for OLFM4. We examined the effect of DXR in both germ free (GF) mice and mice depleted of microbiota using an established antimicrobial treatment protocol (AMBx). We found differences in DXR-induced loss of aISCs between GF mice and mice treated with AMBx. aISCs were decreased after DXR in GF mice, whereas AMBx mice retained aISC expression after DXR. Neither group of mice exhibited an inflammatory response to DXR, suggesting the difference in aISC retention was not due to differences in local tissue inflammation. Therefore, we suspected that there was a protective microbial signal present in the AMBx mice that was not present in the GF mice. 16S rRNA sequencing of jejunal luminal contents demonstrated that AMBx altered the fecal and jejunal microbiota. In the jejunal contents, AMBx mice had increased abundance of Ureaplasma and Burkholderia. These results suggest pro-survival signaling from microbiota in AMBx-treated mice to the aISCs, and that this signaling maintains aISCs in the face of chemotherapeutic injury. Manipulation of the enteric microbiota presents a therapeutic target for reducing the severity of chemotherapy-associated mucositis.

  PublisherDOI

• 1131: CRISPR/CAS9 MEDITATED KNOCKOUT OF APC IN COLONOIDS TO GENERATE A PORCINE MODEL OF COLORECTAL CANCER (CRC)

  Gastroenterology · 2022-05-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Christopher M. Dekaney

  15 shared

• Jocsa E. Cortes

  North Carolina State University

  8 shared

• Casey M. Theriot

  North Carolina State University

  6 shared

• Jatin Roper

  Duke University

  5 shared

• Ally N. Freeman

  North Carolina State University

  3 shared

• Liara M. Gonzalez

  North Carolina State University

  3 shared

• Linda C. Samuelson

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  2 shared

• Shengli Ding

  Henan Agricultural University

  2 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Animal Science

  North Carolina State University

  2013

• M.S., Animal Science

  North Carolina State University

  2009

• B.S., Animal Science

  University of California, Davis

  2007