Staff profile

Theresa Frankel graduated with a B.V.Sc. from the University of Sydney in l968. She has worked in veterinary practices in Australia and Britain.. While working as a veterinary officer at a zoo in Yorkshire, she developed an interest in nutrition because so little was known about the nutritional requirements of non-domestic animals. She completed a Diploma in Nutrition at Cambridge University in l975, and in l980, was awarded a Ph.D. degree from the same University for a thesis on essential fatty acid deficiency in the domestic cat.

Her main interests are in the prevention of nutritional disorders in animals and in understanding their nutritional needs. She has carried out research on both wild and domestic poultry, determining protein requirements and digestibility activity in Little penguins (Eudyptula minor), protein requirements, digestibility and activity of digestive enzymes in rainbow ( Trichoglossus haematodus) and musk lorikeets (Glossopsitta concinna). She is interested in interactions of nutrition and immunity in Australian native birds because reductions in their habitats will result in reductions in food availability and this can affect both nutrient and immune status. More recently because of high mortality and morbidity rates in hand-reared neonatal dairy calves her research has been focusing on interactions between diet additives and mucosal immunity. She has also carried out research on the effects of Vitamin D deficiency on muscle, the antagonistic interactions of Vitamins A and D in rats, and on niacin and tryptophan metabolism in cats and the consequences of high salt and ammonia concentrations in Australian silver and golden perch.

Research interests

• Nutrition and the development of immunity in hand-reared neonatal calves.
• Nutritional requirements and immunity of Australian wild birds.
• The nutrition of working dogs

Teaching

• AGR2PNU - Principle of nutrition (Coordinator)
• AGR3ANN - Animal nutrition (Coordinator)
• AGR3ANM - Animals and mankind (work experience coordinator)

Publications

- (view a list of recent publications (PDF 71KB)

1. Babatunde BB, Quezada VCM, and Frankel TL (2007) Toll-like receptor expression in the small intestine of hand-reared dairy calves. Proceedings of the 30th Scientific Meeting of the Nutrition Society of Australia Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 16 (Suppl. 3):S112
2. Quezada VCM, Babatunde BB and Frankel TF (2007). Effect of mannan-oligosaccharides on the mucosal immune system of dairy calves. Journal of Dairy Science 90 (Suppl. 1):211 (abstr. 283).
3. Delia D and Frankel TL (2006) The activity of proteolytic enzymes in the rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus) Proceedings of the Sixth Comparative Nutrition Society Symposium 27 31 Keystone Resort and Conference Cen C L Kirk Baer tre, Keystone, Colorado USA August 4 – 9 2006.
4. Delia D and Frankel TL (2005) Protein digestion in rainbow lorikeets Trichoglossus haematodus. 29th Scientific Meeting of the Nutrition Society of Australia 30 Nov – 3 Dec 2005. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 14 Supplement S117.
5. Kuruvilla A and Frankel TL (2003) Heart rate of pet dogs: effects of overweight and exercise Proceedings of the 27th Scientific Meeting of the Nutrition Society of Australia 30 Nov – 3 Dec 2003 Hobart, Tasmania. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 12 (supplement) S51