Role of Veterinarians and One Health in the Fight against Zoonoses

Role of Veterinarians and One Health in the Fight against Zoonoses

Dr Shivika Chouksey

Department of Veterinary Gynaecology & Obstetrics Jabalpur

(PG Scholar)

College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry Jabalpur,

NDVSU Jabalpur M.P-482001

Corresponding author: shivichouksey23@gmail.com, 7024056144

Abstract:

Many of the emerging infectious diseases, including those caused by bioterrorist agents, are zoonoses. Since zoonoses can infect both animals and humans, the medical and veterinary communities should work closely together in clinical, public health, and research settings. In the clinical setting, input from both professions would improve assessments of the risk-benefit ratios of pet ownership, particularly for pet owners who are immunocompromised. In public health, human and animal disease surveillance systems are important in tracking and controlling zoonoses such as avian influenza virus, West Nile virus, and foodborne pathogens. Comparative medicine is the study of disease processes across species, including humans. Physician and veterinarian comparative medicine research teams should be promoted and encouraged to study zoonotic agent-host interactions. These efforts would increase our understanding of how zoonoses expand their host range and would, ultimately, improve prevention and control strategies.

Keywords: One health; Risk factors; Veterinarian; Zoonoses

Introduction:

Zoonosis are diseases that can be transmitted from wild and domestic animals to humans and are public health threats worldwide. Because these diseases come from animals, prevention and control strategies need to be innovative and require the combined efforts of many fields. For example, closer collaborations are needed between veterinarians, physicians, and public health professionals in 3 areas: individual health, population health, and comparative medicine research. In the individual health setting, assessing the potential for zoonotic disease transmission from animals to humans should include input from both physicians and veterinarians, especially for patients at high risk such as those who are immune compromised. In population health, zoonotic disease threats should be addressed through surveillance systems that include domestic and wild animal and human populations, which would help lead to effective control measures.

Individual Health Collaborations:

At the individual health level, zoonotic diseases are a concern for all who live or work with animals. This risk is especially problematic for persons, such as companion animal owners, who are immune compromised. Grant and Olsen found that physicians are generally not comfortable discussing the role of animals in the transmission of zoonoses and would prefer that veterinarians play a role . However, most patients do not view veterinarians as a source of information for human health. The authors found that only 21% of HIV patients asked their veterinarians about the health risks of pet ownership. Zoonotic risks from companion animals are not limited to those living with HIV. One patient who was taking infliximab for longstanding rheumatoid arthritis became infected with Cryptococcus neoformans after cleaning a cockatiel’s cage the week before hospitalization . Human lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection is associated with pet rodents and also causes serious infections in immune compromised persons . These risks extend beyond the pet owners and can involve the recipients of the animal owners’ donated organs. For example, LCMV has been responsible for the deaths of 3 organ transplant recipients who received their organs from donors who had owned infected pet rodents . Exotic or unusual pets can pose a risk to the healthy. Salmonellosis developed in 4 children, 1 mother, and an 80-year-old woman after exposure to small pet turtles . Salmonellosis has also been associated with pet rodents. For example, during the summer of 2004, two young children became seriously ill with salmonellosis shortly after their families purchased pet rodents . The severity of the risk for zoonotic disease as well as the level of understanding by the animal owner in question would need to be considered . For example, the veterinarian may merely advise potentially exposed persons to seek medical attention or may strenuously urge and ensure that the person receives medical attention immediately. However, veterinarians’ roles in assessing risk for potential zoonotic disease transmission could extend beyond this level of involvement. Risk-benefit ratios for ongoing animal exposure could be weighed and discussed by both veterinarians and physicians. The roles in these veterinary-physician relationships would need to be established from the start so that the veterinarians would not be at risk of appearing to practice medicine. For example, veterinarians could provide an assessment of an animal’s health status to a physician whose patient is immune compromised and insists on keeping his or her companion animal. Since companion animal ownership has psychologic and physiologic benefits, this

One Health Status in India:

In the Indian context, the OH approach is strategically gaining importance from all stakeholders such as public health professionals, veterinarians, health-care providers, policy makers, and researchers. While animal-to-human transmission is a major threat in the country with several diseases such as avian flu, rabies, a major growing threat is from bovine tuberculosis which is on the increase. In addition, emerging zoonotic diseases are acquired through wild animals, and the OH approach should look into the wild zoonotic diseases also. The successful implementation of the OH model involves integration and collaboration between multiple sectors of agriculture, animal health, and human health .

Although the OH approach is in an embryonic stage in India, there are many crosscutting policies and regulatory measures that are operating and conducive for further development of the approach. Owing to the public health importance of zoonotic diseases in India, a National Standing Committee on Zoonoses was formed in 2007. The Food Safety and Standard Act, India, stipulates the limits for contaminants, naturally occurring toxic materials, antibiotic residues, pesticides, heavy metals, veterinary drug residues, etc., Government-initiated control programs for zoonotic and highly communicable diseases such as rabies, brucellosis, and food-and-mouth disease are available . The Centre of Zoonosis, National Centre for Disease Control, India, has published a manual for handling zoonotic diseases. Trade policies exist that affect Indian agricultural practices to maintain stringent quality measures according to the international standards. There is “Make in India” initiative which supports the development of medical equipment, drug, vaccines, and technology innovations that can be used to address zoonotic diseases. There are pilot initiatives on the development of protocol for the Database of Zoonotic Disease Research in India.

Transmission modes of zoonotic disease

Zoonotic with domestic and wildlife reservoir represent a large spectrum of transmission modes. The dynamics of zoonotic disease transmission are deeply embedded in the ecology and evolutionary biology of their hosts. Zoonoses comprise interaction between at least three species: one pathogen and two host species, with, people and another animal species acting as the reservoir of the infection. They can be transmitted directly by contact with animals (e.g. rabies, through bite), via contaminated environment (e.g., anthrax) and via food (e.g. campylobacteriosis) or indirectly via vectors, such as mosquitoes or ticks (e.g. West Nile fever and Lyme disease, respectively). Increasing demands for food due to an expanding global population has led to a substantial susceptibility of our population to zoonoses .

Factors influencing zoonoses diseases

Microbial adaptation: Microbes are specially component at adaptation and genetic change under selective pressure for survival and replication. The remarkable adaptation of microbes to become resistant to anti-microbial product is seen in both humans and animals populations and is linked between the two . Transmission of adaptive of genetically changed microorganisms from animals to humans, either directly or indirectly through domestic animals, may occurs in many ways. In this respect an international wildlife trade, often illegal, in which wild animals end up in live-animal markets, restaurants, and farms, is important because such practice increase the proximity between wildlife, domestic animals, and humans .

Over-population: As human populations encroach upon wild habitat, people come into contact with more wild animals and diseases they carry. Ebola and AIDS probably jumped from chimpanzees to humans as populations pressure increased, the consumption of bush meat, exposing people to infected blood and tissue during butchering. Wildlife health is impacted, too, as native species are exposed for the first time to human and domestic animal diseases .

The movement of pathogens, vectors, and animal hosts:

The movement of pathogens, vectors, and animal hosts can influence the occurrence of zoonoses with wildlife reservoir. These movements can, for example, occur through human travel and trade, by natural movement of animals including migratory birds, and by anthropogenic movement of animals. Thus infectious agents can be transported to the farthest land in less time than it takes most diseases to incubate. The movement of infected wild and domestic animal is an important factor in the appearance of rabies in new location. The appearance of West Nile virus infection in New York in 1999, and the subsequent spread within the United States, is an example of introducing and establishment of pathogen that apparently originated in the Middle East .

The role veterinarians in controlling zoonotic disease:

Since zoonoses can infect both animals and humans, the medical and veterinary communities should work closely together in clinical, public health, and research settings. In the clinical setting, input from both professions would improve assessments of the riskbenefit ratios of pet ownership, particularly for pet owners who are immuno compromised. In public health, human and animal disease surveillance systems are important in tracking and controlling zoonoses The bond between humans and animals has been recognized for many years, and pet ownership has been associated with both emotional and health benefits. However, pet ownership may also pose health risks through the zoonotic transmission of infectious diseases, especially, compromised individuals .

Zoonoses are diseases that can be transmitted from wild and domestic animals to humans and are public health threats worldwide. So the implementation of zoonoses control program must rely on multidisciplinary sources for data on epidemiology, socio-economic impact and other fundamental aspects of zoonoses. Closer collaboration is required among health institutions, public authorities, diagnostic facilities, the medical sector and veterinary services. Veterinary public health has been defined as one part of public health action which is committed to the protection and improvement of human health through application of the capabilities, knowledge, and profession as sources of veterinary services . Because these diseases come from animals, prevention and control strategies need to be innovative and require the combined efforts of many fields. For example, closer collaborations are needed between veterinarians, physicians, and public health professionals in 3 areas: individual health, population health, and comparative medicine research .

Conclusion:

Since zoonoses are diseases of animals that can infect humans, veterinarians, physicians, and public health officials need to work more closely together to control, prevent, and understand them. In the individual health setting, collaborative input from both veterinarians and physicians would help assess a patient’s potential zoonotic disease risks from animal exposure. For high-risk immune compromised patients, these collaborative efforts could be tremendously important, not only for their personal well-being but also for their livelihoods.

https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/basics/index.html

Reference:

1. Grant S, Olsen CW Preventing zoonotic diseases in immunocompromised persons: the role of physicians and veterinarians.Emerg Infect Dis. 1999;5:159–63 10.3201/eid0501.990121
2. Shrestha RK, Stoller JK, Honari G, Procop GW, Gordon SM Pneumonia due to Cryptococcus neoformansin a patient receiving infliximab: possible zoonotic transmission from a pet cockatiel. Respir Care. 2004;49:606–8
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Update: interim guidance for minimizing risk for human lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection associated with pet rodents.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2005;54:799–801
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Salmonellosis associated with pet turtles—Wisconsin and Wyoming, 2004.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2005;54:223–6
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella typhimuriumassociated with rodents purchased at retail pet stores—United States, December 2003–October 2004. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2005;54:429–33
6. Tannenbaum J Medical-legal aspects of veterinary public health in private practice.Semin Vet Med Surg (Small Anim). 1991;6:175–85
7. Defra (2003) Zoonoses Report United Kingdom 2001. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, London.
8. Kahn LH (2006) Confronting zoonoses, linking human and veterinary medicine. Emerg Infect Dis 12: 556-561.
9. Kilpatrick AM, Randolph SE (2012) Drivers, dynamics, and control of emerging vector-borne zoonotic diseases. Lancet 380: 1946-1955.
10. Hamburg MA, Lederberg J, Cochair (2003) Microbial threats to health. Institutes of medicine of National Academic. National Academy Press, Washington DC, USA, 53-55
11. Wheelis M (2002) Biological warfare at the 1346 siege of Caffa. Emerg Infect Dis 8: 971-975.
12. Newell DG, Koopmans M, Verhoef L, Duizer E, Aidara-Kane A, et al. (2010) Food-borne diseases – the challenges of 20 years ago still persist while new ones continue to emerge. Int J Food Microbiol 139 Suppl 1: S3-15.
13. Gupta A (2001) Cows, bugs, and drugs: an investigation of sporadic illness due to multi drug resistant Salmonella Newport. NARM presentation. Center for disease control and prevention, Atlanta G.A, USA.
14. Bell D, Roberton S, Hunter PR (2004) Animal origins of SARS coronavirus: possible links with the international trade in small carnivores. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 359: 1107-1114.
15. Rappole JH, Derrickson SR, Hubálek Z (2000) Migratory birds and spread of West Nile virus in the Western Hemisphere. Emerg Infect Dis 6: 319-328.
16. Beck AM, Meyers NM (1996) Health enhancement and companion animal ownership. Annu Rev Public Health 17: 247-257.
17. Bogel K, Griffths RH, Mantavania, Matyas Z (edn) (1990) Guiding principles for Planning, Organization and Management of veterinary public health programs. Veterinary Public Health reports.
18. https://www.pashudhanpraharee.com/role-of-the-veterinarian-and-one-health-in-the-fight-against-zoonoses/

Please follow and like us: