11. Veterinary public health

Question 1

What are zoonoses?

Answer 1

Diseases that are naturally transmitted between vertebrates animals and humans
- maybe have more than one animal reservoir and transmission pathway

Question 2

What is the most common zoonotic disease in Europe?

Answer 2

Campylobacterosis and is transmitted through poultry meat consumption

Question 3

What are emerging zoonoses?

Answer 3

New agents (Avian Influenza Strains) 
Some may have pandemic potential (SARS-CoV2) - need to be able to jump the interspecies barrier

Question 4

What are endemic zoonoses ?

Answer 4

Constantly present in a certain population
Have a higher impact in low and middle income countries
- people live in close contact with animals
- increased morbidity + mortality in human & animals populations than in high income countries
- affects livelihoods of small scale farmers & local communities

Question 5

What are neglected zoonotic disease (NZDs)?

Answer 5

• affect mostly poor and underserved populations
• under-diagnosed and under-reported
• usually do not spread globally
• cause major health burden + economic loss in human & animal populations
• if feasible can be controlled in a cost effective manner

Question 6

What is rabies?

Answer 6

Lyssauirus (Rhabdoviridae)

• Canidae/bats
• Vaccine-preventable disease
• 70% dogs
• prophylaxis post exposure

Question 7

How is rabies controlled?

Answer 7

Mass Vaccination 
Dog population =
control - spay campaigns
- Survellance programmes 
- link control activities with those in human populations

Question 8

What is Brucellosis?

Answer 8

Bacterial agent - Brucella spp.
High mobidity - children & elderly
B.abortus is notifiable in animals
- risk for pregnant women

Question 9

What are notifiable diseases?

Answer 9

Are those where the statutory requirement to report a suspicion of a clinical case of disease

Question 10

What are reportable diseases (in humans)?

Answer 10

Include those where:

• there is a statutory requirement to report laboratory confirmed isolation of Salmonella and Brucella and of Echinococcus multilocularis
• important concepts for disease surveillance and disease prevention and control interventions

Question 11

What are some zoonoses in sheep?

Answer 11

Toxoplasmosis 
Contagious pustular dermatitis
Abortion in ewes (EAE)
Cryptosporidiosis 
Q fever 
Ringworm

Question 12

What is toxoplasmosis?

Answer 12

Unicellular protozoa
Def host: cat
Only 10-20% cases are symptomatic
Lack of prevalence data in UK livestock

Question 13

What is enzootic abortion in ewes or EAE?

Answer 13

Late pregnancy, last 3 weeks

In 2012 identified as a cause of abortion in 34% of sheep/goat

Question 14

How is EAE transmitted?

Answer 14

Contact with abortion material
Inhalation of dust
Bacteria survives in contaminated environment

Question 15

What is Q-fever?

Answer 15

Coxiella burnetti (gram-negative bacteria)
Linked to outbreaks of abortion in small ruminants 
In humans: atypical pneumonia, abortion, death

Question 16

How is Q-fever transmitted?

Answer 16

Wind spread (poor management/disposal of abortion materials or manure)
Direct contact with animals and their fluids

Question 17

What is cryptosporidiosis?

Answer 17

Protozoan parasite
Not host-specific
Transmission faecal-oral route
Symptoms in animals, diarrhoea in lambs and calves
Symptoms in humans, diarrhoea and severe cramps, specifically young children

Question 18

What is contagious pustular dermatitis?

Answer 18

Parapoxvirus
Highly contagious
Most commonly seen after lambing, with most infections resolving after a few weeks
- blisters, pustules, scabs

Question 19

What is ringworm?

Answer 19

Fungal infection, trichophyton verrucosum
clearly demarcated areas of hair loss (1-10cm2) with a dark crust
Not life threatening, localised lesions that may spread across the body

Question 20

What are latent zoonoses/

Answer 20

Animals can be asymptomatic carriers - may shed pathogens in their faeces intermittently

• salmonella spp. pigs, poultry, sheep, cattle
• campylobacter spp. pigs, cattle, poultry
• e.coli 0157 in cattle, sheep
• crytosporidium spp. (protozoa) in cattle and sheep

Question 21

How to calculate risk for contracting a zoonotic disease?

Answer 21

Risk = probability of occurance x consequences

• probability of occurance = prevalence of zoonotic pathogens in sheep and humans, transmission pathways
• consequences = clinical disease, severe consequences creates high risk even if prevalence is rare

Question 22

Which animals are highest risk for transmitting a zoonosis?

Answer 22

Sheep that have aborted/abortion materials
Young animals (calves, lambs) with diarrhoea
Sheep with skin lesions
Faecal material