Vector (arthropod) borne diseases Flashcards
Why do wild animals have many parasites but seldom massive death?
Because of normal dispersal and territorialism of host animals
Why can domestic animals be with many parasites and often have massive death?
They are often confined to pasture or pens year after year in high numbers, thus parasite eggs, larvae and cysts become extremely dense in the soil leading to devastating burden of adult parasites within each host
Japanese encephalitis (JE) outbreaks
2 outbreaks in Torres Strait Island–> 5 human cases
- potential establishment of JEV is major public health concern in AUS
Why is quarantine officer stationed permanently on Torres Strait island?
Islands of Torres Strait make a natural passage from papua new guinea to australia. The Torres Strait is a particular focus of quarantine activity bc it presents a possible portal of entrey to australia
Major parasitic threats to australia
- Screw worm fly
- Surra (Trypanosama evansi)
- would be very difficult to control because of their widespread availability of wild, both feral and native, reservoir hosts and for the surra- the ubiquity of the causative agent’s mechanical tabanid vectors
Surra
caused by Trypanosoma evansi. Is a fatal wasting disease in horses and camels but can affect other ruminants, cats and dogs. Australian native marsupials are highly susceptible to ‘surra’
How is surra transmitted?
By biting flies.
