Zoonoses: Aerosol and Repiratory Transmission

Question 1

What bacteria are Category A agents and are considered bioweapons due to their aerosol potential?

Answer 1

Bacillus anthracis, Yersinia pestis, and Francisella tularensis.

Question 2

What animals does Francisella tularensis affect?

Answer 2

Humans, domestic cats, sheep.

Question 3

How do sheep get F. tularensis? How do cats get it? What about people?

Answer 3

Sheep - tick-borne. Cats: eating infected rodents. People -tick borne or through direct contact with animals/carcasses.

Question 4

Where is Yersinia pestis found?

Answer 4

Anywhere in the world where there are European-origin rats.

Question 5

What is the primary cycle of Yersinia pestis?

Answer 5

rodent-flea-rodent. This cycle exposes cats when they eat rodents.

Question 6

How are humans exposed to Yersinia pestis?

Answer 6

via flea bite, aerosol from pneumonic plague cases, or directly from infected animal blood or abscesses.

Question 7

What are some clinical signs of the plague in cats?

Answer 7

Fever, lethargy, anorexia, sepsis, lymphadenopathy in the cervical region.

Question 8

Most veterinary cases of Bacillus anthracis are seen in what animal?

Answer 8

Cattle.

Question 9

How does anthrax typicalyl present when it infects a host?

Answer 9

the spores enter the host, can cause a necrotic eschar at the skin entry point or cause atypical pneumonia if inhaled. The spores germinate, cause sepsis, and then there is massive edema, shock and death due to exotoxins. Death usually follows DIC.

Question 10

What are post mortem signs of anthrax in cattle?

Answer 10

blood not clotted, spores in blood on microscopy, rapid bloating, lack of rigor mortis, blood from orifices.

Question 11

Hantavirus has a reservoir in what animal?

Answer 11

Rodents. Can even infect pet rodents. They are usually asymptomatic.

Question 12

How is Hantavirus primarily transmitted?

Answer 12

inhalation of the virus in urine or feces.

Can have secondary transmission via bite.

Question 13

Which Hantavirus is considered the New World disease?

Answer 13

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome. This is seen in the USA and is fatal in up to 40% of cases.

Question 14

Which is more likely to have fatalities, the New World disease or the Old World disease?

Answer 14

New World. Old World can be fatal in up to 15% of cases, vs. the 40% in new world.

Question 15

What are some fungal pulmonary infections that we are concerned with?

Answer 15

Blastomyces, coccidiodes, Histoplasma, and Cryptococcus.

Question 16

T/F: Humans, dogs, cats, etc. infected with fungal pulmonary infections are infectious.

Answer 16

False. Their body temp is too high for sporulation.

Question 17

What is the reservoir for Coccidioides immitis?

Answer 17

soil.

Question 18

Where does C. immitis amplify?

Answer 18

people, dogs, cats, cattle, horses.

Question 19

Where is Histoplasmosis found?

Answer 19

in soil or buildings with bird feces or bat guano

Question 20

T/F: Histoplasmosis usually has severe symptoms.

Answer 20

false. 90% asymptomatic.

Question 21

Blastomyces dermatitidis is found where?

Answer 21

Soil. associated with bird and bat feces

Question 22

animal to human transmission of influenza is very common for the various strains.

Answer 22

False. Only reported in birds and swine.

Question 23

T/F: Swine can get both human and avian strains of influenza.

Answer 23

True. H1N1 swine virus was the mixing of 2 swine viruses and also contained genes of avian and human origin.

Question 24

Do you treat influenza with antivirals in animals?

Answer 24

No, due to fear of resistance. Tx is generally supportive.

Question 25

If you think you’ve got a case of influenza, what should you do?

Answer 25

contact the state vet, especially if you think you’ve got avian influenza.

Question 26

What causes Q-fever?

Answer 26

Coxiella burnetti

Question 27

What is another name for q-fever?

Answer 27

abattoir fever

Question 28

How is Q fever transmitted?

Answer 28

windborne in dust, exposure to parturient cats, shed in birth products, milk, lower shedding in feces and urine, tick borne (mainly animal to animal)

Question 29

How do you control Q-fever?

Answer 29

immediately seek attention, segregate parturient animals and burn placentas and all other reproductive discharges, proper bio safety procedures, and vaccinate livestock.

Question 30

Which form of Chlamidophilia psitacci is stable in the environment, the infectious elementary body, or the non-infectious reticulate body?

Answer 30

infectious elementary body

Question 31

How do humans get Chlamidophilia?

Answer 31

direct handling of infected bird.