宠物重要人兽共患病毒病

随着人们生活水平的不断提高,城市家庭饲养宠物日益增多,宠物已经成为人们日常生活中接触最多的动物。然而,许多宠物是人兽共患疾病的重要传染源,随着人类与各种动物间＂零＂距离的接触,各种宠物携带的人兽共患病也悄然传入人类,给人们身体健康和公共卫生安全带来了严重的威胁。近年来,许多学者对犬、猫、鸟、鼠和其他宠物易感的人兽共患病毒病开展了许多研究工作,本文对狂犬病、戊型肝炎、禽流感、淋巴细胞脉络膜脑膜炎、流行性出血热、西尼罗热等一些严重危害的宠物人兽共患病毒病进行了概述。     

宠物收容管理研究

由于我国宠物收容管理法规和措施缺乏,导致宠物管理不到位,导致流浪动物犬和猫咬伤人,传播人兽共患病,形成社会矛盾,有损于政府形象。本文研究美国等发达国家宠物收容管理,以提高我国宠物收容管理水平,探讨建立新的宠物管理办法与措施,减少流浪动物,防止人兽共患病的发生,使人和宠物和谐共处。     

宠物对人类健康的潜在威胁

宠物是多种人兽共患病病原的宿主和传播媒介,由于传统宠物、另类宠物和进口宠物的增多,宠物来源的感染性疾病有了高发的趋势。本文总结了狗、猫、啮齿类、鸟类、鱼和爬行类宠物可能带有的人兽共患病病原,引发的疾病和传播途径。并概括了防控宠物源性感染性疾病的防控措施。     

我国人与犬、猫共患病防控存在的主要问题与对策建议

随着社会经济的发展、城市化进程的加速及人们生活水平的不断提高,越来越多的宠物走进了人们的家庭,在人类社会生活中发挥了积极作用。但同时,宠物也是人兽共患病的重要传染源和传播媒介。与人类关系最为密切的犬、猫在人兽共患病的防控中具有重要的意义。在已报道的200多种主要的人兽共患病中,与宠物犬、猫有直接或间接关系的有70余种。随着宠物犬猫数量的大幅攀升和宠物业的飞速发展,我国人与犬猫共患病可能会出现逐步高发的趋势,疫病防控工作面临着许多问题。为了完善宠物管理制度,建立有效的防疫监督体系,对人与犬猫共患病实行有效的防控,本文就完善法律法规、形成综合管理机制,加强卫生监督、强化无害化处理、培养专业人才以及广泛开展宣传教育等6个方面提出了相关建议。     

宠物重要人兽共患细菌病流行现状及其控制策略

随着我国社会经济发展和城市化进程的加速,宠物数量日益增多,宠物人兽共患病发病率日渐增高,本文对我国宠物重要人兽共患细菌病流行状况、原因进行了阐述,并提出了防控对策。     

宠物与人类健康的关系

随着人们生活水平的逐渐提高,饲养宠物的家庭在中国越来越多。饲养宠物能改善心血管功能,增强机体免疫力,发出健康预警,增强自信和减少抑郁。但是不科学的饲养宠物也会给人类的健康带来挑战,近年发生的＂非典＂和高致病性禽流感引起了我们对生物安全和人兽共患病的高度重视。只要科学饲养,就可以创造人与动物和谐的幸福生活。     

感染人类的宠物螨病

螨病是一种由螨虫引起的非季节性、瘙痒性宠物皮肤病。此病可以发生于多种哺乳动物,尤其是家养宠物,偶尔会传染给与之接触的人类,并引起瘙痒和自限性皮炎。犬猫做为人类最主要的宠物,其皮肤可以藏匿几种螨虫,主要包括犬疥螨、猫背肛螨和姬螯螨,这些螨虫都是具有引发人兽共患病的潜在能力。与宠物密切接触的人一旦出现可疑皮肤病应该警惕螨病的存在。犬猫螨病的诊断应该基于直接发现螨虫,分析其形态和获取动物宿主临床症状。了解这些螨病的发病特点并做好适当预防是控制此类人兽共患病的关键。     

宠物重要人兽共患寄生虫病

随着宠物饲养的盛行,与宠物相关的人兽共患寄生虫病愈加得到高度重视。为了避免和减少人兽共患寄生虫病的流行,本文就几种重要的宠物人兽共患寄生虫病的流行情况、诊断及防治等作一介绍,以期提高认识,防患未然。     

宠物结核病的危害及其防治

随着生活水平的提高,宠物的数量和种类增长迅速。结核病是目前病死人数最多的人兽共患病,犬、猫和鸟类都能感染发病,对人类,尤其是免疫抑制人群威胁很大。监测和防治宠物结核病对人类结核根除计划具有重要意义。     

宠物重要疫病免疫与监测

宠物疫病特别是人兽共患病严重危害着宠物健康和公共卫生安全。通过对我国宠物疫苗研发和应用现状进行分析,提出关于开展疫苗质量监控技术和免疫抗体检测技术研究,以建立宠物疫苗质量监控体系和免疫抗体监测体系的建议。免疫试纸快速检测技术是一种敏感、快捷的一步法检测技术,适用于多种分析物的快速、低成本即时检测。本实验室建立了抗原、抗体和半抗原3类靶标物的免疫试纸快速检测技术体系,研制成功动物疫病抗原、抗体快速检测试纸系列产品,真正实现了长期以来人们在检测技术领域所追求的＂特异、敏感、快速、简便＂的目标,为实现动物疫病快速诊断和实时监测提供技术支撑。     

Birds and zoonoses

Birds may harbour many organisms, some of which can be transmitted to humans (zoonoses) and domestic livestock. Certain zoonoses are of considerable importance and their control may necessitate changes in management of bird populations. If problems relating to zoonoses are to be effectively tackled there is a need for closer collaboration between ornithologists and those concerned with public health, more research on avian diseases and the collation of relevant data.     

A Quantitative Approach to the Prioritization of Zoonotic Diseases in North America: A Health Professionals’ Perspective

Background

Currently, zoonoses account for 58% to 61% of all communicable diseases causing illness in humans globally and up to 75% of emerging human pathogens. Although the impact of zoonoses on animal health and public health in North America is significant, there has been no published research involving health professionals on the prioritization of zoonoses in this region.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We used conjoint analysis (CA), a well-established quantitative method in market research, to identify the relative importance of 21 key characteristics of zoonotic diseases for their prioritization in Canada and the US. Relative importance weights from the CA were used to develop a point-scoring system to derive a recommended list of zoonoses for prioritization in Canada and the US. Study participants with a background in epidemiology, public health, medical sciences, veterinary sciences and infectious disease research were recruited to complete the online survey (707 from Canada and 764 from the US). Hierarchical Bayes models were fitted to the survey data to derive CA-weighted scores for disease criteria. Scores were applied to 62 zoonotic diseases to rank diseases in order of priority.

Conclusions/Significance

We present the first zoonoses prioritization exercise involving health professionals in North America. Our previous study indicated individuals with no prior knowledge in infectious diseases were capable of producing meaningful results with acceptable model fits (79.4%). This study suggests health professionals with some knowledge in infectious diseases were capable of producing meaningful results with better-fitted models than the general public (83.7% and 84.2%). Despite more similarities in demographics and model fit between the combined public and combined professional groups, there was more uniformity across priority lists between the Canadian public and Canadian professionals and between the US public and US professionals. Our study suggests that CA can be used as a potential tool for the prioritization of zoonoses.     

A global view on fungal infections in humans and animals: infections caused by dimorphic fungi and dermatophytoses

Fungal infections are still underappreciated and their prevalence is underestimated, which renders them a serious public health problem. Realistic discussions about their distribution, symptoms, and control can improve management and diagnosis and contribute to refinement of preventive actions using currently available tools. This article represents an overview of dermatophytes and endemic fungi that cause infections in humans and animals. In addition, the impact of climate change on the fungal spread is discussed. The endemic fungal infections characterized in this article include coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, blastomycosis, lobomycosis, emergomycosis and sporotrichosis. Moreover the geographic distribution of these fungi, which are known to be climate sensitive and/or limited to endemic tropical and subtropical areas, is highlighted. In turn, dermatophytes cause superficial fungal infections of skin, hairs and nails, which are the most prevalent mycoses worldwide with a high economic burden. Therefore, the possibility of causing zoonoses and reverse zoonoses by dermatophytes is highly important. In conclusion, the article illustrates the current issues of the epidemiology and distribution of fungal diseases, emphasizing the lack of public programmes for prevention and control of these types of infection.     

Food-borne parasitic zoonoses in China: perspective for control

Food-borne parasitic zoonoses (FBPZs) cause death and serious diseases in humans and animals worldwide, and are of both public health significance and socioeconomic importance. The FBPZ problem is severe in mainland China, where approximately 150 million people are suffering from FBPZs and more people are at risk. Here, the current status of the FBPZ problem in mainland China is reviewed and strategies and measures for effective control of FBPZs are proposed. Major parasitic zoonoses transmitted through consumption of infected or contaminated meat, fish, plants and/or water will be discussed.     

Canine gastrointestinal parasitic zoonoses in India

Although well recognized and studied in developed countries, canine parasitic zoonoses pose a lowly prioritized public health problem in developing countries such as India, where conditions are conducive for transmission. A study of the most recent parasite survey determining prevalence and epidemiology of canine parasitic zoonoses among tea-growing communities of northeast India demonstrated the endemicity of the problem. This particular study serves as a model using conventional, as well as molecular parasitological, tools to provide novel insights into the role of dogs as mechanical transmitters of human parasites such as Ascaris and Trichuris, and discusses the risks dogs pose with regards to zoonotic transmission of hookworms and Giardia.     

Zoonoses

The numbers of microbial species that can infect human beings are shown to be 1415, of which 868 species (61%) are zoonotic. Since most of the emerging pathogens (75%) are originated from other animals, public health sectors should be vigilant against the emergence of new zoonotic diseases. Only 33% of zoonoses can spread from human to human after introduction into human population. Various factors such as human demography, ecological change, global transportation and climate change are responsible for the emergence of zoonoses. Even a slight change in the ecological niche where pathogenic organisms thrive would result in the increase of the incidence of the disease.     

Trichinellosis: the zoonosis that won't go quietly

Trichinellosis, is normally not included among those regarded as emerging zoonoses because it has been a public health threat for more than 150 years. However, its dramatic re-emergence in many areas around the world over the past 10-20 years, inspite of a century of veterinary public health efforts to control and eradicate it, justifies it being included in this group. The reasons for this re-emergence are diverse, and include human pertubation and manipulation of ecosystems, war and political turmoil, rapidly changing food distribution and marketing systems, and even, surprisingly, rising affluence in developing countries. These influences, and their impact on the epidemiology of both domestic and sylvatic trichinellosis, are discussed, along with recommendations for confronting this altered status as a public health threat.     

Human–Wildlife Interactions Predict Febrile Illness in Park Landscapes of Western Uganda

Fevers of unknown origin complicate treatment and prevention of infectious diseases and are a global health burden. We examined risk factors of self-reported fever—categorized as “malarial” and “nonmalarial”—in households adjacent to national parks across the Ugandan Albertine Rift, a biodiversity and emerging infectious disease hotspot. Statistical models fitted to these data suggest that perceived nonmalarial fevers of unknown origin were associated with more frequent direct contact with wildlife and with increased distance from parks where wildlife habitat is limited to small forest fragments. Perceived malarial fevers were associated with close proximity to parks but were not associated with direct wildlife contact. Self-reported fevers of any kind were not associated with livestock ownership. These results suggest a hypothesis that nonmalarial fevers in this area are associated with wildlife contact, and further investigation of zoonoses from wildlife is warranted. More generally, our findings of land use–disease relationships aid in hypothesis development for future research in this social-ecological system where emerging infectious diseases specifically, and rural public health provisioning generally, are important issues.     

A Quantitative and Novel Approach to the Prioritization of Zoonotic Diseases in North America: A Public Perspective

Background

Zoonoses account for over half of all communicable diseases causing illness in humans. As there are limited resources available for the control and prevention of zoonotic diseases, a framework for their prioritization is necessary to ensure resources are directed into those of highest importance. Although zoonotic outbreaks are a significant burden of disease in North America, the systematic prioritization of zoonoses in this region has not been previously evaluated.

Methodology/Principal Findings

This study describes the novel use of a well-established quantitative method, conjoint analysis (CA), to identify the relative importance of 21 key characteristics of zoonotic diseases that can be used for their prioritization in Canada and the US. Relative importance weights from the CA were used to develop a point-scoring system to derive a recommended list of zoonoses for prioritization in Canada and the US. Over 1,500 participants from the general public were recruited to complete the online survey (761 from Canada and 778 from the US). Hierarchical Bayes models were fitted to the survey data to derive CA-weighted scores. Scores were applied to 62 zoonotic diseases of public health importance in Canada and the US to rank diseases in order of priority.

Conclusions/Significance

This was the first study to describe a systematic and quantitative approach to the prioritization of zoonoses in North America involving public participants. We found individuals with no prior knowledge or experience in prioritizing zoonoses were capable of producing meaningful results using CA as a novel quantitative approach to prioritization. More similarities than differences were observed between countries suggesting general agreement in disease prioritization between Canadians and Americans. We demonstrate CA as a potential tool for the prioritization of zoonoses; other prioritization exercises may also consider this approach.     

A meta‐analysis suggesting that the relationship between biodiversity and risk of zoonotic pathogen transmission is idiosyncratic

Zoonotic pathogens are significant burdens on global public health. Because they are transmitted to humans from non‐human animals, the transmission dynamics of zoonoses are necessarily influenced by the ecology of their animal hosts and vectors. The ‘dilution effect’ proposes that increased species diversity reduces disease risk, suggesting that conservation and public health initiatives can work synergistically to improve human health and wildlife biodiversity. However, the meta‐analysis that we present here indicates a weak and highly heterogeneous relationship between host biodiversity and disease. Our results suggest that disease risk is more likely a local phenomenon that relies on the specific composition of reservoir hosts and vectors, and their ecology, rather than patterns of species biodiversity.