One Health and Zoonotic Diseases

One Health

• Acknowledges the interconnectedness of domestic animal health, human health, and the environment.
• It is gaining recognition due to emerging global issues.

Zoonotic Diseases

• These diseases exemplify the One Health concept.
• Zoonotic diseases are transferable between humans and other animals.
• They are caused by viruses, bacteria, prions, parasites, and fungi.
• Avian influenza is an example.

Disease Transmission

• Direct: contact through touching an infected animal.
• Indirect: contact with blood, feces, urine, or saliva from an infected animal.
• Vector: transmission from infected to uninfected individuals via mosquitoes.

Agent-Host-Environment Epidemiological Triangle

• Host (carries diseases)
• Agent (causes disease)
• Environment (to incite)

Avian Influenza

• Bird flu is caused by a virus.
• Adaptation to bird species is primary across all subtypes.
• Pigs can be intermediate hosts via connections with wildlife.

Poultry Connections

• Human population density correlates with increased connections.
• Outbreaks rise with increased vegetation productivity and lower elevation.

Avian Flu Management

• Use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
• Masks
• Vaccines
• Limited contact

Career Opportunities

• Environmental Health
• Ecology
• Public Health

Emerging Infectious Diseases

• Can be re-emerging (recurring) or new strains of existing diseases.
• Antibiotic resistance development.

Pathogen

• An infectious microorganism such as a virus, bacterium, or prion.

Human Dog Diseases

• Toxocara
• Giardia

Mitigation Options

• Use of PPE
• Vaccinations
• Education on safety
• Dewormer
• Population control

Climate Science

• Key points include: it is getting warmer, it's caused by us, we are sure of this, it is bad, and we can fix it.

Weather vs Climate

• Climate: measured over long time periods, such as decades or centuries.
• Weather: measured over short time periods, such as days or weeks.

Climate Change

• A statistically significant change in long-term weather patterns over time.

Causes of Climate Change

• Internal Forcing Mechanisms (natural changes), including ocean variability and biological activity.
• External Forcing Mechanisms including solar output, Earth’s magnetic field strength, volcanic eruptions, and human influences.

Detecting/Measuring Climate Change

• Glaciers
• Indigenous people
• Soil profiles
• Tree rings

Anthropogenic Global Warming

• Climate change is directly caused by human activity.
• It began in the late 19th century.

Hockey Stick Graph

• A graph demonstrating the departure in temperature.
• Shows a drastic change at the same time as increased human activity
• Time 1760 with industrial revolution

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)

• Methane
• Nitrous oxide
• Carbon dioxide
• CFCs

Climate Extremes

• These will be the biggest cost related to climate change.
• 97% of scientists agree climate change is real.

Livestock and Climate Change

• Livestock production contributes to climate change.
• Changes in climate have impacted livestock.
• Feed production is the largest contributor.

Mitigation Strategies

• Improve manure storage/removal,
• Use high-efficiency feed
• Increase productivity
• Choose different species.

Climate change Impacts on Livestock Production

• Benefits are most likely short term
• Example, manure storage increases N2O.
• Breeds with inherent genetic capabilities to adapt to climate change should be identified.

Species at Risk Act (S.A.R.A.)

• A federal government commitment to prevent wildlife extinction and ensure recovery through legal protection of wildlife species.

S.A.R.A Key Tools

• Official recognition
• Habitat protection
• Safety net

S.A.R.A.

• It maintains a list of plant and animal species federally recognized in Canada as special concern, threatened, endangered, extirpated and extinct.

C.O.S.E.W.I.C.

• A committee for wildlife in Canada.
• They assess the national status of endangered wildlife in Canada

Definitions and Examples

• Extinct: a wildlife species that no longer exists on Earth; e.g., Dodo Bird.
• Extirpated: species no longer existing in the wild, but somewhere else with change of recovery; e.g., Black-footed Ferret.
• Endangered: species facing imminent extirpation or extinction; e.g., Sage Grouse.
• Threatened: species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.
• Special Concern: species that may become threatened/endangered because of identified threats and biological characteristics; e.g., Polar Bears.
• Not at Risk: wildlife species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk of extinction; e.g., Elk, Deer.
• Data Deficient: insufficient information to assess or permit assessment of extinction risk.

Threats to Species at Risk

• Habitat loss is the primary cause linked to agriculture.
• Introduced species.
• Over-exploitation.
• Pollution.
• Natural disasters.

Operation Burrowing Owl

• A conservation attempt.
• Occurred in 1987
• A successful case study.
• Conservation easements like wildlife education and habitat are enhancement components.

Mitigation Options

• Conservation easements
• Education
• Legislation (S.A.R.A.)
• Recovering land
• Modifying practices

Exotic/Introduced Species

• Introduction occurs when a species lives outside its native distributional range and arrives deliberately or accidentally by human activity like Mice/Rats.
• It can be damaging, beneficial, or neither to both humans and ecosystems.

Invasive Species

• Exotic species that do or likely cause harm to economical, environmental, or human systems.
• The second greatest threat to biodiversity; e.g., Leafy Spurge.

Invasive Species Impact

• Estimated at $2.2 billion/year in agricultural impacts.
• They can spread diseases, destroy crops/buildings, compete with native species, destroy pasture land, and harm livestock.

Tens Rule

• 1/10 alien species will become established as free-living populations.
• 1/10 of the above 1/100 will become invasive and it is a rough estimate.

Risk Assessment

• Process of both determining risk relating to a specific threat
• RISK = (magnitude of potential loss) * (probability).

Risk Management

• Prevention
• Early detection (very critical)
• Rapid response
• Contain and control
• Review and report

Invasive Species Mitigation

• Risk assessments
• Early detection
• Quick response
• Pesticides
• Herbicides

Ecosystem Services

• The good things that nature does.

Types of Ecosystem Services

• Supporting services are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services, e.g., water and air.
• Provisioning services are products obtained from ecosystems, e.g., lumber and food.
• Regulating services are benefits obtained from regulating ecosystem processes, e.g., ocean absorbs CO2.
• Cultural services are non-material benefits that people obtain from ecosystems, e.g., outdoor exercising and spiritual connections.

Payments for Ecosystem Services

• These are incentives that are provided for the ecosystem.
• Incentives provided to livestock producers to provide an ecological benefit.
• Payments to voluntary providers
• Promotes ecosystem conservation.

Conservation Reserve Program (C.R.P.)

• It is the world's largest and longest running program.
• Originally aimed at preventing erosion.
• Started in the 1950s

Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS)

• Principles include: community developed, farmer-delivered, targeted, market-driven, voluntary, integrated, accountable, and science-based.
• ALUS pays farmers to retain and reconstruct natural areas and is funded by provincial & federal governments.

Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)

• Leading non-profit private land conservation.

Fee Simple

• Land that NCC owns with land titles.
• Land management becomes NCC's responsibility.

Conservation Easements

• When landowners voluntarily give up certain development rights or opportunities on all or part of the land, ensuring long-term protection of the conservation values.
• Is a legal agreement

NCC - How Work is Focused

• Natural Area Conservation Plans
• Open Standards for Conservation
• Each fee Simple property has a Property Management Plan (PMP).

PMP's

• Identify conservation goal and how to achieve those goals.
• They are renewed every five years.

One Health Definition

• Recognizes that the health of domestic animals is also connected to the health of humans & the environment

Zoonotic Definition

• Disease that can be transferred to humans and other animals, examples are elephant tuberculosis and avian influenza

EPI Triangle

• Host, carry diseas
• Agent, cause disease
• Environment, to incite

Human Dog Diseases

• Toxocard
• Giardia

Key Points of Climate Change

• It is warming, it is us, we are sure, it is bad, we can fix it

Climate Change Definition

• Statistically significant change in long-term weather patterns over time

Hockey Stick Graph

• Shows drastic change at the same time of increased human activity

Livestock Mitigation Strategies

• Increase productivity
• Genetic selection

Impact of Livestock on Climate Change

• Land degredation
• Deforestation

Species at Risk Act (S.A.R.A.)

• Provides legal protection of wildlife species

Safety Net

• List
  • Official recognition
  • Habitat protection
  • Categories and examples