One Health: Zoonotic Diseases and Transmission

One Health

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

Zoonotic Diseases

• Serve as an example of the One Health concept.
• Diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans.
• Viruses, bacteria, prions, parasites, and fungi can cause them.
• An instance of this would be Avian Influenza.

Disease Transmission

• Direct contact occurs through touching an infected animal.
• Indirect contact happens through contact with infected animal's blood, feces, urine, or saliva.
• Vectors, such as mosquitos, transmit diseases from infected to uninfected individuals.

Agent-Host-Environment Epidemiological Triangle

• The host carries diseases.
• The agent causes diseases.
• The environment can incite or spread diseases.

Avian Influenza

• Bird flu is caused by a virus.
• Sub-types primarily adapt to bird species.
• Wildlife connections exist as pigs can be intermediate hosts.

Poultry Connections

• Increased human population density elevates cases.
• Outbreaks occur with increased vegetation productivity and lower elevation.

Avian Flu Management:

• Use PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).
• Masks limit exposure.
• Vaccines prevent spread.
• Limiting contact reduces spread.

One Health Career Opportunities

• Spans opportunities in Environmental Health.
• Also provides opportunities in Ecology.
• Includes opportunities in Public Health.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

• Can be re-emerging diseases.
• May be the same disease with a new strand.
• Antibiotic resistance can result from disease.

Pathogens

• Infectious micro-organisms include viruses, bacterium, and prions.

Human to Dog disease examples

• Toxocara is transferrable between Humans and Dogs.
• Giardia is transferrable between Humans and Dogs.

Mitigation Options

• P.P.E (Personal Protective Equipment) is helpful.
• Vaccinations prevent disease.
• Safety education is important.
• Dewormer can treat parasitic infections.
• Population control is key for some diseases.

Climate Science

• Key points include; it is warming, it is us, we are sure, and we can fix it.

Weather vs Climate

• Climate is measured over long periods, encompassing decades and centuries.
• Weather is measured over short periods, such as days and weeks.

Climate Change

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

What Causes Climate Change

• Internal Forcing Mechanisms (natural changes) like ocean variability and biological activity.
• External Forcing Mechanisms like Solar output, Earth's magnetic field strength, volcanic eruptions, and human influences all contribute to climate change.

Detecting and Measuring Climate Change

• Can be measured by changes to Glaciers.
• Can be measured and detected by Indigenous people.
• Can be detected in Soil profiles.
• Can be measured in Tree rings.

Anthropogenic Global Warming

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

Hockey Stick Graph

• This graph is important to understand.
• It shows temperature over time.
• Time is shown on the the x-axis up until 1760.
• Temperature is on the y-axis.
• Temperatures drastically increase at the same time as increased human activity, specifically the Industrial Revolution.

Greenhouse Gases (GHG's)

• Methane is a GHG.
• Nitrous Oxide is a GHG.
• Carbon Dioxide is a GHG.
• CFC's are GHGs.

Climate Change Notes

• Climate extremes will be the biggest cost with climate change.
• 97% of scientists agree climate change is real.

Climate Change on the Farm

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

Climate Change Mitigation Strategies

• Manure storage/removal is effective, and high efficiency feed can help.
• Increased productivity helps mitigate against climate change, as well as different species.

Effects of Climate Change on Livestock Production

• Benefits are most likely to be short term.
• The storage of manure increases the level of N2O.
• Identifying breeds with inherent genetic capabilities can help adapt to climate change.

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

• A federal government commitment to prevent wildlife extinction and ensure recovery.
• Legal protection of wildlife species is required.

S.A.R.A's Key Tools

• Official recognition is important for animals at risk.
• Habitat protection is also important for survival.
• A Safety net needs to be in place for each animal.
• S.A.R.A also keeps a list of plants and animals that are federally recognized as special concern, threatened, endangered, exterpated, and extinct in Canada.

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

• A committee on the status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
• They assess the national status of species considered at risk in Canada.

Species at Risk - Definitions

• Extinct: A wildlife species that no longer exists on earth, such as a Dodo Bird.
• Extirpated: Species no longer existing in the wild, but occurring elsewhere, allowing a chance of recovery, like a Black-footed Ferret.
• Endangered: Species facing imminent exterpation or extinction, like the Sage Grouse.
• Threatened: Species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.
• Special Concern: Species that may become threatened or endangered because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats, such as Polar Bears.
• Not at Risk: Wildlife species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk of extinction given current circumstances like Elk & Deer.
• Data Deficient: Information is insufficient to assess or permit assessment of extinction risk.

Threats to Species at Risk

• Habitat Loss is the #1 cause (Agriculture).
• Other threats include introduced species, over-exploitation, pollution, and natural disasters.

Operation Burrowing Owl

• A conservation attempt.
• It was performed in 1987.
• Habitat enhancement, conservation easements, and education were successful case studies.

Mitigation Options

• Conservation easements can help protect species.
• Education raises awareness.
• Legislation (S.A.R.A) helps.
• Recovering land assists species.
• Modifying practices positively contributes.

Invasive Species & Agriculture

• Exotic/Introduced Species: introductions occur when a species lives outside its native distributional range.
• Mice & Rats can arrive deliberately or accidentally by human activity.
• Invasive Species: Exotic species that do, or are likely to cause harm to economical, environmental, or human systems.
• Invasive Species are the 2nd biggest threat to biodiversity.
• An example is Leafy Spurge

Invasive Species Impact

• They cause around 2.2 Billion/year agricultural impactS.
• They can spread disease.
• They destroy crops/buildings.
• They compete with native species.
• Destroy pasture land.
• Can harm livestock.

The "Tens Rule"

• 1/10 alien species become established as free-living populations.
• 1/10 of the above 1/10 becomes invasive (1/100).
• This is a rough estimate.

Risk Assessment

• The process of quantitatively and qualitatively determining risk related to a specific threat with the formula, RISK = (magnitude of potential loss) * (probability)

Risk Management

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

Invasive Species Mitigation

• Mitigation can be achieved through risk assesments.
• Also from early detection.
• Quick response is key.
• Pesticides are very effective.
• Herbicides are also effective.

Ecosystem Services

• The beneficial things that nature provides.

Types of Ecosystem Services

• Supporting services are necessary for producing other ecosystem services. (ex water and air)
• Provisioning services provides tangible products from ecosystems. (ex lumber and food)
• Regulating services provide benefits from regulating ecosystem processes. (ex ocean absorbs CO2)
• Cultural services provide non-material benefits like outdoor exercising, spiritual connections.

Payments for Ecosystem Services

• Incentives are provided to livestock producers to provide an ecological benefit.
• These are 'payments to voluntary providers'.
• Promotes ecosystem conservation.

Conservation Reserve Program (C.R.P)

• The world's largest and longest running PES program.
• Originally aimed at preventing erosion.
• Began in 1950'S.

Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS)

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

Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)

• Leading non-profit private land conservation.
• Fee Simple: land that NCC owns (have land title).
• Land management becomes NCC's responsibility.

Conservation Easements

• Landowners voluntarily gives up certain development rights or opportunities on all or parts of the land, ensuring long-term protection of the conservation values in a legal agreement.

NCC - Work focus

• Is focused on natural area conservation plans.
• They use open standards of conservation.
• Each fee simple property has a Property Management Plan (PMP).

PMP (Property Management Plan)

• Used to identify conservation goals and how to achieve those goals, and are renewed every five years.