One Health: Zoonotic Diseases & Transmission

Lecture 1: One Health

• One Health acknowledges the interconnectedness of domestic animal health with human and environmental health.
• Global issues are causing increased recognition of One Health.

Zoonotic Diseases

• Zoonotic Diseases are an example of One Health.
• Diseases that can be transmitted between humans and other animals.
• Viruses, bacteria, prions, parasites, and fungi can cause zoonotic diseases.
• An example of a zoonotic disease is Avian influenza.

Disease Transmission

• Direct transmission occurs through contact by touching an infected animal.
• Indirect transmission occurs through contact with blood, feces, urine, or saliva from an infected animal.
• Vectors transmit infection from infected to uninfected individuals through mosquitoes.

Agent-Host-Environment Epidemiological Triangle

• Diseases are caused by agents.
• Hosts carry diseases.
• The environment foments or incites disease.

Avian Influenza

• Avian influenza is bird flu caused by a virus.
• Avian influenza subtypes are primarily adapted to bird species.
• Pigs can act as intermediate hosts in terms of wildlife connections.

Poultry Connections

• Human population density increases poultry connections.
• Vegetation productivity and lower elevation increases outbreaks.

Avian Flu Management

• Use of PPE is key in avian flu management.
• Masks, vaccines, and limited contact are key aspects for management.

Lecture 2: One Health II: Career Opportunities

• Environmental Health, Ecology, and Public Health serve as areas in the field.

Emerging Infectious Disease

• Re-emerging, same disease with a new strand as well as antibiotic resistance from diseases are characterizations of emerging infectious diseases.

Pathogen

• Infectious microorganisms such as a virus, bacterium, or prion are types of pathogens.
• Toxocara and Giardia are examples of human and dog diseases.

Mitigation Options

• PPE, vaccinations, and safety education are mitigation options.
• Dewormer as well as population control are also mitigation options.

Lecture 3: Climate Science

• Climate change is warming, caused by us, is certain, a negative, but solvable.

Weather vs Climate

• Climate is measured over decades and centuries, representing long periods.
• Weather is measured over days and weeks, a short period of time.

What is Climate Change?

• Climate change is a statistically significant change in long-term weather patterns over time.

What Causes Climate Change?

• Internal Forcing Mechanisms, such as natural changes, ocean variability, and biological activity, cause climate change.
• External Forcing Mechanisms, such as solar output, earth's magnetic field strength, volcanic eruptions, and human influences, cause climate change.

How To Detect/Measure Climate Change

• Climate change is detectable and measurable through glaciers, studying indigenous people, soil profiles, and tree rings.

Anthropogenic Global Warming

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

Hockey Stick Graph

• The hockey stick graph shows the temperature in Celsius as a function of year.
• In 1760 the industrial revolution occurred.

Greenhouse Gases (GHG's)

• Methane, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and CFC's are greenhouse gasses.

Notes

• Climate extremes will be the most significant cost regarding climate change.
• 97% of scientists agree climate change is real.

Lecture 4: Climate Change on The Farm

• Livestock production contributes to, changes in and feed production related, is the largest contributor to climate change
• Manure storage/removal, high efficient feed, increased productivity, and different species are mitigation strategies.
• The benefits of climate change impacts on livestock production are most likely short term.
• Manure storage increases N2O.
• Identifying breeds with inherent genetic capabilities to adapt to climate change is important.

Lecture 5: Species at Risk

• The Species at Risk Act (SARA) is a federal commitment to prevent wildlife extinction, ensure recovery, and provide legal protection of wildlife species.

SARA Key Tools

• Official recognition, habitat protection, and safety nets are key tools of SARA.
• SARA maintains a list of all plants and animals federally recognized as special concern, threatened, endangered, extirpated, and extinct in Canada.

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

• C.O.S.E.W.I.C is a committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
• It assesses the national status of species considered at risk in Canada.

Definitions & Examples

• Extinct: A wildlife species that no longer exists on earth, like the Dodo Bird.
• Extirpated: Species no longer existing in the wild, but occurring elsewhere with a chance of recovery, like the Black-footed Ferret.
• Endangered: Species facing imminent extirpation 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/endangered because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats, like 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 insufficient to assess or permit assessment of extinction risk.

Threats to Species at Risk

• Habitat loss is the #1 cause of threats to species at risk.
• Introduced species, over-exploitation, pollution, and natural disasters are also threats to species at risk.

'Operation Burrowing Owl'

• 'Operation Burrowing Owl' was a conservation attempt in 1987.
• It serves as a successful case study in education, habitat enhancement, and conservation easements.

Mitigation Options

• Conservation easements, education, legislation (SARA), recovering land, and modifying practices are mitigation options.

Lecture 6: Invasive Species & Agriculture

• Exotic/Introduced Species: an introduction occurs when a species lives outside of its native distributional range.
• Mice/Rats can arrive deliberately or accidentally by human activity.
• They can be damaging, beneficial, or neither to both humans and ecosystems.
• Invasive Species: Exotic species that do/likely to cause harm to economical, environmental, or human systems
• It is the 2nd greatest threat to biodiversity.
• Leafy Spurge is an example.

Invasive Species Impact

• There are 2.2 Billion/year agricultural impacts.
• Spread disease, destroy crops/buildings, compete with native species, destroy pasture land, and harm livestock are impacts.

"Tens-Rule"

• Approximately 1/10 alien species will become established as free-living populations.
• Approximately 1/10 of the alien species will become invasive species.

Risk Assessment

• Risk assessment is the process of quantitatively and qualitatively determining risk related to a specific threat.
• RISK = (magnitude of potential loss) * (probability)

Risk Management

• Prevention is key to risk management.
• Early detection, rapid response, contain and control, review and report are also important tactics of risk management.

Invasive Species Mitigation

• Risk assessments, early detection, quick response, pesticides, and herbicides are methods of invasive species mitigation.