Module 2: Impact of Zoonoses
Diseases
Socio-economic losses
1. Low employment/Unemployment,
2. Undermine health and productivity - leading
to low production of food, wool and work
output of animals
3. Limitation to socio-economic development
4. Illiteracy
Public Health
1. Loss of work capacity
2. Loss of earnings
3. Clinical complications
4. Interference with patterns of family life
5. Malnutrition
Animal Health
1. Lower efficiency and yield
2. Limiting the introduction of new breed or
hybrid strains
3. Reproductive abnormalities
4. Immunosuppression
Module 3: Diagnosis and Surveillance of
Zoonoses
RECOGNITION OF ZOONOES
Principles of Zoonoses Recognition
 Symptoms - subjective experience felt by
someone and cannot be identified by others;
subjective evidence of illness that the affected
person can perceive and describe
 Signs/Clinical signs - objective and
observable phenomenon that can be identified
by others
 Syndrome - group of signs/symptoms (e.g.
Guillain-Barre syndrome)
Signs Vs. Symptoms
Principles of Zoonoses Recognition
 Index case - first individual case recognized in
a community or herd with a syndrome of a
certain communicable disease
 Incubation period - the time interval from
exposure to an infectious agent until
signs/symptoms of disease appear
 Latent period - the time interval from
acquiring the infection to the onset of
infectiousness
Incubation Period of Selected Exposures and
Modes of Transmission
 Direct transmission - spread of infection
through intimate contact with an infected
individual (e.g. bite, scratch, spray, urine,
inhalation of droplets from coughing or
sneezing, reproductive discharges)
 Indirect transmission - spread of infection
from a reservoir to contaminated objects,
arthropod vectors (e.g. mosquitoes, flies, ticks,
etc.), and airborne spread (e.g. droplet, dust)
 Horizontal transmission - pathogens or
infectious agents are transmitted among
individuals of the same generation
 Vertical transmission - pathogens or
infectious agents are transmitted from one
generation to the next generation
Limitations of Diagnosis
1. The relative infrequency of some of the
zoonoses in man.
2. The illness may be difficult to differentiate
clinically from more prevalent conditions.
3. Availability of diagnostic techniques
4. Unclear history
Obstacles to overcome in minimizing
problems encountered in diagnosing
zoonoses
1. Poor communication.
2. Poor roads and transport facilities.
3. Lack of schemes for collection and transport
of specimens.
4. Shortcomings in the following areas:
laboratory services, health education.
SURVEILANCE OF ZOONOSES
Zoonotic Disease Surveillance
 Overall activity used to detect a disease in a
particular population, measure its extent,
identify needed interventions, and assess the
impacts (Hugh-Jones, 2000).
 Ongoing systematic and timely gathering,
analysis, interpretation and dissemination of
information about the occurrence, distribution
and determinants of disease transmitted
between humans and animals.
 Disease Monitoring – limited to disease
detection
 Disease Surveillance – complex and always
active
Geriel Quides | DVM 4A | Zoonoses, EIDs, and One Health
Main Functions of Surveillance in Zoonoses
1. Precise and rapid diagnosis
2. Rational use of resources for control and
prevention
3. Immediate treatment
Elements of an Effective Zoonotic Disease
Surveillance System
 An effective zoonotic disease surveillance
system should start from the bottom
 Planned
 Disease surveillance should be conducted
across human and animal populations
 Information dissemination should occur among
the human, animal, and environmental health
sectors.
The Cycle of Surveillance
Executing an Effective Zoonotic Disease
Surveillance System
1. Identification of an epidemic, outbreak,
EIDs, etc.
2. Data gathering
3. Data analysis
4. Information dissemination
Reading Assignment
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/18/12/12-
0664_article
Please include it in your journals
EPIDEMIC/OUTBREAK
 Epidemic - widespread increase on occurrence
of an infectious disease, which exceeds the
expected number of case in a population or
community in a given period of time
 Outbreak - group of cases that may or may
not exceed the expected number of cases
Geriel Quides | DVM 4A | Zoonoses, EIDs, and One Health
Recognition of an Outbreak
1. Clinical observations in animals (e.g. Rabies,
Rift Valley Fever, Encephalitis).
2. Findings in meat inspection or
necropsy/autopsy (e.g. Anthrax and animal
tuberculosis).
3. Serological surveillance (e.g. Brucellosis).
4. Allergic tests (e.g. animal tuberculosis).
Level of Disease
 Endemic level - baseline or expected level of
disease, amount of disease that is typically
present in a community, constant presence and
prevalence of a disease or infectious agent in a
population within a geographic area
 Sporadic disease - occurs infrequently and
irregularly
 Hyperendemic level - persistent high levels
of disease occurrence
 Epidemic – increase (usually sudden) in the
number of cases of diseases greater than the
expected normal levels in a community
 Outbreak - similar definition with epidemic but
is mostly used for a more limited geographic
area
 Cluster - group of cases according to place
and time that are suspected to be greater than
the number expected (even though the number
may not be known)
 Pandemic - epidemic that has spread over
several countries or continents, usually
affecting large number of people; widespread
international occurrence of an epidemic disease
  Risk Assessment - done by evaluating how
infectious agents or toxins is transmitted and its
Outbreak Investigation
pathogenicity/virulence, activities in the
 Activities needed to determine the immediate laboratory, safety equipment and design,
source of the agent and its mode of availability of preventive medical
transmission to the susceptible at risk countermeasures and treatment, and the health
 Essential for implementing an effective control and training of laboratory workers
programs
Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents
 Data gathered are retrospective

Disease Reporting

 A critical requirement in surveillance of

an infectious disease
 Observation of clinical signs/symptoms
by the health professional to the local
health agency
 World Health Organization
 Office International des Epizooties

DIAGNOSIS OF ZOONOSES BSL-1 Pathogens/toxins not known to cause

disease.
Clinical laboratories - assist physicians and Standard Microbiological Practices
veterinarians to have a proper diagnosis (rule out No special equipment or design features
and confirm), treatment and provide prognosis of a needed.
patient BSL-2 Moderate-risk pathogens/toxins.
Design requirements - hand washing
Importance of Laboratory Testing
sink, eye washing stations, automatic
1. Proper diagnosis doors
2. Assessment of the progress of therapy Access to decontaminating equipment
given (e.g. incinerator, autoclave)
BSL-3 Pathogens/toxins transmitted thru air
3. Detection and measuring severity of the
which can cause lethal infections
disease
through inhalation exposure
4. Screening
All experiments are performed in
Hazards in the Laboratory biosafety cabinets
Design - easy decontamination
 Most serious biohazards are zoonotic pathogens controlled or directional air flow,
 1974, National Institute of Health -  ∼600 automatic doors, filtered ventilation
laboratory acquired infections system
Access to decontaminating equipment
(eg incinerator, autoclave)
BSL-4 High-risk pathogens/toxins - high risk of
aerosoltransmitted lab infections, life-
threatening disease, no vaccine or
treatment
Incorporates all BSL-3 features
Occupies safe, isolated areas within a
larger building

Types of BSL-4 Laboratories

Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents
 Cabinet laboratory - designed to prevent
 Biosafety levels - determines the protective
contamination of other spaces
measures required in the laboratory used for
 Suit laboratory - requires full body, air-
protection of workers, the environment and the
supplied PPE: showering before exiting labs full
public
decontamination before leaving
 Biosafety in Biomedical Laboratories
(BMBL) - provides specific measures and
safety and facility requirements (e.g. lab design
features, biocontainment, how to combine
equipment)

Geriel Quides | DVM 4A | Zoonoses, EIDs, and One Health

Specimens and Laboratory Testing

Geriel Quides | DVM 4A | Zoonoses, EIDs, and One Health