Unit 1 Notes: Animal Care and Zoonoses

Avoid cleaning litter boxes and eating or handling raw meat because toxoplasmosis can cause miscarriage, premature birth, and blindness in unborn children.
Daily cleaning of the litter box is important, however, because the organism becomes infective after $36\text{-}48\text{ hours}$ .
The conflicting guidance implies risk reduction is complicated: exposure avoidance is advised, but contact with contaminated material also requires hygiene to prevent infection.
Key practical implication: maintain good hygiene, especially for pregnant individuals or those at higher risk.

Ringworm is a fungal infection transmitted by direct contact with an infected person or animal.
In animals, ringworm appears as a round, hairless, scaly patch.
In humans, lesions form a ring of scaly red skin that itches.
Prevention: avoidance of direct contact is best, but the fungus is ubiquitous in the environment; once present, it is very hard to eradicate.
Cats are often asymptomatic carriers of ringworm.
Animals with rashes should be evaluated by a veterinarian immediately to rule out infectious and zoonotic diseases.

Psyducosus is a bacterial disease transmitted by birds. Pet birds and poultry are most often involved in transmission, though all birds can be susceptible.
Infection is by contact with the feces of contaminated birds.
Symptoms include coughing, chest pain, fever, chills, weakness, vomiting, and muscle pain.
Prevention: the best approach is to avoid contact with infected birds.
Prevention strategies: purchase birds from reliable sources, test them, and quarantine new birds to prevent transmission.

Cat scratch fever is caused by Bartonella henselae and is associated with cat scratches and bites.
Symptoms appear $1\text{-}3\text{ weeks}$ after infection.
Infected wounds become swollen and heal slowly.
Lymph nodes may swell and become tender or painful.
This disease is easily treated with antibiotics.

Salmonella bacteria can be transmitted via improper handling of raw meat or dairy, or contact with infected animals.
One argument against feeding a raw diet is the risk of contracting salmonellosis either during preparation of the raw diet or from animals fed the raw diet who become carriers.
Symptoms of salmonellosis include classic food poisoning: vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

Streptococcal infections cause a wide range of diseases, from strep throat and necrotizing fasciitis to pneumonia and bacteremia.
Dogs are described as natural carriers of $S. pyogenes$ , the strain that causes strep throat, necrotizing fasciitis, and other infections; this is described as reverse zoonoses in the text.
Pets can become carriers after their owners infect them.
Prevention includes handwashing and timely treatment for active strep infections to prevent further transmission.

There are more than $14$ tick-borne diseases in the United States, including Anaplasmosis, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Tularemia.
Transmission occurs through the bite of infected ticks, which can be carried into the home on pets.
Prevention centers on avoiding exposure to carrier insects.
Ticks are commonly picked up in grassy or wooded areas.
Tick life stages: adults are usually visible and can be removed; larvae are very small and may go unnoticed.

Daily showers and good personal hygiene help reduce tick exposure and the chance of larvae remaining on the skin.
If a tick attaches:
- Remove with fine-tip tweezers or forceps to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.
- Pull upward with steady, even pressure; avoid squeezing, twisting, or jerking, which can cause mouthparts to break off.
- If mouthparts stay in the skin, remove them with tweezers.
After removal:
- Thoroughly clean the area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
- Dispose of live ticks by submersion in alcohol, sealing in a bag/container, or flushing down the toilet.
- Never crush a tick with your fingers.
Tick-borne illnesses are treatable if caught early; recognizing early signs aids recovery.

Anaplasmosis: presents with fever, headache, chills, and muscle aches within $1\text{-}2\text{ weeks}$ of a tick bite; treated with doxycycline.
Lyme disease:
- One of the most common tick-borne illnesses.
- CDC note: $95\%$ of Lyme disease cases in $2013$ were reported in $14$ states, including Minnesota.
- Typical symptoms: fever, headache, fatigue, and a bull's-eye skin rash (erythema migrans).
- Infection is treated with doxycycline.
- Left untreated, Lyme disease can affect joints, heart, and nervous system.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever: considered rare in Minnesota; few reports annually from patients with no travel history.
- Individuals who work with animals are at higher risk.
- Signs include fever, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, muscle pain, a maculopapular or petechial rash, and low platelet count.
- Treated with doxycycline.

Animals may need to be restrained for examination, sample collection, administration of drugs, and care or therapy.
Restraint can distress animals; prolonged restraint should be avoided.
Sick or injured animals may be frightened or confused; special care may be needed to prevent injury to the animal and the handler.
Cats are nervous in new situations.

Cats:
- In clinic settings, restraint methods include wrapping the cat in a towel or a small blanket (like a burrito).
- A zipper bag can be used to access limbs and the body while restraining.
- Special leather gloves can protect handlers from bites and scratches.
Scruffing:
- Scruffing is the act of grabbing a cat by the loose skin at the back of the neck.
- Mother cats only carry kittens by scruff for the first few weeks; newborn kittens have a reflex where their bodies go limp when picked up by scruff.
- This reflex is lost by adolescence; for cats older than about 12 weeks, scruffing is frightening, stressful, and can cause injury.
- The only time an adult cat is held by the scruff is during mating or when attacked by a predator.
Dogs:
- Dogs can be restrained in a standing or sitting position by placing one arm under the dog's neck with the forearm supporting the head; the other arm wraps around the body to hold the dog close to the handler.
Muzzles:
- Gauze muzzle: made by looping gauze over the dog's nose and mouth, tightened under the chin, wrapped behind the ears, and tied in a bow.
- Basket muzzle: allows panting and drinking; some designs permit drinking.
- Narrow, well-fitting mesh muzzles may look less imposing but can interfere with breathing.

Injuries from dogs and cats are a major public health problem in America.
The CDC reports that most bite victims seek emergency treatment; approximately $885{,}000$ bite victims seek emergency care annually.
Among children, the rate of dog-bite related injuries is highest for those ages years (age not specified in transcript).
Infection prevention and care:
- Many bite victims receive tetanus shots and antibiotics as a routine measure.
- Rabies prophylaxis is considered if mandated by criteria.