Table Of ContentAnimals, Diseases,
and Human Health
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Animals, Diseases,
and Human Health
Shaping Our Lives Now
and in the Future
Radford G. Davis,
DVM, MPH, DACVPM, Editor
Copyright 2011 by ABC-CLIO, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmi� ed, in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior
permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Animals, diseases, and human health : shaping our lives now and in the
future / Radford G. Davis, editor.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-313-38529-2 (hardcopy : alk. paper) —
ISBN 978-0-313-38530-8 (eISBN)
1. Zoonoses. 2. Human-animal relationships. 3. Human ecology.
I. Davis, Radford G.
[DNLM: 1. Zoonoses—transmission. 2. Animal Assisted Therapy.
3. Animal Welfare. 4. Bonding, Human-Pet. 5. Communicable
Diseases, Emerging—transmission. 6. Communicable Diseases,
Emerging—veterinary. WC 950]
RA639.A55 2011
614.5'6—dc23 2011026322
ISBN: 978-0-313-38529-2
EISBN: 978-0-313-38530-8
15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5
This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook.
Visit www.abc-clio.com for details.
Praeger
An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC
ABC-CLIO, LLC
130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911
Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911
This book is printed on acid-free paper
Manufactured in the United States of America
Contents
Introduction
vii
Radford G. Davis, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
1. Allergies to Pets
1
A. McKenzie André, MD, MPH, and
Zandra Hollaway André, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
2. Pets in Health-Care Se� ings
13
Louisa J. Castrodale, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
3. Dog Bites and Dangerous Pets
33
Kira A. Christian, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
4. Animal Abuse, Cruelty, Neglect (and the
Connection to Human Violence)
51
Miranda Spindel, DVM, MS, and
Lila Miller, BS, DVM
5. Emerging Diseases
71
Tegwin K. Taylor, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
6. Wildlife Trade, Demand, and Health
99
Kristine M. Smith, DVM, DACZM
7. Immunocompromised, High-Risk Populations and Animals
119
Radford G. Davis, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
vi
Contents
8. Zoonoses of Concern from Dogs
139
Carina Blackmore, MS Vet. Med., PhD, DACVPM
9. Zoonoses of Concern from Cats
161
Ken Thorley, BVSc, MVS, MACVSc
10. Zoonoses of Concern from Small Mammals
181
Jeff rey L. Rhody, DVM
11. Zoonoses of Concern from Pet Birds
201
Niklos Weber, DVM, DABVP (Avian, Canine, Feline)
12. One Health
219
Radford G. Davis, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
13. The Future: Modern Animal Biotechnology
239
Larisa Rudenko, PhD, DABT,
Jeff ery Jones, DVM, PhD, and
Evgenij Evdokimov, PhD
Index
263
About the Editor and Contributors
283
Introduction
Radford G. Davis, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
Why read this book? Because we live in a world where, seen or unseen,
animals impact our lives in countless ways, some for the be� erment of our
physical and mental health, and some that can cause us harm. With 7 bil-
lion people on the planet, we humans have a great eff ect on all living
things, our environment, and ultimately on disease. We share our living
space with livestock, with dogs and cats and other pets, but also with a
great variety of wildlife; therefore, we share diseases too. Today, it is rec-
ognized that the health of animals and the health of people are wedded,
that we cannot have full understanding of a disease, its impact, or its pre-
vention without understanding its epidemiology in animals, in humans,
and what, if any, role the environment has. Of course, what we do to our
environment does impact health, of that there is no doubt. Climate change
is real, and the results will continue to impact each of us, our domestic an-
imals, and wildlife, directly or indirectly, for much of the foreseeable future.
Understanding the diseases of animals that can be transmi� ed to peo-
ple is an important fi rst step in selecting the best pet and also in reducing
the burden of disease in people. But, as you may guess, understanding is
not enough—we must work to address the causes of disease, disease emer-
gence, and disease spread. To do this means that we must address the
drivers of disease—that is, the things that lead to diseases emerging and
becoming a problem. This may mean improving education, reducing
poverty, modifying agricultural practices, changing government policy,
rethinking drug use in the human and veterinary medical fi elds—the list
is indeed long, but worthy of our best eff orts. The One Health concept
recognizes the overlap of animal health, human health, and the environ-
ment and takes a broad look at health and disease and the drivers of each.
viii
Introduction
In some countries, animals become family members, sleep in our beds,
and receive advanced veterinary care. In other countries, animals are more
a source of food, dra� power, currency, and livelihood. We need to con-
cern ourselves with the diseases we can get from animals, but we needn’t
overreact. This book can help you with those concerns. Whether we are
bringing animals into nursing homes for visits, choosing the best pet for
a child, or helping a person with AIDS to understand the real risks of pet
ownership, we shouldn’t lose sight of the tremendous benefi ts animals
have for us, both the physical benefi ts as well as the psychological ones.
From this book you will learn about the diseases you might acquire
from animals and how to prevent them. You will learn why you have al-
lergies to a cat; you will come to understand the link between animal abuse
and human violence; and you will see why some animals are simply too
dangerous to keep as pets. With each chapter you read, you will come
to comprehend how animals and human health are connected.
What of the future? The future holds promise, some mystery, and
some answers into how animals aff ect human health, and vice versa. It is
certain that, no ma� er what, animals will always have some infl uence on
our health and well-being, and even our economy, no ma� er where we
live, what our occupations are, how many animals we own, or what we
eat. With over 9 billion people expected to be living on Earth by 2050,
there is no be� er time than now to broaden our vision and understand-
ing and redouble our eff orts into the relationship between the health of
animals and humans and the environment and fi nd solutions that will
protect the health of all species.
Chapter 1
Allergies to Pets
A. McKenzie André, MD, MPH, and
Zandra Hollaway André, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
INTRODUCTION
Millions of us own pets—dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, ferrets, iguanas, and
the list goes on. People and their pets form unique bonds, so much so that
these animals are o� en considered family members. The human-animal
bond has many diff erent forms of relationships, including companion-
ship, protection, and service. The benefi ts of these relationships have been
well documented in the literature. Unfortunately, so have the disadvan-
tages, namely allergies. Allergies to animals have been recorded for typi-
cal pets, such as dogs and cats and more exotic nontraditional pets such
as chameleons. 1
There are many types of allergies, including indoor, outdoor, skin, and
eye allergies. Many people with allergies usually have more than one type.
Approximately 40 million Americans have indoor and outdoor allergies
as their primary allergy, and of these nearly 10 million suff erers are aller-
gic to dander (material shed from the bodies of animals such as dried skin
or hair), the most common of pet allergies. 2
