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WILDLIFE DISEASES and HUMANS Robert G University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln The aH ndbook: Prevention and Control of Wildlife Wildlife Damage Management, Internet Center for Damage 11-29-1994 WILDLIFE DISEASES AND HUMANS Robert G. McLean Chief, Vertebrate Ecology Section, Medical Entomology & Ecology Branch, Division of Vector-borne Infectious, Diseases National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado McLean, Robert G., "WILDLIFE DISEASES AND HUMANS" (1994). The Handbook: Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage. Paper 38. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdmhandbook/38 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Wildlife Damage Management, Internet Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in The aH ndbook: Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Robert G. McLean Chief, Vertebrate Ecology Section Medical Entomology & Ecology Branch WILDLIFE DISEASES Division of Vector-borne Infectious Diseases National Center for Infectious Diseases AND HUMANS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Fort Collins, Colorado 80522 INTRODUCTION GENERAL PRECAUTIONS Precautions against acquiring fungal diseases, especially histoplasmosis, Diseases of wildlife can cause signifi- Use extreme caution when approach- should be taken when working in cant illness and death to individual ing or handling a wild animal that high-risk sites that contain contami- animals and can significantly affect looks sick or abnormal to guard nated soil or accumulations of animal wildlife populations. Wildlife species against those diseases contracted feces; for example, under large bird can also serve as natural hosts for cer- directly from wildlife. Procedures for roosts or in buildings or caves contain- tain diseases that affect humans (zoo- basic personal hygiene and cleanliness ing bat colonies. Wear protective noses). The disease agents or parasites of equipment are important for any masks to reduce or prevent the inhala- that cause these zoonotic diseases can activity but become a matter of major tion of fungal spores. be contracted from wildlife directly by health concern when handling animals Protection from vector-borne diseases bites or contamination, or indirectly or their products that could be infected in high-risk areas involves personal through the bite of arthropod vectors with disease agents. Some of the measures such as using mosquito or such as mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and important precautions are: tick repellents, wearing special cloth- mites that have previously fed on an 1. Wear protective clothing, particu- ing, or simply tucking pant cuffs into infected animal. These zoonotic dis- larly disposable rubber or plastic socks to increase the chance of finding eases are primarily diseases acquired gloves, when dissecting or skinning crawling ticks before they attach. Ad- within a specific locality, and second- wild animals. ditional preventive methods include arily, diseases of occupation and avo- checking your clothing and body and cation. Biologists, field assistants, 2. Scrub the work area, knives, other your pets for ticks and removing the hunters, and other individuals who tools, and reusable gloves with soap ticks promptly after returning from in- work directly with wildlife have an in- or detergent followed by disinfec- fested sites. If possible, avoid tick-in- creased risk of acquiring these diseases tion with diluted household bleach. fested areas or locations with intense directly from animal hosts or their ec- 3. Avoid eating and drinking while mosquito activity during the transmis- toparasites. Plague, tularemia, and handling or skinning animals and sion season. Reduce outdoor exposure leptospirosis have been acquired in the wash hands thoroughly when fin- to mosquitoes especially in early handling and skinning of rodents, rab- ished. evening hours to diminish the risk of bits, and carnivores. Humans have infection with mosquito-borne dis- usually acquired diseases like Colo- 4. Safely dispose of carcasses and tis- eases. rado tick fever, Rocky Mountain spot- sues as well as any contaminated ted fever, and Lyme disease because disposable items like plastic gloves. Equally important preventive mea- they have spent time in optimal habi- sures are knowledge of the diseases 5. Cook meat from wild game thor- tats of disease vectors and hosts. present in the general area and the spe- oughly before eating. Therefore, some general precautions cific habitats and times of year that should be taken to reduce risks of 6. Contact a physician if you become present the greatest risk of exposure. exposure and prevent infection. sick following exposure to a wild Knowledge of and recognition of the animal or its ectoparasites. Inform early symptoms of the diseases and the physician of your possible expo- the conditions of exposure are essen- sure to a zoonotic disease. tial in preventing severe illness. Also PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF WILDLIFE DAMAGE — 1994 Cooperative Extension Division Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Nebraska - Lincoln United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Animal Damage Control A-25 Great Plains Agricultural Council Wildlife Committee 9 40 81 4 5 236 5 125 56 982 108 34 336 16 92 11 17 VT-1 17 31 29 NH-4 27 34 55 242 MA-14 25 40 496 RI-0 23 CT-200 56 40 134 110 NJ-960 6 44 DE-190 4 73 244 MD-584 367 7 73 Fig. 1. Reported human cases of wildlife rabies in the United States, 1991. important are medical evaluation and disease. Vaccination of wildlife hosts Australia and Antarctica are free of it. treatment with proper antibiotics. For as a means of reducing zoonotic dis- Most human cases have been con- example, if you become ill following eases is currently being investigated tracted from rabies-infected dogs. In some field activity in a known plague- and may soon be available for diseases the United States, human cases have endemic area and you recognize the like rabies. decreased to an average of one person early symptoms of the disease, seeking per year (75% of cases are acquired medical care and informing the attend- outside the United States). Reduction ing physician of your possible expo- WILDLIFE DISEASES in human rabies is likely linked with sure to plague will aid in the correct OF PUBLIC HEALTH the intensive control of dog rabies treatment of your illness and reduce CONCERN during the 1950s and 1960s through the risk of complications or even massive vaccination campaigns, stray death. Directly Transmitted dog control programs, and improve- ment in human treatment following In addition to taking personal precau- Diseases exposure. Nevertheless, thousands of tions, risk of acquiring vector-borne people in the United States continue to diseases can be reduced in specific receive treatment every year for pos- locations through area-wide applica- Rabies sible exposure to rabies virus by ani- tions of insecticides to control mos- Rabies is an acute disease, caused by a mal bites. Most of the treatments are quito or flea vectors or acaricides to virus (rhabdovirus), that can infect all still due to dog and cat bites; however, control tick vectors. Reduction in host warm-blooded animals, and is usually these pet species have the lowest populations (for example, rodents) and fatal. Certain carnivorous mammals occurrence of reported rabies among their ectoparasites (fleas or ticks) may and bats are the usual animal hosts all animal species tested. be needed to control transmission of (Fig. 1; Table 1). Rabies occurs such diseases as plague or Lyme throughout most of the world; only A-26 Rabies in wildlife increased dramati- that moves (including inanimate for only a few days before clinical cally during the 1960s and now objects), bewilderment, and aimless signs appear. Exceptions occur in a accounts for most of the reported ani- wandering. Unusual barking, crying, few species of bats and in a unique Af- mal rabies cases (91% in 1991). Some of and frothing at the mouth are addi- rican virus strain found in dogs. The the increase in reporting was due to tional signs, which are the result of length of the incubation period (from real increases in the number of cases, paralysis of the throat muscles. Occa- the time the animal is bitten until clini- and some was due to an increased sionally, rabid bats are encountered cal rabies appears) is usually 2 to 3 awareness of wildlife rabies, particu- prostrate or fluttering on the ground, weeks, but varies from 10 days to larly in striped skunks, raccoons, and unable to fly; they should be handled several months. bats. In 1991, 6,975 cases of animal with care because they can still bite Handling of Suspect Animals and rabies were reported in 49 states, the and transmit rabies. Some rabid bats, Diagnosis. Use caution when District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. particularly solitary species like the approaching a suspected rabid animal Raccoons (44.2%), striped skunks hoary bat, are aggressive and have since many are still aggressive and can (29.7%), and various species of bats been known to attack people. In bite even if paralyzed. If the animal is (9.9%) continued to be the major hosts. domestic animals, rabies should be still alive, it should be killed humanely Red and gray foxes (4.6%), other wild- suspected if there is any change in nor- without damaging the head. To con- life species (2.8%), and domestic ani- mal habits, such as sudden change in firm whether an animal is infected mals (8.9%) comprise the remainder of disposition, failure to eat or drink, run- with rabies, the animal must be sub- hosts. During the last 2 years, raccoons ning into objects, or paralysis. mitted to the local health department replaced striped skunks as the major Transmission. Rabies virus is trans- or state diagnostic laboratory for wildlife host in the United States mitted primarily via the saliva during testing.
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