Zoonotic Disease Prevention Flashcards
7 cards from real AAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Zoonotic Disease Prevention flashcards as text
A therapy dog program requires annual health screenings. Which test is specifically recommended to detect Giardia, a common zoonotic intestinal parasite in dogs?
Answer: Fecal antigen test or direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) assay
Giardia is best detected through fecal antigen tests or DFA assay, as standard fecal flotation may miss Giardia cysts.
Ringworm (dermatophytosis) is a fungal zoonosis. Which AAT setting poses the greatest transmission risk to clients?
Answer: Outdoor equine-assisted therapy with adolescents
Equine-assisted therapy involves close, prolonged physical contact with horses, which can carry Trichophyton equinum, increasing ringworm transmission risk.
What does the term 'fomite' mean in the context of zoonotic disease transmission during AAT?
Answer: An inanimate object that can harbor and transfer infectious agents
Fomites are inanimate objects such as leashes, harnesses, or furniture that can carry pathogens and facilitate indirect zoonotic transmission.
Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) is most associated with which animals commonly used in farm animal-assisted therapy?
Answer: Goats, sheep, and cattle
Goats, sheep, and cattle are the primary reservoirs of Coxiella burnetii, particularly during parturition when high concentrations are shed in birth fluids.
An AAT handler is selecting appropriate PPE for a session involving a therapy dog in a wound care unit. Which combination is MOST appropriate?
Answer: Gloves and a clean facility gown or smock, changed between patients
Gloves and a clean outer layer protect patients with open wounds from animal-associated pathogens and prevent cross-contamination between patients.
Which statement best describes 'reverse zoonosis' (anthroponosis) in the context of AAT programs?
Answer: When humans transmit pathogens to therapy animals, which may then spread them
Reverse zoonosis occurs when humans transmit pathogens to animals; therapy animals visiting multiple facilities can then carry and spread these pathogens.
Toxoplasmosis poses the greatest documented risk to which AAT client group involving cat-assisted therapy?
Answer: Pregnant women, especially those who are seronegative
Seronegative pregnant women face risk of primary Toxoplasma infection which can cause severe fetal harm including stillbirth, neurological damage, and chorioretinitis.