AAT Zoonotic Disease Prevention 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An AAT program coordinator discovers that a therapy dog visited three hospital wards before being diagnosed with leptospirosis. What is the primary zoonotic concern?
- Leptospirosis is not transmissible to humans from dogs
- Patients and staff who had contact with the dog should be assessed for exposure and symptoms (Correct answer)
- Only patients who directly touched the dog need to be notified
- The concern is limited to staff who handled the dog's waste
Correct answer: Patients and staff who had contact with the dog should be assessed for exposure and symptoms
Leptospira is shed in urine and can penetrate mucous membranes or broken skin, requiring assessment of all individuals who had contact with the dog.
Question 2: Which vaccination is specifically required for therapy dogs to protect against a disease transmissible to humans in bite or scratch scenarios?
- Distemper (CDV)
- Parvovirus (CPV-2)
- Rabies (Correct answer)
- Bordetella bronchiseptica
Correct answer: Rabies
Rabies vaccination is legally required in most U.S. states and is mandatory for therapy animals because rabies is invariably fatal in unvaccinated humans post-symptom onset.
Question 3: A therapy horse develops rain rot (Dermatophilus congolensis) lesions. What zoonotic risk does this present to AAT participants?
- No zoonotic risk; Dermatophilus only infects equines
- Potential for cutaneous infection in humans through direct skin contact with lesions (Correct answer)
- Risk of respiratory illness through inhalation of spores
- Risk of systemic infection transmitted by insect vectors
Correct answer: Potential for cutaneous infection in humans through direct skin contact with lesions
Dermatophilus congolensis can cause cutaneous infections in humans, particularly through contact with exudative lesions on an infected horse.
Question 4: What is the purpose of maintaining a 'health log' for each therapy animal in an AAT program?
- To satisfy insurance requirements for liability coverage
- To document vaccination dates, health screenings, and any illness for infection tracing (Correct answer)
- To record behavioral training milestones and certification renewals
- To track visit frequency and client satisfaction scores
Correct answer: To document vaccination dates, health screenings, and any illness for infection tracing
Health logs enable rapid contact tracing and exposure assessment if a zoonotic illness is later identified in the therapy animal or a client.
Question 5: A facility serving immunocompromised oncology patients is developing an AAT exclusion policy. Which condition in a therapy animal should permanently exclude it from visits to this population?
- A history of ringworm that was fully treated six months ago
- Chronic Giardia infection unresponsive to repeated treatment (Correct answer)
- A previous bite incident with no recurrence in two years
- Mild seasonal allergies requiring antihistamines
Correct answer: Chronic Giardia infection unresponsive to repeated treatment
Chronic, treatment-resistant Giardia indicates ongoing shedding of infectious oocysts, posing an unacceptable risk to severely immunocompromised patients.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes the 'one health' concept as it applies to zoonotic disease prevention in AAT?
- A policy requiring all AAT teams to use a single approved veterinarian
- An integrated approach recognizing that human, animal, and environmental health are interconnected (Correct answer)
- A mandate that all therapy animals receive identical vaccination schedules
- A framework limiting AAT to animals that have been domesticated for over 100 years
Correct answer: An integrated approach recognizing that human, animal, and environmental health are interconnected
The One Health concept emphasizes that preventing zoonotic disease requires collaboration across human medicine, veterinary medicine, and environmental health disciplines.
Question 7: An AAT handler is told a patient they regularly visit has been placed on contact precautions for C. difficile. What should the handler do?
- Continue visits using gloves and gown, then bathe the dog immediately after
- Skip the visit; therapy animals should not enter contact precaution rooms
- Visit only if the therapy dog wears booties and a vest
- Consult with the patient's physician and follow facility infection control guidance (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Consult with the patient's physician and follow facility infection control guidance
The appropriate step is to consult facility infection control staff, as C. difficile spores are highly resistant and can contaminate animal fur, potentially spreading to other patients.
AAT Zoonotic Disease Prevention 4
An AAT program coordinator discovers that a therapy dog visited three hospital wards before being diagnosed with leptospirosis.
What is the primary zoonotic concern?