AAT Zoonotic Disease Prevention 4

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?

Accepted Answer

Patients and staff who had contact with the dog should be assessed for exposure and symptoms

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Rabies

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Potential for cutaneous infection in humans through direct skin contact with lesions

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

To document vaccination dates, health screenings, and any illness for infection tracing

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Chronic Giardia infection unresponsive to repeated treatment

Answer

Chronic, treatment-resistant Giardia indicates ongoing shedding of infectious oocysts, posing an unacceptable risk to severely immunocompromised patients.

(AAT) Certified Animal-Assisted Therapy Practice Test

(AAT) Certified Animal-Assisted Therapy Practice Test

AAT Zoonotic Disease Prevention 4