Zoonotic Diseases Public Health Flashcards

A veterinarian is bitten by a bat during a wildlife rescue. The bat escapes before capture. What is the appropriate public health response?

Answer: The veterinarian should begin rabies PEP immediately since the bat cannot be tested

When the offending bat cannot be tested, rabies PEP should begin immediately because bats are a leading source of human rabies in the US and the risk is unacceptably high.

Which antimicrobial resistance concern is directly linked to veterinary use of antibiotics and has significant public health implications?

Answer: Selection for resistant Salmonella, Campylobacter, and E. coli strains that can transfer resistance genes to human pathogens

Agricultural antibiotic use selects for resistant zoonotic pathogens and promotes horizontal gene transfer of resistance elements that can ultimately affect human medicine.

Avian influenza H5N1 surveillance requires veterinarians to report suspected cases promptly. Which clinical presentation in domestic poultry should trigger immediate reporting?

Answer: Sudden high mortality (>50%) with neurological signs, hemorrhages, and respiratory distress in a flock

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) characteristically causes sudden, severe mortality with neurological signs and hemorrhagic lesions, warranting immediate regulatory reporting.

Which regulatory framework governs the importation of animals and animal products into the US to prevent the introduction of foreign zoonotic diseases?

Answer: USDA APHIS regulations in coordination with CDC quarantine authority at ports of entry

USDA APHIS regulates live animal and animal product imports for agricultural disease prevention, while CDC has authority to quarantine animals posing public health risks, requiring coordinated jurisdiction.

Occupational exposure to Brucella in veterinary settings is best prevented by which combination of measures when assisting with bovine abortions?

Answer: Gloves, eye protection, N95 respirator, and immediate handwashing with disinfectant soap

Brucella can penetrate intact mucous membranes and skin through aerosols and direct contact with infected fetal tissues, requiring barrier PPE and proper decontamination.

Which zoonotic disease transmitted by Ixodes ticks is co-endemic with Lyme disease in the northeastern US and can cause fatal illness in immunocompromised patients through parasitization of red blood cells?

Answer: Babesiosis (Babesia microti)

Babesia microti, transmitted by Ixodes scapularis (the same tick that transmits Lyme disease), causes intraerythrocytic parasitemia and can be fatal in asplenic or immunocompromised patients.

A veterinarian encounters a cluster of human cases of Cryptosporidiosis linked to a dairy farm. What is the most important source control measure to recommend to public health authorities?

Answer: Prevent contamination of water supplies with cattle manure and enforce proper manure management on the farm

Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts shed in cattle feces are highly chlorine-resistant and can contaminate water supplies, making manure management the critical source control intervention.