Furry Friends

Last class we discussed how the virus in Contagion was transmitted from a bat, to a pig, and then to a human. The virus then began spreading from human to human resulting in a pandemic. In the movie, scientists and epidemiologists were trying to find the source of the virus. While the field of epidemiology is often used to improve the lives of humans, it also can be used to improve animal lives.

Zoonotic diseases are diseases spread from an animal source. Many animals including bats, dogs, horses, cattle, and sheep can all spread rabies to humans. Rocky mountain spotted fever and lyme disease are also common zoonotic diseases transmitted from ticks carried by dogs. Anthrax is another widely known disease that can be carried by a variety of animals. There are a wide variety of diseases like these that can be dangerous to both animals and humans. 

“The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta have said that most emerging diseases around the world are zoonotic” - (Source)

Research can help to prevent population declines of specific species. In 2003, tigers were wandering into a town in Russia showing abnormal neurological signs. Pathologists found these tigers were suffering from distemper. This disease is found world-wide in dogs. More research was done to discover if it would be a major source of deaths for tigers. This was necessary because tiger population numbers are extremely low in Russia.  (Source)

Zoologists and veterinarians both do research to protect the lives of animals. Wildlife conservations often do disease investigations in order to protect both wildlife and human populations. Because so many viruses and pathogens can infect both, animal and human epidemiology go hand in hand.

KR