IMPORTANT HEALTH RISKS

Physical injury

Back strain or fatigue can occur while lifting equipment and animals. Exercise caution when lifting heavy animals or equipment. Ask for assistance and use a lifting belt when heavy lifting is necessary. Physical injury can also occur as a result of animal kicks or bites. The employee should be trained in proper handling procedures to reduce these risks.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Mammals

Animals covered in this document include deer, possums, rabbits, and wild mice.

Rabies

Disease-causing organism: Rabies virus can infect almost any mammal. It is rare in the research environment, but because of its devastating potential, it remains a risk

• Source of human infection: The infected animal. The virus is shed in the animal’s saliva and feces without clinical signs of rabies being present. Any mammal exhibiting central nervous system signs should be considered suspect for rabies.
• Transmission: Contact with saliva, mucus membranes, or blood. Commonly transmitted through bites, or through contamination of a person’s open wound by contact with infected saliva, blood, or tissue.
• Disease in humans: Rabies in unvaccinated people can be fatal without immediate proper medical care. Vaccinated individuals must still undergo prophylactic treatment if potentially exposed by a rabies-positive animal.

Brucellosis

Disease-causing organism: Brucella sp. can be a cause of reduced fertility in wildlife.

• Source of human infection: Direct contact with the infected animal or ingestion of the milk or cheese products from an infected animal
• Transmission: Direct contact with the infected animal or ingestion of the milk or cheese products from an infected animal
• Disease in humans: Can cause the disease in man, undulant fever. Symptoms include fever, sweating, weakness, malaise, and weight loss.

Mycobacteriosis

Disease-causing organism: Mycobacteria sp. bacteria

• Source of human infection: Infected animal
• Transmission: Direct contact with the infected animal or exposure to airborne particles from the respiratory forms of the disease.
• Disease in humans: Can cause infection in humans. The tuberculosis (TB) form of the disease is fairly rare. A link between Mycobacteria infection in animals and Crohn’s disease is suspected but not definitively identified.

Tularemia

Disease causing organism: Francisella tularensis can affect wild populations of rabbits and rodents.

• Source of human infection: The infected animal, insects, or contaminated food or water
• Transmission: Typically, persons become infected through the bites of arthropods (most commonly, ticks and deerflies), by handling infected animal carcasses, by eating or drinking contaminated food or water, or by inhaling infected aerosols
• Disease in humans: Depending on the route of exposure, the tularemia bacteria may cause skin ulcers, swollen and painful lymph glands, inflamed eyes, sore throat, oral ulcers, or pneumonia. Early symptoms almost always include the abrupt onset of fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, joint pain, dry cough, and progressive weakness. Persons with pneumonia can develop chest pain, difficulty breathing, bloody sputum, and respiratory failure. Some persons with the lung and systemic forms of the disease may die if they are not treated with appropriate antibiotics.

Enteric diseases

Disease causing organisms: gastrointestinal bacteria Salmonella, Campylobacter, and E. coli as well as protozoal agents Cryptosporidium and Giardia which can be associated with wildlife. Infections in wildlife may be subclinical and therefore animals may be spreading the organism while showing no sign of disease.

• Source: clinically affected animals or those showing no signs, mostly from fecal material so that the environment and animals may be contaminated
• Transmission: fecal/oral route
• Disease in humans: diarrhea, vomiting, fever and dehydration
• Prevention: wash hands often, avoid contact with your face and mouth when working with animals, proper handling of potentially infected feces (wearing gloves and protective clothing)

Insect transmitted diseases

Insects can transmit infectious diseases by biting. There are many potential diseases that can be transmitted including bacterial diseases (Lyme disease, Tularemia), rickettsial diseases (Erlichiosis, Q-fever, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever), and several viral and parasitic diseases. It is important when doing field work and working with wildlife that the employee take precautions to reduce their exposure to insects by the use of proper clothing and repellants, and to carefully monitor their condition after an insect bite. If the employee becomes ill after an insect bite (even days or weeks later), it is important to inform their physician and/or nurse.

Birds

Animals covered in this document include doves and song birds.

Enteric diseases:

Disease causing organisms: gastrointestinal bacteria Salmonella and Campylobacter, as well as the protozoal agent Cryptosporidium which are commonly associated with birds. Infections in birds may be subclinical and therefore animals may be spreading the organism while showing no sign of disease.

• Source: clinically affected animals or those showing no signs, mostly from fecal material but eggs, environment and animals may be contaminated
• Transmission: fecal/oral route
• Disease in humans: diarrhea, vomiting, fever and dehydration
• Prevention: wash hands often, do not eat in animal areas, avoid contact with your face and mouth when working with animals