Risk Factors/ Prevention

Enteric Disease:

Enteric Bacteria

General/ Transmission:Salmonella and Campylobacter are two bacterial agents that can be transmitted to workers from horses. Healthy animals, usually young of age, often carry and transmit salmonella. Animals with diarrhea are often carries as well, and can transmit the bacterial agents to humans.

• Transmission to animal workers is by fecal to oral route.
• Disease in Humans: Diarrhea is the main clinical sign noted in humans.
• Prevention: The best method of preventing transmission is for worker to wash hands frequently with soap and water. Employee must wash hands after handling horses and before eating or drinking. Eating and drinking should be off limits in the animal facility. Wearing latex gloves and lab coats, uniforms or scrubs will also help cut down on transmission to worker. When in contact with diarrhea, wearing a surgical mask will help prevent oral exposure.

Enteric Protozoa

General/ Transmission:Cryptosporidiosis and Giardiasis are highly infectious protozoal parasite of horses. Young animals with diarrhea are usually the source of transmission to employees.

• Transmission to workers is by fecal or contaminated water to oral route.
• Disease in Humans: Diarrhea is the main clinical sign noted in humans. Immune compromised individuals are especially at risk with Cryptosporidiosis infections.
• Prevention: The best method of preventing transmission is for worker to wash hands frequently with soap and water. Employee must wash hands after handling horses and before eating or drinking. Eating and drinking should be off limits in the animal facility. Wearing latex gloves and lab coats, uniforms or scrubs will also help cut down on transmission to worker. When in contact with diarrhea or when spray washing horse stalls, wearing a surgical mask will help prevent oral exposure.

Rabies

General/ Transmission: Rabies is a highly infectious viral disease transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal. A rabid animal may present with neurological signs or be lethargic and depressed.

A bite wound that draws blood needs to be immediately washed with soap and flushed. The employee needs to contact health services to inform of injury and pursue medical evaluation immediately. Any suspect animal that bites an employee must not be euthanized, but rather will be held for quarantine on campus. Rabies transmission from a horse is usually via saliva, not bites. Therefore medical treatment of suspect horses may need to be modified to prevent contact with saliva.

• Disease in Humans: Rabies is a very serious; often times fatal disease in human cases that go untreated. Any suspect animal that bites an employee must not be euthanized, but rather will be held for quarantine on campus. The employee needs to contact health services to inform of injury and pursue medical evaluation immediately.
• Prevention: Minimize contact with a biting animal and their saliva by not working alone, wearing latex gloves, and wearing lab coat or scrubs. Other ways to prevent traumatic incidents or biting horses is to request sedation for potentially stressful or painful procedures.

Allergies

General/ Prevention:Several factors help reduce the potential for allergy problems with horses. Caretakers, when working with animals should not wear street clothes. Uniforms, scrubs or at least a lab coat should be worn. Clothes worn while working with horses should not be taken home to launder. Surgical masks are somewhat effective against skin contact and some inhalation of allergens, but a respirator maybe a better option for some employees. Latex gloves should be worn to reduce skin contact.

Clinical Signs in Humans: Evidence of allergies (sneezing, itchy eyes, skin irritations, etc…) needs to be brought to the attention of the employee supervisor or occupational health and safety official.

Physical Injury

General/ Prevention:Physical injury from a horse can be inflicted by means of trauma and biting. Traumatic events with horses stem from their large size and strength. Horses have the potential to kick, knock down or step on the caretaker. Non-socialized animals tend to be the ones to be most cognizant of due to their lack of human interaction and being easily startled and upset. Bite wounds inflicted by horses are a real possibility. Any bite wound that draws blood needs to be immediately washed with soap and flushed. The employee needs to contact health services to inform of injury.

Ways to prevent these types of injury are for employees to not work alone. Other ways to prevent injury are to request sedation for potential stressful or painful procedures. It is also important that new employees be properly trained as to the handling of these animals.