Following Ms. Bailey’s presentation on biosensors, Dr. Larry Glickman (Professor of
Epidemiology and Public Health in the Department
of Emergency Medicine at UNC) expanded the
discussion on the practical uses of animals, namely their use as sentinels. Dr.
Glickman received his VMD from Purdue in 1972, and after a 4-5 year career in
small animal medicine, he decided to further his education though an MPH and
DrPH at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Public Health. It was here that
he developed an interest in Toxocara
canis, commonly known as Dog Roundworm. Toxocara
is a common intestinal parasite found in dogs - over 95% of puppies are
infected due to its transplacental and transmamary transmission. Dogs are Toxocara’s natural host thus an
infection is not often debilitating, but it became apparent to Dr. Glickman
that this was a major health issue due to its zoonotic capabilities and the
severe implications of an infection in children. The clinical disease from Toxocara that was the most concerning was
Ocular Larva Migrans (OLM), which causes ~3,000 cases of blindness yearly. Because
of these staggering numbers, Dr. Glickman focused his thesis at the University
of Pittsburgh on the “Development and Evaluation of Diagnostic Tests for
Toxocara Infection of Children.” He was able to isolate antigens for an ELISA
test to evaluate eye fluid. While this intestinal parasite was thought to be
fairly limited to children, a novel case arose in which French women were
infected. After some detective work, it was determined that the transmission
was due to infected hunting hounds shedding eggs, pigs on the farms ingesting
the eggs, the Toxocara larvae were
then migrating to the muscle of the pigs, and the women were then ingesting
this meat when making and seasoning sausage from these pigs. This case
reinforces why the One Health Initiative is so crucial – there are new cases
emerging constantly and they can involve and affect any number of populations.
 |
| Dr. Larry Glickman discussing animals as sentinels. |
Dr.
Glickman continued his presentation with Webster’s Dictionary definition of a
sentinel as “a person or animal set to guard a group.” One of the first
reported uses of animals as sentinels was the use of canaries in coalmines as
early detectors of carbon monoxide. Today, with the number of pets at 170
million and growing and with them often thought of as family members, animals
are being used as indicators of the human environment more and more frequently.
In order to extrapolate information from our pets, the National Companion
Animal Surveillance Program partnered with Banfield, and gained access to their
expansive centralized electronic medical records. With this database readily
accessible, dog tick infestations were easily compared to human Lyme disease
incidence, and it became clear that the infestations preceded human disease,
reinforcing the sentinel concept. This type of information could be very
beneficial, especially if the dialogue is open between physicians and
veterinarians. Dr. Glickman continued on the topic of animals as sentinels in a
case of a toxic chemical spill in Georgia. Animal records were examined to
determine if the human health complaints were directly related to the spill based
on animals presenting with similar symptoms at a corresponding time.
Dr.
Glickman’s presentation really reinforced the necessity for communication to
exist among veterinarians, physicians, and health agencies. Animals can be used
as sentinels in a number of ways, from understanding zoonoses and treating
infections in humans, to evaluating trends in animal and human health. There
are an unlimited number of uses of these sentinels, and as science progresses
and the dialogue begins a lot more will be put to use.
Post authored by Gillian Clary, BS (Biology, Chemistry minor)
Up next (21 Feb):
Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases and One Health
Jürgen Richt, DVM, PhD, Collaborator/Associate
Professor Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine at Kansas State
University; Veterinary Medical Officer National Animal Disease Center
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