TOPIC OF CONCERN - Zoonotic and Vectorborne Diseases
Our Involvement | Research | Other Resources
About Zoonotic and Vectorborne Diseases
Zoonotic diseases are diseases of animals that can be transmitted to humans.
Vectorborne diseases are diseases that are transmitted to humans by an animal (the vector). Classically the term vector was restricted to arthropods like ticks and mosquitoes, however, it is often used to refer to any animal that can transmit a pathogen to a human host. Most vectorborne diseases are also zoonotic diseases, that is originating in animals, although some, like yellow fever and malaria, are transmitted from human to human.
Recent concerns have focused on West Nile Virus, BSE, and now avian influenza. While most strains of avian influenza are not pathogenic to human, today’s news is filled with reports of the spread of H5N1 avian influenza in poultry in Asia and Europe, and its ability to infect humans.
While zoonotic and vectorborne diseases occur at a relatively low rate in Washington and the Northwest, there are some human cases every year. Recent cases of rabies, Lyme disease, Leptospirosis, and Hantavirus have been recorded in recent year.
Chronic conditions can also be linked to animals. In 2000, the Institute of Medicine published the report "Clearing the Air." The report found sufficient evidence to suggest a causal relationship between exposure to house dust mite allergen and development of asthma in susceptible children. It also found some evidence to link asthma's development with exposure to cockroach allergen in preschool-aged children.
Our Involvement
Faculty
- John Scott Meschke, PhD, Assistant Professor, Environmental Health, pathogen survival, mobility, and detection in the environment; microbial risk assessment, water and wastewater treatment; public health and environmental microbiology
- Charles D. Treser, MPH, Senior Lecturer. Environmental Health, environmental health practice, law & regulation; policy analysis; decision making; program planning and evaluation; education of environmental health workforce; housing; vector control
Courses
- ENV H 442 Vector Control (3) Treser ENV H 546 Pesticides and Public Health
- ENV H 546 Pesticides and Public Health
- Continuing education course, Zoonotic and Vector Borne Disease: Current and Emerging Issues, March 14, 2006 Seattle, WA
- Continuing education course, Zoonotic and Vector-borne Disease: Current and Emerging Issues, -- March 12, 2004.
- Continuing education course, Zoonotic and Vector-borne Disease: Current & and Emerging Issues in Washington and the United States, February 23, 2001
Centers and Institutes
News Coverage
Housing and Asthma, Environmental Health News, fall 2004
Healthy Homes, Environmental Health News, winter 2004
King County’s Healthy Homes program received an EPA 2005 Children’s Environmental Health Excellence award. Environmental Health News, spring/summer 2005
Dr. Michael Hooper: Wrangling badgers and counting mice at Superfund sites, Environmental Health Voices, Fall 2003
Tillman, Latricia, Pursuing environmental health through community assessment. Northwest Public Health, spring/summer 2003, pp. 6-9. University of Washingotn School of Public Health and Community Medicine
From the lab to the land, Environmental Health Perspectives, March 2003
Basic research and Superfund: Effects on humans and wildlife, Environmental Health News, spring/summer 2002
Research
Graduate Students
Heather Bost MS, (2004) A Comparison of West Nile Virus Vector Mosquito Populations in Sites With and Without Storm Water Drainage Ponds (John Scott Meschke)
Amanda Zych, MS (2003) Identifying Mosquito Vector Species in Stormwater Drainage Ponds in King County, Washington (Charles Treser)
Christopher Wilkerson, MS (2003) Antibiotic Resistance Prevalence in Escherichia coli isolated from Humans, Wild and Domesticated Animals, and Environmental Sources (Mansour Samadpour)
Michelle Bell MS (2000) A pilot study to evaluate the methodology of collecting and analyzing vectors and disease agents of Lyme disease and human ehrlichoses. (Chuck Treser)
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Reynolds KD, Schwarz MS, McFarland CA, Strauss RE, McBride TJ, Cobb GP, Hooper MJ, McMurry ST. Northern pocket gophers (Thomomys talpoides) as biomonitors of environmental metal contamination. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 2006;26(2):458-469.
Krieger JW, Takaro TK, Allen C, Song L, Weaver M, Chai S, Dickey P, The Seattle-King County Healthy Homes Project: A Comprehensive Approach to Evaluating and Improving Indoor Environmental Quality for Low-Income Children with Asthma. Env Health Persp 2002;110(S-2):311-322.
Takaro TK, Krieger JW, Song L. Effect of environmental interventions to reduce exposure to asthma triggers in homes of low-income children in Seattle. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 2004; 14 Suppl 1:S133-143.
Wireman JR, Hooper MJ, Porter RC. Risk around the country – Ecological Risk Assessment within the US Department of Defense. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment 2003;9:1-19
Other Resources
- American Lung Association of Washington, New Holly a Partnership Effort in Healthy and Affordable Housing
- CDC site on avian flu
- CDC site on West Nile virus
- CDC site on Lyme disease
- CDC site on Hantavirus
- CDC site on potentially effective interventions for asthma
- CDC, "Ensuring risk reduction in communities with multiple stressors and discussing environmental justice and cumulative risks / impacts,” prepared by the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council Cumulative Risks / Impacts Work Group, December 2004
- Institute of Medicine, Clearing the Air: Asthma and Indoor Air Exposures (2000)
- Keep It Pest Free. one of the units a training course entitled Essentials of Healthy Housing, available through the National Center for Healthy Housing.
- Safe Control of Cockroach and Rodents: Using IPM in Your Neighborhood, New York State Department of Health lormand. mary-jean@epa.gov or 703-305-5017.
- Experts track threat of animal diseases: Bird flu just one of many that can jump to humans Seattle Post-Intelligencer 2/20/06
- CDC 2007 Compendium of measures to prevent disease associated with animals in public settings
