Purpose
The American Fondouk (Fez, Morocco) is a charitable equine hospital that provides veterinary care to working animals. The director of the American Fondouk, Dr. Gigi Kay, has noticed that donkey and mule patients frequenting the hospital are expressing clinical signs of Dictyocaulus arnfieldi infection when, traditionally, this lung parasite is associated with overt clinical signs in horses only. Because decreased productivity from parasitic disease in working animals has detrimental economic implications for their impoverished owners, being able to concretely correlate clinical signs of D. arnfieldi infection with actual infection in non-traditional equine hosts will allow the hospital to treat donkeys and mules with evidence-based medicine, and minimize the financial stress on owners with afflicted animals. The intent of this project is to collect Baermannized fecal samples for microscopic analysis of the presence of L3 larvae, to compare pathogenicity of D. arnfieldi between hosts. Additionally, because of my interest in non-profit and international veterinary medicine, the clinical experience I gain working at the American Fondouk will serve as an invaluable resource in helping me better understand the needs of the communities in which veterinary non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operate.
Introduction
About the American Fondouk
The American Fondouk (associated with the MSPCA) is a full-service, charitable equine hospital located in Fez that provides free veterinary care to working Moroccan animals, especially donkeys, mules, and horses (American Fondouk, 2013). It has grown a reputation intra- and inter-nationally for treating all types of working equids in underprivileged communities. As a non-profit veterina...
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...atherlands: Springer. doi:10.1007/1-4020-3312-5_46
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The meningeal worm is also known as the brain worm, or the deer worm. It frequently infects llamas and alpacas, but can infect other species as well like moose, elk, goats, and sheep. The meningeal worm is an internal parasite that is a part of the protostrongylidae family with the definitive host being the common white tailed deer. Even though they are the host, adult meningeal worms rarely cause clinical signs of disease in the deer. The white tail deer’s tolerance to infection from these worms is actually beneficial to the parasite because the white tail deer are the only species that will allow the worm to complete their life cycle. So alpacas and llamas are unsuitable hosts and that is why the meningeal worm is such a threat to them. It can cause varying degrees of damage to their central nervous system. “The cerebrospinal fluid tap is especially useful for diagnosing meningeal worm and ruling out other diseases.” (Whitehead, Bedenice 2009.) Ruling out other diseases helps to narrow down what could be ...
Normally, cows in Northern Europe in places such as Denmark live normal lives simply grazing on grass, and existing. However, there have been recent changes that have disrupted this normal activity. Generally the bluetongue virus (spread by Culicoides imicola, a biting midge) has been confined to Southern Europe and other places around the Mediterranean. But with the increase in temperature throughout the area, the midge has been allowed to migrate northward. This new pest is a nuisance and causes lots of difficulties to farmers in the area. When a cow contracts this disease, they usually also receive oral ulcers, salivation, stiffness, fever and eventually the inevitable- death (Merck Veterinary Manual NP). Because of the increase in temperature, midges have spread around the globe infecting livestock and creating terrible trouble for many farmers.
Dogs infected with Canine Heartworm Disease can have from 1 to 250 worms living in them for 5 to 7 years. The organs us...
This parasite is spread through the bite of sandflies. There are three different types of infections and they each show varying degrees of severity. The cutaneous form produces mild skin ulcers, mucocutaneous produces ulcers in the mouth and nose, and the visceral form of the disease starts with skin ulcers and then fever, low red blood cell count, and an enlarged spleen and liver. The parasite is detected by a microscope and visceral can also be found by doing blood tests. 12 million people are in infected in 98 different countries and 2 million new cases are found every year. The disease also kills around 20 to 50 thousand people a year.
By prioritising efforts that need to be made within the facility, this helps to reduce the chances of further infection being contracted in other areas of the facility. It facilitates in focusing treatments and control into areas that could cause further problems, both in terms of animal welfare and for the benefit of the owners; health issues that are economically important are dealt with first. Through further monitoring by veterinarians on these priorities, this means that those responsible for the actions needed, can focus and maximise the use of the available resources. This means that without priorities and set objectives, many useful resources could be potentially wasted, without leading to any successful outcomes, from which the actions of this health plan are
B. microplus is primarily a parasite of cattle. However, heavy infestations can also occur on horses, sheep, deer and water
White, N.A., and G.B. Edwards. 1999. Handbook of Equine Colic. The Bath Press, Somerset, Great Britain. p. 1-6.
Once your dog is infected with the parasitic worm the mosquito bites the next dog and the cycle continues. (Administration, Animal and Veterinary)
Bird Fancier’s Lung is a disease that affects mostly pigeon breeders but also can be linked to chickens, turkeys, parakeets, feather duvets, moldy hay, sawdust, grain, or excessive fungal growth on walls (Extrinsic Allergic Alveolitis, n.d.). Diagnosis of the disease can be a difficult task. Patients suffering from the disease will develop influenza-like symptoms, cough, and shortness of breath. Crackles may be heard over the lungs, and respiratory function tests show a restrictive abnormality (Davis, 1983). The most effective treatment is avoiding all contact with the causative agent. If Bird Fancier’s Lung is not detected early, the patient’s chances for improvement are extremely limited and the disease could also become fatal.
Dictyocaulus viviparous is a parasite that affects cattle and deer. The lifecycle does not have an intermediate host. Adult male and female worms reside in the bronchial tree of the lung. Eggs are coughed up and swallowed and hatch as they pass through the intestinal tract. Larval worms on the pasture undergo two molts to reach the infectious L3 stage, which retains its L1 and L2 cuticle as a protective sheath. L3 are ingested by grazing cattle, and parasites molt twice before reaching the lung. Further growth and development are required to become mature, reproductive adults. In the feces, L1 mature to L2 and then to L3 which is the infective stage larvae. The L3 infective stage remains in the feces or the pasture and so when cattle come grazing they ingest the L3. L3 then go through intestinal system and penetrates the intestinal wall. They use the lymphatic system to reach the mesenteric lymph node where they mature to L4 then use d blood supply and lymphatic system to reach the lungs.
...dering the additional cost of treatment of already infected dogs ranging from $500 and $1500 (3). This economic importance does not only matter to pet owners but also to the people living in developing countries where different filarial diseases are commonly leading to river blindness (3). Even though, the pharmaceutical industry does not have an incentive to invest in drug development for underdeveloped countries out of financial reasons, incentives on development of heartworm drugs and vaccines for pets are tremendous (3). This way research in the field of Dirofilaria immitis is encouraged and may not only benefit pets but also improve living conditions in developing countries. Until further progress is made, veterinarians should focus on education of clients regarding preventative treatment to limit further spread of Dirofilaria immitis by reducing its habitat.
Wear gloves and proper cloths if handling the infected animals to prevent the direct contact.
The purpose of this paper is to focus on a subject within my educational field that I can research and inform the public about. I plan to become a veterinarian .which would require my daily contact with humans and animals. Zoonotic diseases are risk factors that I have to be aware of in order to protect myself as well as my patients and their owners. Luckily developments in medicine have made it possible to cure zoonotic diseases and even prevent them from ever being contracted.
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