Vickie Ramirez

In 2023, U.S. dairy farms produced 226,364 million pounds of milk products, representing a critical part of the national and global food system.1 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more t...

Since 2022, numerous H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) detections have been reported in wild and domestic mammals in North America. Although H5N1 HPAIV detections in dogs are rare, hunting dogs that retrieve waterfowl are at increased exposure risk due to their physical contact with reservoirs (waterfowl) and contaminated environments. A cross-sectional survey of hunters was conducted during 2024 to characterize hunting procedures, disease prevention practices, and interactions between humans and their hunting dogs to identify potential risks for zoonotic disease transmission. Descriptive analysis (N = 112) indicated a majority of participants considered their hunting dog as part of the family (93.8%), and less than half considered their dog a pet (42.9%). Of the 112 individuals, 96.4% did not utilize personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling a sick dog and 81.3% did not use PPE when handling harvested birds. This research demonstrated complex, sustained physical and personal connections between individuals and their hunting dogs. Additional research utilizing a One Health approach is necessary to define H5N1 HPAIV risk factors in hunting dogs and the environment’s role in the transmission of viruses among wildlife and domestic animals. Understanding zoonotic disease transmission in these populations can inform approaches to mitigate viral exposure.

Introduction/Objective: This study evaluates 4 years of data from the Seattle One Health Clinic (OHC), a novel model for clinical care which integrates human and animal health care services for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness (YPEH) and their pets. Methods: We analyzed deidentified data from standardized OHC visit forms, electronic medical records, and veterinary records from 2019 to 2022. We assessed the overlaps between human and animal healthcare provided and the impact of environmental stressors on both human and animal patients. Results: Over 50% of all human clients established healthcare for the first time in 2 years, with 85% attending one or more follow-up appointments with non-emergency healthcare services within 2 years following their initial OHC appointment. All animals received care during their visit. Needs addressed at the human-animal interface included zoonotic infections, animal allergies, and mental/behavioral health. The most common client-pet reported environmental concerns were food insecurity, heat, and cold. Conclusion: Our results suggest integrated human and animal healthcare is a feasible and acceptable model of care for YPEH to access acute and preventative care at the human-animal-environmental interface. This approach holds promise for increasing health-seeking behaviors, and engagement in preventative, therapeutic, and follow-up care.

Workers on dairy farms face exposures to organic dusts and endotoxin. At the same time, a number of studies of farmers have reported a lower prevalence of asthma in farmworkers compared to persons ...

The objective of this research was to understand the effect of pet ownership on healthcare-seeking behavior among persons experiencing homelessness with animals. Mixed-method, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 44 people experiencing homelessness with animals in Seattle, Washington to collect stories of barriers and facilitators due to animal ownership, health-seeking behaviors for themselves and their animals, and self-assessed health status and health conditions of the owners and their pets. The interviews also explored the ways in which the participants would like to receive healthcare services for themselves and their animals. Quantitative results showed that the medical care sourced for pets exceeded that for the owner’s own health, with 86% of participants seeking healthcare for themselves within the past year and 93% of participants seeking veterinary care for their pet within the past year. Results also displayed self-described health of the animal faring better than that of the owner, with 47% of participants reported being “Healthy” or “Very healthy” compared with 90% of pets being reported as the same. Themes emerging from the qualitative research included that persons experiencing homelessness with animals place a high value on the health and welfare of their pets, that the animals can pose a barrier to traditional health services and access to overall services, and that the owner’s need for animal companionship and support is high. These findings suggest that utilizing the human–animal bond and creating integrated (human and animal), interprofessional health services using a One Health approach for unhoused populations owning pets can reduce barriers to services and improve both human and animal health. In an integrated health clinic setting, the owner may seek care for their animal but stay for the human healthcare.

Background SARS-CoV-2 is believed to have emerged from an animal reservoir as a zoonotic pathogen. Over the course of the current pandemic, evidence has mounted that infected humans can transmit the virus to animals including household pets, however the frequency of and risk factors for this transmission remain unclear. We carried out a community-based study of pets in households with one or more confirmed SARS-CoV-2 case among the human residents, and report here on interim findings from sampling of dogs. Methods Data collection included a survey of human and animal demographic and clinical variables, features of their shared environment, and human-animal contact; blood collection from animals for serology for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies; and nasopharyngeal sampling for PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2. Results Sampling consisted of 67 dogs from 46 households. Nasopharyngeal PCR testing results were available for 58 dogs, and serological testing results were available for 51. Clinical signs consistent with COVID-19 were reported in 14 dogs (23.7%, 95% CI 0.13, 0.35), and SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing using viral receptor binding domain ELISA was positive in 22 dogs (43.1%, 95% CI 0.30, 0.57). All PCR tests of nasopharyngeal swabs were negative. Survey respondents commonly reported close human-animal contact, and the majority of households were aware of and adopted measures to mitigate human-to-animal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 following diagnosis. While no statistically significant associations were detected between human-animal contact variables and either seropositivity or COVID-19 like illness in dogs, positive trends were found for sharing beds with humans and the number of SARS-CoV-2 positive humans in the corresponding household. Reported measures taken by the household to mitigate transmission showed a protective trend, and COVID-19 like illness in a dog was positively associated with seropositivity in that dog. Discussion These data indicate that human-to-animal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in households is common, in a study population characterized by close human-animal contact. They also indicate that infected pets often manifest signs of COVID-like illness. While nasopoharyngeal sampling of dogs in this study has not to date demonstrated positive PCR results, this could be due to delays in sampling. Household members reported taking precautions to protect pets from SARS-CoV-2 infection, indicating an opportunity for further measures to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between people and animals sharing households.

Traditional zoonotic disease research focuses on detection of recognized pathogens and may miss opportunities to understand broader microbial transmission dynamics between humans, animals, and the environment. We studied human-macaque microbiome overlap in Kosum Phisai District, Maha Sarakham Province, Thailand, where a growing population of long-tailed macaques ( Macaca fascicularis ) in Kosumpee Forest Park interact with humans from an adjacent village. We surveyed workers in or near the park with elevated exposure to macaques to characterize tasks resulting in exposure to macaque feces in addition to dietary and lifestyle factors that influence gut microbiome composition. Fecal samples were collected from 12 exposed workers and 6 controls without macaque exposure, as well as 8 macaques from Kosumpee Forest Park and 4 from an isolated forest patch with minimal human contact. The V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene from fecal sample extracted DNA was amplified and sequenced using Illumina HiSeq to characterize the microbial community. A permuted betadisper test on the weighted UniFrac distances revealed significant differences in the dispersion patterns of gut microbiota from exposed and control macaques (p=0.03). The high variance in gut microbiota composition of macaques in contact with humans has potential implications for gut microbiome stability and susceptibility to disease, described by the Anna Karenina principle (AKP). Human samples had homogenous variance in beta diversity but different spatial medians between groups (p=0.02), indicating a shift in microbial composition that may be explained by fundamental lifestyle differences between the groups unrelated to exposure status. SourceTracker was used to estimate the percent of gut taxa in exposed humans that was contributed by macaques. While one worker showed evidence of elevated contribution, the overall trend was not significant. Task observations among workers revealed opportunities to employ protective measures or training to reduce exposure to occupational hazards. These results suggest the potential for hygiene measures to mitigate negative aspects of contact between humans and macaques in order to optimize the health of both populations.