wildlife animal user training
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Wildlife Animal User Training. The University of Montana Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee. Objectives. Ensuring safety Of you & your co-workers Of animals Occupational health program Review of zoonotic diseases of wildlife. Protecting Yourself. Situation awareness - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Wildlife Animal User Training
The University of MontanaInstitutional Animal Care & Use
Committee
Objectives Ensuring safety
– Of you & your co-workers
– Of animals Occupational
health program Review of
zoonotic diseases of wildlife
Protecting Yourself Situation awareness
– “Perception of environmental elements within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status in the near future” Endsley, M. R. (1995)
– “Knowing what is going on so you can figure out what to do” Adam, E. C. (1993)
Situation Awareness Necessary components
– Knowledge of environment, terrain & their special concerns
– Anticipation of changing conditions– Rapid collection & processing of new
information– Training in how to respond
appropriately– Always staying alert & engaged
Special Environments Desert/arid conditions
– Hyperthermia– Dehydration
Winter/mountainous conditions– Hypothermia– Frostbite– Avalanche– Snow blindness
Lack of or Inadequate Situation Awareness
One of the primary factors in accidents attributed to human error
Safety Training Single most important
component of being prepared & staying safe
Training provided by principal investigator (PI) may include– Survival– Injury prevention– First aid– Team communication
Common Field Injuries Knee & ankle from slips & falls
Stings & bites– Known allergy? carry
MD-prescribed epinephrine pen (“epi pen”)
Muscle strain from lifting or falling
Common Field Injuries Driving accidents can result in
serious injury or death– Highway– Off-road vehicles
ATVs, snow mobiles Proper training
required ALWAYS wear
a HELMET
Basic Personal Safety Use appropriate
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) As necessary,– Gloves– Sturdy boots– Eye protection– Coveralls– Mask or
respirator
Basic Safety Principles Sharps containers
small sizes available for field work
Good hygiene especially hands waterless hand sanitizer (2 & 4.5 oz bottles)
Protect human food and water
Communicate with your team
In Case of Accident . . . Seek medical attention as necessary Work related? tell medical provider Worker’s comp claim
– Supervisor will have forms or find at http://www.umt.edu/research/eh/wc.htm
Accident reporting packet in glove box of UM vehicles
Non-UM rented vehicle? Find forms at http://www.umt.edu/research/eh/accidents.htm
Injury from Animals Bites/scratches
– Clean & disinfect ASAP– Consider aspirin,
acetaminophen, or ibuprofen for pain/inflammation
– Antibiotics from MD may be needed
Kicks/blunt trauma– Large ruminants blows to the
head, chest or abdomen can cause internal injuries
– First aid, then medical attention
Early Reporting of Injury
Absolutely imperative to inform– Direct Supervisor– Principal Investigator– Co-workers when in remote field
areas Any unusual symptoms seek
medical help immediately Best defense is a good offense
Provide a complete history to assist physicians
Keeping Animals Safe
Situation Awareness
Knowledge Training Co-workers
Group training in blood collection before going to the
field
Danger to You? Danger to Them
Weather danger– Heat
Overheating, dehydration Heat stress (including fish) all magnified
by capture Trap/capture cool times of day & provide
shade Provide moist food to prevent dehydration Cool packs for drugged animals Reduce stress minimize shrill noises,
cover eyes, monitor for shock
Weather Danger– Cold
Hypothermia, slowed metabolism & anesthetic recovery
Warm packs for anesthetized animals
Provide nest material for warmth
Provide food for energy Monitor body temperature &
vital signs
Euthanasia IACUC requires each Animal Use Protocol
(AUP) to have a euthanasia contingency plan for serious injury
Serious injury – compound fractures, gaping wounds to chest/abdomen, severe unresponsive shock, head trauma – that precludes survival in the wild
2007 AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia
http://www.umt.edu/iacuc/vetguidelines/euthanasia.aspx
Occupational Health Why?
– Mandatory for UM to maintain animal research program accreditation
Why us?– Everyone listed
on an AUP must and any one else interested may participate
Risk Assessment IACUC sponsored occupational
health monitoring program to protect you
Risk assessment performed by occupational health physician based on info you provide
All medical info stored confidentially at physician’s office
http://www.umt.edu/iacuc/ohs/riskassessment.aspx
Review: Zoonotic Diseases Zoonosis review is a requirement
for accreditation of UM animal research program
Zoonosis = disease that can be transferred from animals to humans
Many of the diseases reviewed may be transferred from tissues & body fluids of dead or live animals
Rabies
Rhabdovirus Fatal if no
treatment or vaccine protection
Infects all warm-blooded mammals
Sylvatic rabies wildlife in life cycle
Ole Yeller Photo credits - CDC
“Mad” Rabies
Rabies
“Dumb” rabies Wildlife
– Lose fear of humans
– Unusually “friendly”
– Uncharacteristic places
– Uncharacteristic times of day
– Neurological signs
– Photo credits - CDC
Rabid fox
Rabies
Wildlife reservoirs in US in 2001
– Raccoons (38%)
– Skunks (30%)– Bats (17%)– Foxes (6%)
– Photo credits - CDCSilver-haired bat
Rabies Incidence in U.S.
Rabies Transmission
Animal bites (virus in saliva) Contamination of broken skin Aerosol in bat caves Corneal, liver, kidney
transplant from infected donor
1-2 human cases/year in U.S. most often bat-associated
Rabies Clinical Signs
75% humans ill < 90 days after bite wound
Nausea, vomiting, headache
Tingling and pain on side of body where bite located
Furious and paralytic forms
Cause of death usually respiratory failure during paralytic phase
CDC
Negri bodies – large pink inclusions in cytoplasm of
brain cells – diagnose Rabies
Rabies Prevention
Avoid close contact with wild animals exhibiting unusual behavior
Consider pre-exposure immunization if work is high-risk
Report animal bites immediately: post-exposure treatment should start within 24 hours
Hantavirus Hemorrhagic
fever with renal syndrome (HFRS)
1993 - Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS)
Sin Nombre virus Wildlife reservoir
- Peromyscus maniculatus
CDC
CDC
Sin Nombre Incidence in U.S.
Sin Nombre Transmission Aerosol of deer mouse urine
or feces Contaminated hands
mucous membranes Contaminated food Bite transmission rare 30-35% fatality rate
Incubation 9 to 33 days
High fever, malaise, muscle or joint aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, respiratory distress, cough
Sin Nombre Clinical Signs
Early stage of disease
Middle stage of disease
CDC
CDC
Sin Nombre Prevention
Personal protective equipment– Gloves, coveralls, boots
Work upwind of animals Work in the sun, if possible Wear a respirator
– Fit-test through Environmental Health & Risk Management
Plague
Yersinia pestis Nonmotile, Gram
– rod “Black Death” 3 forms
(mortality):– Bubonic – Septicemic (5-
50%)– Pneumonic (20%)
Gangrene of fingers – a complication of plague
CDC
Plague > 200 species
rodent reservoirs: prairie dogs, rats, marmots, hares, chipmunks, ground squirrels
Xenopsylla cheopis rat flea – regurgitates up to 20,000 plague bacteria from “blocked” gut
Prairie Dog
CDC
CDC
Plague in Animals Pin-point
hemorrhage petechiae
Swollen lymph nodes
Respiratory disease
Photo credits - CDC
Plague Transmission Bites of infected rodent fleas Entry into breaks in skin when
handling infected rodents or rabbits; wild carnivores that eat infected prey
Domestic cats highly susceptible – aerosol or handling
Dogs and cats can carry rat fleas
Plague Clinical Signs
Illness 2-6 days after infection
Swollen lymph gland, fever, chills, headache, extreme exhaustion
Photo credits - CDC
Plague Clinical Signs
Cough, bloody sputum, increased heart rate, shock, DIC
Gangrene of fingers and toes
1 month after finger amputation for gangrene
CDC
Plague Prevention
Prevent flea infestation Handle wild rodents with
appropriate PPE Do not handle wild rodents
with petechial hemorrhages Four Corners area of the US
high incidence
Tularemia Francisella
tularensis Aerobic, gram -
coccobacillus > 10 organisms 1.4% fatality
rate Arthropods in
life cycle Rhipicephalus sanguineus
“Brown dog tick”
CDC
Tularemia Transmission Bites by infected arthropods
– Ticks Handling infectious tissues Contaminated food, water,
soil Inhalation of infective
aerosols No human to human
transmission
Tularemia Clinical Signs Fever,
headache, chills, body aches (low back), nasal discharge, sore throat
Substernal pain, cough, anorexia, weight loss, weakness
CDC
CDC
Tularemia Prevention Personal
protective equipment when skinning hares or rodents
Check for ticks daily & remove
Use repellants if possible
Wild hare – common culprit for disease transmission to hunters from bare-handed field skinning
CDC
West Nile Virus Flavivirus 1999 - in US Horses &
humans encephalitis
Bird reservoirs: corvids
Spread by mosquitoes Ochlerotatus japonicus
CDC
CDC
WNV Clinical Signs Incubation 3-14 days 80% infected humans show no
symptoms 20% mild symptoms: fever,
headache, body aches, nausea, rash
1 in 150 infected severe disease (e.g., stupor, coma, convulsions, paralysis)
West Nile Virus in the U.S.
West Nile Virus Prevention Long-sleeved shirts and long
pants, when possible Bug Tamer™ apparel (Shannon
Outdoors, Inc) Mosquito repellant – DEET for skin Avoid dusk to dawn hours outside Avoid areas of standing water http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-1
55/
Q Fever Coxiella
burnetti Sheep, goats,
cattle 1 organism
can cause disease
Placental tissues
Spread by – Aerosol– Hands
CDC
CDC
Q Fever Clinical Signs 50% infected get ill in 2-3
weeks 30-50% infected get
pneumonia Headache, malaise, muscle
aches, confusion, GI signs, weight loss, hepatitis
1-2% fatality rate Chronic infection
endocarditis 65% chronic cases end in
death
LCM Lymphocytic
choriomeningitis virus
5% Mus musculus in US; wild mice; pet hamsters
Saliva, urine, feces of infected rodents
Mucous membranes, broken skin, bites
Hamster
Peromyscus sp.
LCM Clinical Signs Humans showing illness signs 8-
13 days post-infection Early: biphasic fever, malaise,
muscle aches, headache, nausea, vomiting
Later: headache, stiff neck, confusion, neurological signs
Early pregnancy: abortion or fetal birth defects
Fatality rate < 1%