Enzo Campagnolo

Objective-To evaluate the prevalence of suicide risk factors, attitudes toward mental illness, and practice-related stressors among US veterinarians. Design-Cross-sectional survey. Sample-11,627 US veterinarians. Procedures-Between July 1 and October 20, 2014, a Web-based questionnaire was made available through the Veterinary Information Network (VIN), VIN News Service, JAVMA News, and email messages to US veterinarians sent by a veterinary medical association, agriculture or livestock department, or health department of each state (except Maine) and Puerto Rico. Results-Of 11,627 respondents, 3,628 (31%) were male. Modal age category was 30 to 39 years, and modal range for years practicing veterinary medicine was 10 to 19 years. There were 7,460 (64%) respondents who primarily practiced small animal medicine, and 4,224 (36%) who were practice owners. There were 1,077 (9%) respondents with current serious psychological distress. Since leaving veterinary school, 3,655 (31%) respondents experienced depressive episodes, 1,952 (17%) experienced suicidal ideation, and 157 (1%) attempted suicide. Currently, 2,228 (19%) respondents were receiving treatment for a mental health condition. Only 3,250 of 10,220 (32%) respondents somewhat or strongly agreed that people are sympathetic toward persons with mental illness. The most commonly reported practice-related stressor was demands of practice. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-In this survey, approximately 1 in 11 veterinarians had serious psychological distress and 1 in 6 experienced suicidal ideation since leaving veterinary school. Implementing measures to help veterinarians cope with practice-related stressors and reducing barriers veterinarians face in seeking mental health treatment might reduce the risk for suicide among veterinarians.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is involved in evaluating the impact of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and animal waste on public health. Increasing attention is being paid to these issues due to the growth and consolidation of the farming industry. This presentation reviews the human-health issues surrounding animal waste by focusing on specific pathogens, the problem of antibiotic resistance, recent CDC investigations, and implications for animal-waste management. Infectious agents found in animal waste include bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. Toxins associated with animal waste include nitrates and components of aerosols, as well as algal toxins. Sub-therapeutic antibiotic use in livestock has contributed to the development of antibiotic resistance among bacteria with domestic-animal reservoirs. These resistant bacteria pose a threat to human health. CDC has participated in studies of water quality and antimicrobial resistance in bacteria arou...

We report the earliest recognized fatality associated with laboratory-confirmed (rRT-PCR) 2009 pandemic influenza H1N1 (pH1N1) in a domestic cat in the United States. The 12 year old, indoor cat died on November 6, 2009 after exposure to four family members who had been ill with influenza-like-illness (ILI) during the period when human pH1N1 illness was widespread in all regions of Pennsylvania. The time interval between exposure to symptomatic humans and feline illness onset was consistent with the incubation period of influenza. We postulate that the abrupt death (3 days after onset of illness) of this previously healthy cat from Pennsylvania, presenting to a veterinary clinic with mild respiratory signs, suggests a cardiac component to its pH1N1 infection, similar to what has been document in big cats and humans. The clinical presentation, history, radiographic, laboratory and necropsy findings are presented to assist veterinary care providers in understanding the features of thi...

Adverse events can occur after rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and linkage to causality is often difficult to determine. We report a case of recurrent temporary paralysis that began immediately after the initiation of rabies PEP in a man exposed to a bat. The recurrent temporary paralysis first occurred in the patient after his initial dose and then again after day 3 of his rabies PEP. The PEP was terminated prior to a serologic response. The patient continued to experience numerous discrete episodes of temporary paralysis for over two years.

Nitrogen based fertilizers represent an important element in the farm economy, but their storage and use are associated with major risks to livestock and humans. An accidental ammonia exposure occurred at a Midwest county fair in Illinois. Six deaths occurred in show livestock; a Holstein cow, 3 Holstein heifers, a goat, and a lamb. Mortality was associated with consumption of water inadvertently contaminated with a liquid fertilizer containing ammonium nitrate and urea commonly used for irrigating agricultural crop fields and brought onto the fairgrounds by a tanker truck previously used to transport liquid fertilizer. The show animals that drank the contaminated water immediately became ill, developed seizures and died within a few hours. Postmortem findings were unremarkable to nonspecific. Rumen contents from the lamb, Holstein cow, and Holstein heifer had ammonia-nitrogen concentrations of l,000, 1,150 and 1,440 ppm, respectively. Water from the heifer's water bucket, the c...

On September 16, 1999, Hurricane Floyd, a storm extending 300 miles with sustained winds of 96-110 miles per hour, made landfall in North Carolina, dropping up to 20 inches of rain in eastern regions of the state. Rain from Hurricane Floyd, combined with rains from Hurricane Dennis beginning on August 30 and Hurricane Irene on October 17, caused extensive flooding along the Neuse, Tar, Roanoke, Lumbar, and Cape Fear rivers, affecting an estimated 2.1 million persons. This report presents data about injuries, illnesses, and deaths during and following Hurricane Floyd in North Carolina and identifies the leading cause of death as drowning involving occupants of motor vehicles trapped in flood waters.

Although hypothermia-related deaths are prevalent during the winter in states that have moderately cold (e.g., Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania) to severely cold (e.g., Alaska and North Dakota) winters and in states with mountainous or desert terrain (e.g., Arizona, Montana, and New Mexico), hypothermia-related deaths also occur in states with milder climates (e.g., Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina), where weather systems can cause rapid changes in temperature. This report summarizes three hypothermia-related deaths in Fulton County, Georgia, representing persons in the highest risk groups for hypothermia; and summarizes hypothermia-related deaths in Georgia during January 1996-December 1997 and in the United States during 1979-1995.

Cresol poisoning was suspected in agroup of cattle presented for slaughter at a federaly inspected plant in Illinois. Four cattle died shortly after being unloaded at the slaughter facility, while another animal died after being returned to the feedlot of origin in Iowa. The clinical signs in the affected cattle were lethargy, depression, ataxia, leg weakness, sternal recumbency, dehydration, and severe bloating. Metacresol (3-methyl phenol), commonly found in disinfectants used to clean and sanitize farm equipment and barns, was detected in rumen content from 4 necropsied animals ranging from 25.3 to 52.6 ppm. The exact source of exposure was not identified, but was probably accidental on the farm of origin or on the trailers used for animal transit to the slaughter plant.

To determine the extent of leptospirosis in persons exposed to infected swine, confirm the source of disease, define risk factors for infection, and identify means for preventing additional infections during an outbreak in Missouri in 1998. Cross-sectional study. 240 people and 1,700 pigs. An epidemiologic investigation was conducted of people exposed to infected pigs from the University of Missouri-Columbia swine herd. The investigation included review of health of the pigs, a cross-sectional study of the people handling the pigs, serologic testing of human and porcine sera, and risk-factor analysis for leptospirosis within the human population. Serologic testing of samples collected at the time of the investigation indicated that 59% of the pigs had titers to leptospires, denoting exposure. Of the 240 people in the exposed study population, 163 (68%) were interviewed, and of these, 110 (67%) submitted a blood sample. Nine (8%) cases of leptospirosis were confirmed by serologic testing. Risk factors associated with leptospirosis included smoking (odds ratio [OR], 14.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39 to 137.74) and drinking beverages (OR, 5.1; 95% CI, 1.04 to 24.30) while working with infected pigs. Washing hands after work was protective (OR, 0.2; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.81). Leptospirosis is a risk for swine producers and slaughterhouse workers, and may be prevented through appropriate hygiene, sanitation, and animal husbandry. It is essential to educate people working with animals or animal tissues about measures for reducing the risk of exposure to zoonotic pathogens.