CHLAMYDIA VACCINE: FELINE PNEUMONITIS

Chlamydia Psittaci is a microscopic bacteria like organism that lives in the tissues of the eye called the conjunctiva. Chlamydial infection causes a syndrome called Pneumonitis and usually affects the respiratory system and/or the eyes. The most common sign is runny eyes due to conjunctivitis (X Ref Pg ). However, unlike the conjunctivitis caused by Feline Herpes Virus Type I (part of “Cat Flu”) these infections usually begin in just one eye then spreads to involve both eyes.

Chlamydia can also cause mild to severe respiratory disease with signs ranging from:

· Sneezing and a runny nose to

· Fever

· Pneumonia, and

· Diarrhea.

The runny eyes (conjunctivitis) respond well to topical eye ointments containing the antibiotic Tetracycline. Other medication may or may not be necessary depending on the severity of infection.NOTE: Chlamydial infections can be spread to people so be sure to wash your hands well after treating your cat. Humans generally develop a mild form of the disease called “Chlamydiosis”.

A vaccine for Chlamydia is available and may be given in combination with the Cat Flu (FVRCP) Vaccine. The vaccine will not provide complete protection but will decrease the severity of infection.

TOXOPLASMOSIS

Toxoplasmosis is the most common parasitic infection in the world. It affects an estimated 2 billion people or up to ½ of the world’s human population in theUnited States. This parasite is responsible for over 3,000 human infant infections, which occur as a result of congenital infection. Congenital infection is defined as transmission from mother to unborn baby during pregnancy. This is often called “Pregnant Woman’s Disease” because of the higher risk in pregnant women. Signs in infants can occur at birth, during the first few weeks or month’s of life, or several years later. The majority of cases appear at puberty. The most common signs in these children involve the eyes and/or the nervous system, and result in mental retardation. Deafness, fevers, liver dysfunction, skin rashes, and respiratory disease in a variety of combinations can also occur.In people with compromised defense systems, i.e., cancer, organ transplant patients, and individuals with AIDS, the disease is much more severe and often fatal.

The organism that causes Toxoplasmosis is a microscopic parasite called Toxoplasma Gondii. This parasite can be found in any cell of almost any warm-blooded animal. Cats are the primary reservoir of infection and are important in spreading the disease to other animals and people.

Cats become infected by eating infected prey; such as, rodents and birds acquired while hunting, and other raw meat. Two weeks later cats shed the organism in their feces, which remains infective for 7 to 14 days. Livestock become infected by eating feed contaminated with cat feces. Humans risk transmission by petting cats’ fur contaminated with feces or handling the litter of infected cats.

Most often people become infected through raw and undercooked meat. The initial infection in Human’s is mild and resembles a cold, so most people don’t even know they’ve become infected.

Most cats with “Toxo” show no signs. Occasionally, the Clinical Disease “Toxoplasmosis” does occur in cats. Kittens and adolescents are affected more often than older cats. Initially the signs are non-specific and include: Lethargy, Depression, Appetite Loss, and Fever. Pneumonia with severe respiratory distress is the classic sign in most cats.

Symptoms including:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Blindness
• Seizures, and
• Incoordination occurs when, and if, the infection spreads to other organs (the liver, pancreas, eyes, and brain).

Cats already infected with Feline Leukemia Virus or Feline Immune Deficiency Virus can be predisposed to develop “Toxoplasmosis”.

A presumptive diagnosis in cats is made by history, signs of illness, and blood tests that suggest Toxoplasmosis. An exact diagnosis requires microscopic examination of certain infected tissues. Treatment with antibiotics is generally effective in cats (Tribrissen for 2 weeks). No vaccine is available to prevent the infection or disease. Currently research is in progress.

To minimize your exposure risk, discuss Toxoplasmosis with your obstetrician if you’re considering having children.

1. A blood test can determine whether or not you have already been exposed.
a. A positive blood test prior to pregnancy means you’ve already been exposed and your baby should be protected.
b. A negative blood test means you are at greater risk of transmitting Toxoplasmosis to your baby if you become infected during your pregnancy.
To minimize human exposure risk (especially for pregnant women):
• Don’t let pet cats hunt – keep them indoors or put a bell around their neck to decrease successful predication.
• Wear rubber gloves when handling potentially contaminated soil, i.e., gardening, flower beds, children’s sandbox, litter box.
• Blood test household cats prior to becoming pregnant.
• Avoid handling litter box and have someone else change litter box daily or every other day.
• Wash all uncooked vegetables well before eating them (in case of cat fecal contamination).
• Wash your hands well after contacting soil, cats, uncooked meat, vegetables, and unpasteurized dairy products.
• Don’t eat raw or undercooked meat, and don’t consume unpasteurized dairy products.
• Cook all meat to 70C (158F) for 15 to 30 minutes before eating.

TICKS/LYME DISEASE

There are ten tick borne diseases recognized in the

United States.Three were identified in the last 25 years:

· Lyme Disease (1970’s)

· Human Ehrlichosis (1980’s)

· Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis (1990’s)

Ticks are external parasites that suck blood from other animals to survive. They are most prevalent in wooded rural areas but can be found anywhere animals live. Ticks bite dogs, cats, livestock, snakes, squirrels, turtles, ducks, robins, and people. Most ticks are just a nuisance but some transmit disease. For example:

· Lone Star and Deer Ticks carry Lyme Disease

· Brown Dog Ticks carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

TICK LIFE CYCLE

The life cycle of the tick plays an important role in determining when disease can be transmitted.

1. Ticks lay eggs in the spring, one month later larvae emerge. The larvae feed once in the summer on small mammals (like rodents) especially the white-footed mouse, then over winter.

2. The next spring the larvae molt into nymphs. Nymphs feed on dogs, cats, deer and people in the late spring and early summer. Nymph are tiny, smaller than a mole therefore, difficult to detect in your pet’s fur.

3. In the fall, nymphs molt into adult ticks and feed on larger mammals, like white-tailed deer. They mate, lay their eggs, and die.

Nothing can actually prevent ticks from attaching to pets or people. The key is to remove the tick promptly.

TO REMOVE A TICK

Use tweezers and grasp the mouthparts of the tick as close to the skin as you can and pull back. If part of the tick’s head remains, use a sterilized needle to remove it, just as you would a splinter. Don’t squeeze the tick because that can cause the contents of the tick’s body to be injected into the person or pet, and if the tick is carrying a disease, the individual can become infected this way.

When you’re in an area that may have ticks, i.e., hiking or camping in the woods, check yourself, your children, and pets carefully in less than 12 hours. Most ticks don’t carry disease and if those that do are removed in less than 12 hours, it is unlikely that you and/or your family or pets will get a disease.

TICKS/LYME DISEASE

(NOTE: Wear rubber gloves to remove ticks, then put them in a sealed jar containing a little alcohol. Call your vet and/or physician to identify the tick, just to be sure.)

Lyme Disease is the most commonly reported tick borne disease in the

United States. A multisystem illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgderferi and transmitted by Ixodes ticks.

Lyme Disease is a complex illness that affects dogs, cats, other animals, and people. To date, cases have been reported in 44 states in

North America and many other countries around the world and the incidence is increasing. Lyme Disease is caused by a microscopic organism called a “spirochete”, which is transmitted through the bite wound of certain types of ticks, i.e., Deer Tick, Black-Legged Tick, Western Black-Legged Tick. The ticks must be attached to the victim for at least 24 hours to transmit Lyme Disease. If infection does occur, the disease affects the skin, joints, and nervous system.

In cats, signs are generally more vague than in the dog but arthritis with fever, lethargy, and appetite loss may occur two to five months after initial exposure.

TICKS/LYME DISEASE

Treatment is with antibiotics given for two to four weeks and your cat may suffer relapses.

PREVENTION

Since nothing can stop ticks from attaching, prompt removal and preventing exposure to ticks in the first place are the solution. In the past insecticides applied to the coat as a spray, powder, or dip killed the ticks but their protection only lasted three to five days. Therefore, in high-risk areas, treatment had to be repeated every seven to ten days. New monthly medication prescribed by your

vet can be given to cats as a pill or drops. These new products are easier to give and far more effective than those previously available. Frontline is a new, over-the-counter product that kills adult fleas on contact and controls ticks. Frontline is approved for cats over 12 weeks old and dogs. It comes as a liquid, which is applied to the skin between the shoulder blades at 30-day intervals.

(NOTE: Cats are very sensitive to insecticides and only products specifically labeled for cats should be used. Your vet will be able to recommend the best product for your pet.)(NOTE: Vaccines are available for people and dogs living in high-risk areas.)

LEPTOSPIROSIS

Two types of leptospirosis can affect people:

· Weil’s disease – caused by leptospira icterohemorrhagica. A serious and sometimes fatal infection that is transmitted to humans by contact with urine from infected rats.

· The second form is caused by leptospira hardjo and is transmitted from cattles to humans.

Both diseases start as a flu-like illness with a persistent and severe headache. Anyone who is exposed to rats, rat or cattle urine or to fetal fluids from cattle is at risk. Farmers are now the main group at risk for both Weil’s disease and cattle leptospirosis, the cattle form is a special risk for dairy farmers. Other people who have contracted leptospirosis in recent years include: vets, meat inspectors, butchers, abattoir and sewer workers. Workers in contact with canal and river water are also at risk.

LEPTOSPIROSIS TRANSMISSION

The bacteria can get into your body through cuts and scratches and through the lining of the mouth, throat, and eyes and after contact with infected urine or contaminated water, such as in sewers, ditches, ponds, and slow-flowing rivers. People working in dairy parlors are often in contact with cattle urine. Rat urine may also contaminate animal feedstuffs on farms.

PREVENTION

· Get rid of rats. Don’t touch them with unprotected hands.

· Consult your vet about the cattle infection.

· Cover all cuts and broken skin with waterproof plasters before and during work.

· Wear protective clothing.

· Wash your hands after handling any animal, or any contaminated clothing or other materials, and always before eating, drinking, or smoking.

Report any illness to your doctor. Leptospirosis is much less severe if it is treated promptly.

Early treatment and diagnosis are vital in Weil’s disease as jaundice is often absent in the early stages. The illness in leptospira hardjo may also be greatly shortened by appropriate antibiotic treatment.

Vaccinate pet dogs for leptospirosis annually.

Cat scratch disease is caused by an organism called Rochalimaea henselae.  This is a gram-negative bacteria and a member of the Rickettsia family.  Each year approximately 22,000 people in the

Studies have determined that the cat flea “ctenocephalides felis” carries the bacteria Rochalimae henselae, which is responsible for causing Cat Scratch Disease. (NOTE:  The cat flea also infects dogs and may be referred to as the dog flea.) 

 Antibiotic therapy (doxycycline or erythromycin) for up to 3 months usually clears the infection in people without immune compromise.  Individuals with defective immune systems, i.e. HIV positive, the disease may or may not respond to therapy. 

With 57 million cats living in over one third of

Teach your cat not to scratch or bite you.  Provide a scratching post.

Individuals with reduced immunity are more susceptible to Zoonoses, i.e., people undergoing cancer therapy and/or those positive for HIV, and should take extra precautions around pets.

According to a recent survey, the two disease agents of greatest concern for immune compromised individuals are Salmonella species and Toxoplasma gondii. Veterinarians listed Salmonella first. Because of the high incidence of Salmonella in reptiles, most vets recommend that immune compromised persons not own reptiles. Physicians listed Toxoplasma gondii as their greatest concern. This is why many medical doctors advise against pet cat ownership in immune compromised persons.

The potential health risks with these two disease agents also pose several questions. For both, contact with pets is not the only or even the most important source of infection for people. Contaminated foods are the most common source of disease transmission for Salmonella. Ingestion of undercooked meat and handling raw meat are much more important in transmission of Toxoplasma gondii than contact with infected pet cat feces. In addition, up to ¼ of the lamb and pork we eat already contains infective Toxoplasma tissue cysts. Cat ownership has not been associated with an increase in Toxoplasma positive blood tests (seroconversion) among HIV infected people.

Communication between physicians and veterinarians about Zoonotic diseases is minimal at best. The two groups also have significantly different views regarding the risks posed by certain infectious agents. Consideration to broader scale links between health care professionals would foster a wider consensus concerning infectious disease risks and would facilitate prevention of Zoonotic diseases for all of us, man and animal, in the future.

Zoonotic diseases can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.
The best way to avoid Zoonoses is to make sure your pet is healthy:

· Acquire pets form reputable sources

· Maintain proper health care through regular vaccinations, and

· Monitor your pet’s contact with other animals who might carry disease.

Additional steps to minimize your risk of contracting a Zoonotic disease include wearing gloves for certain activities, i.e. when gardening, cleaning the litter box, and playing in the sandbox. Practice good sanitation and personal hygiene at all times. For example:

· Wash your hands after handling pets and preparing raw meat.

· Rinse all fresh fruits and vegetables well before eating them.

· Consume only pasteurized dairy products.

· Cook meet thoroughly.

· Don’t let pet cats hunt, i.e., keep them indoors.

· Prevent fleas, ticks, worms, and other parasitic pet problems with the most efficacious products currently available and use them under the recommendation of your veterinarian.

Train your dog and/or cat not to bite and/or scratch you. If you are bitten or scratched, clean the wound throughly with soap and water and contact your physician.

Bites that break the skin should be reported to local health authorities, especially if they were caused by an animal that is not your own, they are serious, involve the heard or neck, the bite was unprovoked or the animal’s behavior was abnormal. Rabies is potentially fatal and specific protocols will be available from your local health department.

Certain diseases are called reverse zoonoses. These are diseases of people that are transmissible to animals.

EXAMPLES OF REVERSE ZOONOSES
The mumps virus causes mumps in man and parotiditis in dogs. Tuberculosis in humans causes tuberculosis in elephants, dogs, and deer. Infectious hepatitis in people causes hepatitis in monkeys and other primates.

A bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus causes a skin disease “Furunculosis” in people. In cattle, it causes a mammary gland infection called “mastitis” as well as the skin condition, Furunculosis. The agent responsible for causing Scarlet Fever in people, a bacterium called Streptococcus pyogenes, causes mastitis in cattle. A protozoal organism Giardia lambia causes nausea and diarrhea in people and beavers. The influenza virus (strains A & B) responsible for the human cold causes severe respiratory disease in pet rabbits and ferrets.

DOMESTIC ANIMAL ZOONOSES
Domestic animals, including dogs, cats, cattle, horses, poultry, sheep, and swine can transmit a variety of diseases to people. Noteworthy zoonotic diseases in this category include: Cat Scratch Fever, Wool Sorters Diseases, Milkers Nodules, Q Fever, Ringworm, and Rabies. Anthrax, Parrot Fever and Salmonellosis also fall into this group.

ANTHRAX
Anthrax is caused by a organism that lives in the soil and has been recognized for centuries. In Europe during the 19th Century, one-third of our nation’s sheep and cattle died each year because of Anthrax. Sudden death in domestic livestock is the rule. Today, livestock in high-risk areas are vaccinated to prevent Anthrax.

In humans, the death rate in untreated cases exceeds 90 percent. Aerosolization of this bacteria is a relatively common terrorist threat here in the United States. Four such threats have been reported since December 1998; so far all have been hoaxes.

PARROT FEVER
Parrot fever (Psittacosis) is caused by a bacteria called Chlamydia psittaci. It is an occupational hazard to workers in the pet bird industry as well as to owners of pet birds. Today, preventative measures require imported birds to be routinely quarantined, placed on the antibiotic Chlortetracycline for 30 days and leg-banded. The leg band allows the bird to be traced back to its site of origin should a problem occur. This bacteria causes death, without signs, in psittacine birds, pigeons, and poultry. The disease can range from a flu-like illness (with fever and coughing) to acute pneumonia in people.

SALMONELLOSIS
Salmonellosis is a bacterial infection resulting in severe diarrhea and occasionally death. In 1975, pet turtles were the number one source of human infection. The sale of turtles with shells less than 4 inches in diameter has since been banned in the United States. Pet iguanas have recently become an important source of Salmonella in people. Salmonella is also found on freshly laid eggs. This problem has been effectively controlled by pasteurizing egg products.

Currently, there are over 200 Zoonoses, or animal diseases, transmissible to people that are a significant infectious risk to human health.Effective control of these diseases in animals is paramount to their control and prevention in people.

Proactive approaches to health care in the 21^st century require closely controlled surveillance systems to detect and monitor disease problems that threaten both human and animal health.

Since outbreaks of certain diseases in animals typically precede outbreaks in people, health department’s routinely use animals as early warning signs or “Disease Sentinels” for certain infectious diseases, including Bubonic Plague, Hanta Virus, Equine Viral Encephalitis, and Rabies.This generally allows time for preventative measures to be taken that will reduce the number and/or severity of human cases.

Medical doctors and veterinarians are required to report certain diseases to local health authorities, which is crucial to effectively controlling and ultimately eliminating these diseases. Infectious diseases that threaten our economic welfare such as Mad Cow Disease, Tuberculosis, and Brucellosis must be reported within 24 hours at which point, strict state and federal guidelines geared to ultimately eradicate these diseases are employed.