Veterinary Safety & Health: Biological Safety

Biological Safety

Veterinary medicine and animal care workers are at risk of exposure to zoonoses, infectious diseases that spread from animals to humans. Possible routes of transmission include aerosol, droplet spray, ingestion (oral), direct contact, indirect contact (e.g., fomite), or vector-borne. Sources of exposure include animals, body fluids, contaminated tools, surfaces, or other objects in the environment.

Approximately 60% of the more than 1400 human pathogens are zoonotic. About 75% of emerging pathogens are zoonotic. Zoonoses reported in veterinary personnel include salmonellosis, cryptosporidiosis, plague, sporotrichosis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), psittacosis, dermatophytosis, leptospirosis, and Q fever. Other zoonoses of veterinary concern include rabies and toxoplasmosis.

Overview of biological safety

NASPHV Veterinary Standard Precautions Compendiumpdf iconexternal icon

NASPHV Model Infection Control Plan for Veterinary Practicesword iconexternal icon

CDC Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings

CDC Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories

CDC Healthy Pets Healthy People

NIOSH Eye Protection for Infection Control

AVMA, JAVMA article: Infection control practices and zoonotic disease risks among veterinarians in the United Statesexternal icon

AVMA Veterinary Facility Occupational Risks for Pregnant Workersexternal icon

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University: Infection Controlexternal icon

Canadian Council on Antibiotic Resistance, Infection Prevention and Control Best Practices for Small Animal Veterinary Clinicspdf iconexternal icon

Rabinowitz P, Conti L [2010]. Human-animal medicine: clinical approaches to zoonoses, toxicants and other shared health risks. Maryland Heights, MO: Saunders.

Allergens

NIOSH Alert: Preventing Asthma in Animal Handlers

Mass. Dept. of Public Health Occupational Lung Disease Bulletin: Work-Related Asthma among Laboratory Animal Workersexternal icon

NIOSH Asthma and Allergies

Anthrax

NIOSH Anthrax

Avian influenza

NIOSH Avian Influenza

NIOSH Alert: Protecting Poultry Workers from Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)pdf icon

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University: Avian Influenzapdf iconexternal icon

B Virus

CDC B Virus

NIOSH Hazard ID 5 – Cerpopithecine herpesvirus 1 (B Virus) Infection Resulting from Ocular Exposure

Biosecurity

USDA APHIS Biosecurityexternal icon

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University: Infection Controlexternal icon

National Biosecurity Resource Center for Animal Health Emergenciesexternal icon

USDA/U Nebraska/Kansas State/Iowa State Farm and Ranch Biosecurityexternal icon

National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense Resource Libraryexternal icon

Australia National Zoo Biosecurity Manual March 2011pdf iconexternal icon

Brucellosis

CDC Brucellosis

CDC Brucellosis Information for Veterinarians

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University: Brucellosisexternal icon

Laboratory Safety

CDC Guidelines for Safe Work Practices in Human and Animal Medical Diagnostic Laboratories

CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories, 5th edition

OSHA Laboratory Safety – Working with Small Animalspdf iconexternal icon

Leptospirosis

2010 ACVIM Small Animal Consensus Statement on Leptospirosis: Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Treatment, and Preventionexternal icon

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University: Leptospirosispdf iconexternal icon

Medical Water

CDC Medical Water

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

CDC MRSA

NIOSH MRSA

OSHA MRSA Hospital eToolexternal icon

CDC MRSA Infections

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University: Methicillin-Resistant: Staphylococcus aureuspdf iconexternal icon

One Health

One Health Initiativeexternal icon

Florida Dept of Health One Health Newsletterexternal icon

AVMA One Healthexternal icon

AVMA Aardvarks2Zebras: Connections between humans, animals and the environmentexternal icon

Yale University School of Medicine Canary Databaseexternal icon

Parasites

 

Companion Animal Parasite Councilexternal icon

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

NIOSH Personal Protective Equipment for Health Care Workers Who Work with Hazardous Drugs

NIOSH Respirator Selection Logic 2004

National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) Veterinary Standard Precautions Compendiumpdf iconexternal icon

Psittacosis and Chlamydiosis

NASPHV Psittacosis and Chlamydiosisexternal icon

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University: Psittacosispdf iconexternal icon

Rabies

CDC Rabies Information

CDC Rabies Information for Veterinarians

NASPHV Animal Rabies Compendiumpdf iconexternal icon

Human Rabies Prevention – United States, 2008: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

AVMA Collections: Rabiesexternal icon

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University: Rabiespdf iconexternal icon

Standard Precautions

National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) Veterinary Standard Precautions Compendiumpdf iconexternal icon

Swine Influenza

CDC Swine Influenza

 

CDC Information for Pork Producers and People Who Work With or Raise Pigs

CDC Guidance Documents Related to Preventing the Spread of Influenza A Viruses

Tuberculosis

USDA Tuberculosis Informationexternal icon

USDA APHIS Guidelines for the Control of Tuberculosis in Elephants 2008pdf iconexternal icon

CDC Tuberculosis Information

NIOSH Tuberculosis Information

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University: Bovine Tuberculosispdf iconexternal icon

CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) Journal Article: Zoonotic Tuberculosis due to <em>Mycobacterium bovis</em> in Developing Countries

CDC EID Journal Article: Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection as a Zoonotic Disease: Transmission Between Humans and Elephants

CDC EID Journal Article: Elephant-to-Human Transmission of Tuberculosis, 2009

Vector-Borne Diseases

NIOSH Tick-borne Diseases

NIOSH Lyme Disease

NIOSH West Nile Virus

CDC Malaria

Waste Disposal

AVMA Waste Disposal by Veterinary Practices: What Goes Where?external icon

National Center for Manufacturing Sciences Veterinary Compliance Assistanceexternal icon

Zoonoses

AVMA Collections: Zoonosis Updatesexternal icon

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University: Infection Controlexternal icon

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University: Zoonoses Informationexternal icon

University of Minnesota Center for Animal Health and Food Safety Fact Sheetsexternal icon

U.S. Marine Mammal Commission Working with Marine Mammals and Your Healthpdf iconexternal icon

National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense Resource Libraryexternal icon

Ontario Veterinary College Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses: Worms and Germs Blog Resourcesexternal icon