Despite High-Risk Exposures, No Evidence of Zoonotic Transmission During a Canine Outbreak of Leptospirosis

Details

• Personal Author:
  Artus A ; Beatty N ; Galloway R ; Guagliardo SAJ ; Iverson SA ; Klein R ; Kretschmer M ; LaFerla Jenni M ; Levy C ; Reindel A ; Reynolds L ; Schafer IJ ; Sunenshine R ; Sylvester T ; Venkat H ; Woodward P ; Yaglom H
• Description:
  Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonosis that affects many mammals, including humans and dogs; dogs can transmit the bacteria to humans, but the frequency of transmission and highest risk exposures are poorly understood. During 2016-2017, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, Arizona Department of Health Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated the zoonotic potential of a canine leptospirosis outbreak in the Phoenix metro area. We identified symptomatic persons exposed to canine leptospirosis cases by conducting active and passive surveillance. We tested dog owners (n = 9) and animal care providers (n = 109) for serological evidence of Leptospira spp. infection (via the microscopic agglutination test [MAT]) and interviewed these persons about their specific exposures to canine cases and general exposures to canine blood and urine. Through surveillance, seven symptomatic persons were identified; six were tested and all were negative by MAT, and of these six, four persons were negative by PCR (two did not have PCR testing). All serosurvey participants (n = 118) were also seronegative. Among animal care providers, bare skin contact with urine/blood from a canine case was reported by 23.2%; two persons reported dog urine splashing in their face. Veterinary technicians were more likely to have bare skin contact with blood from a canine case compared to veterinarians and boarding facility staff (p < 0.001). Infection control practices were inconsistent; when working with specimens from a canine leptospirosis case, 44.6% of participants reported always wearing gloves when working with urine (i.e., collecting specimens), and 54.5% always wore gloves when working with blood. Veterinary technicians were also most likely to engage in all activities involving potential urine/blood contact, such as conducting laboratory tests (p < 0.01). We therefore recommend that veterinary technicians specifically receive targeted education about infection control practices. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Animals Blood Communicable Diseases Health Personnel Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety Urine Veterinarians
• Keywords:
  Animal-related Diseases Animal Handlers Author Keywords: Infection Control Bacteria Bacterial Disease Bacterial Infections Blood Serum Disease Control Disease Prevention Disease Transmission Exposure Assessment Gloves Humans Infection Control Leptospirosis Occupational Exposure Personal Protective Equipment PPE Recommendations Safety Education Safety Practices Serology Surveillance Veterinary Clinics Veterinary Medicine Worker Safety Work Practices Zoonoses

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• ISSN:
  1863-1959
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Arizona ; Georgia ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 9 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  223-231
• Volume:
  66
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054407
• Citation:
  Zoonoses Public Health 2019 Mar; 66(2):223-231
• Contact Point Address:
  Ilana J. Schafer, Bacterial Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
• Email:
  ischafer@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Zoonoses and Public Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d318903f2231804107e38f1357d0c36bc49e8aae6386c44827f1daaa5f1d167688229c88e57f9dea9b6b601333298d398c4ddb67ef2ed60936c23413cf423668
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216983/cdc_216983_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 448.66 KB ]