Institute for Conservation Medicine
Institute for Conservation Medicine
Veterinarians, ecologists and human medical professionals are recognizing the role of infectious disease as an increasing threat to the health of animals, humans and ecosystems. Although infectious diseases have always been a concern for human survival - black plague, influenza go back centuries - it is only in the latter part of the twentieth century that emerging infectious diseases were noted to be increasing in incidence and geographic range.
The Saint Louis Zoo's conservation medicine research focuses on diseases that affect the conservation of threatened and endangered wildlife species. Scientists study the origin, movement and risk factors associated with diseases so that we can better:
- understand the impact of diseases on the conservation of wildlife populations
- understand the links between the health of zoo animals and free-living wildlife populations
- understand the movement of diseases between wildlife, domestic animals and humans
One Health for Animals and Humans
Conservation medicine addresses the growing disease challenges that threaten the survival of wild animal species and that negatively impact human public health. A multidisciplinary approach, the field of conservation medicine emphasizes the interrelated nature of diseases in animals and humans, in the context of environmental change. In recent times, the term One Health has been coined and has similar objectives to conservation medicine, in that it aims to merge animal and human health to benefit both.
Human-related environmental changes have escalated in recent years, threatening animal and human health as well as all the ecosystems on Earth. On a global scale, the human population growth to seven billion people, with the associated habitat fragmentation and degradation, increased travel and trade, and climate change, has an impact on the health of all species. For example, as humans (and their domestic animals) move closer to wildlife populations and into wild lands, disease risks to wildlife, domestic animals and humans increase.
Diseases Know No Boundaries
These disease issues know no state or international borders. Chytridiomycosis in amphibians, white nose syndrome in bats, canine distemper virus in both dog and cat species are infectious diseases that threaten wildlife survival. A number of other pathogens, including rabies and Ebola viruses, directly affect the health of wildlife and human populations. Similarly, endocrine-disrupting agents in our environments, such as DDT, PCBs and the BPA found in many plastics such as some baby bottles, cause health issues in animals and humans. All these factors may impact individual animals, populations, communities and even ecosystems.
Many of these emerging infectious diseases are now common household terms, including avian influenza, West Nile virus, Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Ebola and monkeypox. Unfortunately, because these diseases are zoonotic (transmitted from animals to humans) there is the possibility that wildlife may be seen as the "bad guys," threatening human health. In reality, wild animals are NOT the bad guys. Rather it is the changing interactions between humans and wildlife (e.g., illegal trade in wildlife, human populations moving further into wilderness) that may lead to an increase in infectious diseases.
The Importance of Conservation Medicine
The Saint Louis Zoo's staff leads scientific projects that address diseases shared between animals and humans which may challenge the conservation of wildlife species and threaten public health.
Zoos play five roles in conservation medicine:
- zoo animals as sentinels for emerging diseases of humans and animals in urban areas
- epidemiologic studies of diseases of conservation concern
- studies to improve the health care of zoo wildlife, thus ensuring successful zoo breeding programs that contribute to the sustainability of biodiversity
- disease surveillance of free-living wild animals where they interface with domestic animals and humans
- contributions to the field of comparative medicine and the discovery of all life forms, from parasites and pathogens to invertebrates and vertebrate species
Dr. Sharon L. Deem
A wildlife veterinarian and epidemiologist at the Saint Louis Zoo, Dr. Sharon Deem is a leader in conservation medicine. Sharon has a DVM from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and a PhD from the University of Florida. She also completed a three-year zoo and wildlife medicine residency at the University of Florida and is Board certified in the American College of Zoological Medicine. Prior to coming to the Saint Louis Zoo, Sharon worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society and Smithsonian National Zoo. During the last three years Sharon has lived and worked in the Galapagos as the veterinary epidemiologist for the Saint Louis Zoo's WildCare Institute, Center for Avian Health in the Galapagos. She brings years of experience from her work with both captive and field-based conservation medicine projects.
Student Research Opportunities
Internships and externships are offered for the Institute of Conservation Medicine. Apply within.
Contact Us
For more information on conservation medicine at the Saint Louis Zoo, contact Sharon Deem, (314) 646-4708, deem@stlzoo.org
