The Ties That Bind: One Health
April 12, 2018
By Sharon Deem, DVM, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Conservation Medicine
I spend a lot of time thinking about health. As a wildlife veterinarian, this includes the health of my animal patients, but also the health of the environments that support my patients and the health of humans that are dependent on both animals and environments. I have worked with forest elephants in Africa, children in Asian villages, and global efforts to help feed the world's 7.6 billion human inhabitants. But, what might African forest elephants, children on the other side of the world, and food production have in common and what do they have to do with your health?
Forest elephants are ecosystem engineers, or forest gardeners, that help maintain the Central African rainforest and the lungs (e.g., trees) of planet Earth.
Just like you, all children, no matter in Missouri or Myanmar, need fresh water, fresh air and enough calories to be healthy and survive.
At first glance it may be harder to appreciate the link between food production and your health. One example is evident as we humans continue to modify landscapes and destroy wetlands—places that for millennia have been stopover sites along migrating wild bird flyways—to replace them with commercial poultry farms. This leads to increased contact between wild and domestic birds and the mixing of influenza strains as the migrating birds continue to use their flyways only to find commercial poultry along the route. It is at these human-modified landscapes where influenza strains may be shared between wild and domestic birds. These influenza viruses may then spillover from chickens, and other poultry, to the growing human population.
These three examples demonstrate the connections that link environmental, animal and human health. Often referred to as One Health, connections such as these remind us that the health of each, for better or for worse, is dependent on the other. Just as we understand that our health depends on clean air to breathe, water to drink, and safe foods to eat, we increasingly understand what it takes to provide these resources. We need biodiversity. We need animals like elephants and tortoises and hornbills to disperse seeds and care for forests, and bivalves (e.g., mussels and clams) to help maintain our freshwater rivers, and plants that are the only true link for harnessing the sun's energy necessary for the production of all food. We as a species need plants and animals, period.
So what is the current status of this shared One Health? Not good! Challenges that threaten the health of animals, plants and people escalate daily as our human footprint extends across the planet. From climate change and habitat degradation to species extinctions and increased pollutants, we humans are threatening wildlife conservation, environmental stability and public health. We can no longer deny these threats. We can no longer disregard the connection between our own human-centric health and that of the environments that support us and of the other animals that share the planet with us.
There is hope! Scientists and non-scientists alike have come to increasingly appreciate the health links across the One Health Triad (humans, animals, plants). In recent years, this has led to a growing movement that brings disciplines together for a holistic approach to health care. This One Health approach is not just about naming the threats, but more importantly it is about finding the solutions to the greatest global health challenges of the 21st century. Teams of One Health practitioners, from disciplines as diverse as veterinary medicine and anthropology, human medicine and politics, to engineering and ecology are joining forces to find solutions to the health challenges of today.
In Saint Louis we are fortunate to have institutions and individuals working together to develop strategies that will help to ensure public health, wildlife conservation and environmental stability—the three goals of One Health. As we combine research and education efforts of the amazing universities and medical colleges, the Missouri Botanical Garden and Saint Louis Zoo, nonprofits and for-profits, many in St. Louis are working to ensure healthy people, healthy animals and healthy plants; in other words, working for Planetary Health. Whether we wish to find solutions to cancers and contaminants, food security and safety, or we wish to continue to share the planet with other amazing and wonderful species, we are collaborating to tackle the multifaceted health and conservation challenges of today. St. Louis, Missouri, is a hub for One Health, and the work we do will help ensure the health of you and your family whether you live in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, or Saint-Louis, Senegal, Africa.
Learn about the links between wildlife conservation and human health from Saint Louis Zoo staff, and local university students at the annual One Health Fair on Saturday, April 14.
Click the photos below to enlarge.
One Health Week 2018
April 09, 2018
The Zoo's Institute for Conservation Medicine strives to solve global health challenges, which include climate change, pollinator decline, food safety, water availability, biodiversity loss and other planetary health issues. Students in veterinary medicine, human medicine, public health, and various master’s and PhD programs can take part in the Institute for Conservation Medicine’s (ICM) ongoing research programs, including projects in Kenya, the Galapagos and here in Missouri. These programs provide students the opportunity to get research, laboratory and field work exposure within #OneHealth.
Learn about the links between wildlife conservation and human health from Saint Louis Zoo staff, and local university students at the annual One Health Fair
MU MPH student studying abroad.
University of Missouri - Master of Public Health Program
At least 75% of all existing and emerging infectious diseases in people are known to be zoonotic. That is, they are spread though animal-human contact. Our health is impacted by the food we eat, the animals we encounter and the environments we share. One Health is an approach to public health that recognizes the important links between human health, animal health, and ecological health. The University of Missouri Master of Public Health program is becoming a leader in training students in One Health through its Veterinary Public Health degree offering. The Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine has been an important partner of the MPH program by providing students the opportunity to explore the relationships between animal habitats and human health. The MU MPH program will also launch a completely online version of its VPH emphasis area degree beginning in the Fall of 2018. More information is available here.
The Center for One Health at Fontbonne University
One Health research engages students, teaches critical thinking and investigates questions important to the local community. At Fontbonne University’s Center for One Health, developed in conjunction with the Saint Louis Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Medicine, undergraduate students engage in research spanning disciplines, exploring issues related to climate change, developmental stress, racism and health, and so much more. The Center for One Health offers a one health minor for undergraduate students, as well as a One Health Practitioner Certification open to anyone with an undergraduate degree interested in mastering skills and applying One Health concepts to his or her own area of expertise. For more information visit www.fontbonne.edu/onehealth.
The Wildlife Epidemiology Lab within the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois
The Wildlife Epidemiology Lab is a collaborative research and diagnostic lab that focuses on emerging diseases in free-ranging and captive wildlife. Through our countless epidemiological projects we have developed assays that allow us to better characterize the threats to wildlife and are always constantly working to develop new diagnostic assays for current and emerging diseases in amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Our mission is to advance veterinary care for wildlife and companion animals, contribute to human health by characterizing wildlife disease transmission, and improve environmental conservation efforts that support good health and wellness of wildlife. Everything our mission stands for can be encompassed into our motto: “Saving the world, one box turtle at a time.”
While the focus of the lab began with a project to identify ranavirus in eastern box turtles, we now study wellness and diseases of many species including silvery salamanders, alligator snapping turtles, bearded dragons, eastern massasauga rattlesnakes, Humboldt penguins, ornate box turtles, timber rattlesnakes, and many more. The threatened or endangered status of many of these species encourages collaboration with veterinarians, zoos, and biologists across the country and world. Our team works in states including but not limited to Ohio, Tennessee, New Mexico, Texas, Maryland, and right back home in Illinois. We also have international research underway in Ontario, Canada and Punta San Juan, Peru.
The Largest Health Project in Box Turtles Ever
Since 2007, we have been performing physical examinations, blood testing, and disease investigations of box turtles in both Tennessee and Illinois. Thanks to John Rucker and his turtle dogs we have been able to locate and sample over 3000 turtles. We have been able to characterize the health or test for diseases in half of those, making this the largest health project in box turtles ever. We have identified new diseases, monitored for infection, organ damage, heavy metal contamination, plasma proteins, and mapped this information using GIS technology. Current project goals include further characterizing the health of these populations and investigating new diseases that threaten the conservation of the box turtle. Additionally, we are exploring the role of biodiversity in the presence of these diseases and how they impact behavior, transmission, and persistence.
Snake Fungal Disease
The Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory is at the forefront of one of the largest emerging infectious diseases today - Snake Fungal Disease (SFD) caused by the fungus Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola. It is causing widespread disease and high death rates in both wild and captive snakes across the country. While the infections caused by the fungus in individuals is concerning, the role that it plays in population declines is more alarming. After identifying the fungus as the cause of disease, our lab has developed a treatment that has saved both wild snakes and those of zoo collections. As little is known about this disease, our goal with SFD is to continue investigating the method of transmission, pathogenesis of the disease, and treatments that can save not just individuals, but populations.
We are excited to team-up with students in human medicine and experienced biologists, and share our knowledge with you about the importance of good wildlife health at the One Health Fair!
Find out about more about our collaborative projects supporting wildlife health.
Enrichment at Sea Lion Sound
March 29, 2018
by Ashley Duflo, Sea Lion Sound Keeper
At Sea Lion Sound, enrichment is an essential part of the daily husbandry care of our California sea lions and harbor seals. Multiple types of enrichment are offered daily to provide mental and physical stimulation. There are three different habitats that the animals may move between throughout the day and enrichment is scheduled for each habitat separately. As a result, an animal may encounter many different enrichment items depending on their varying locations. Enrichment at the Zoo is divided into eight different categories: manipulation, visual, tactile, auditory, olfactory, food, social and cognitive. Each day the categories of enrichment offered in the habitats are varied. The animals most frequently will choose to interact with manipulation and food enrichment. Some of their favorite enrichment items include ice, fish cubes and fishsicles, hula hoops, Frisbees, kelp strips and heavy-duty dog toys. “Mr. Skinny Bones,” a PVC skeleton offered around Halloween, is their favorite seasonal enrichment item. The sea lions typically interact with enrichment individually but occasionally you will see them interacting socially, including playing tug-of-war type games. Interns at the Zoo are heavily involved in the enrichment program. They help collect and distribute enrichment and record daily observations and evaluations. During their internship at the Zoo, interns come up with new enrichment ideas and even create a new enrichment item. We invite you to come visit the animals and keepers at Sea Lion Sound and catch the First Bank Sea Lion show! Spring Weekend shows start Saturday, March 31.
The Saint Louis Zoo’s enrichment mission is: “To provide the animals in our care with an environment and varying activities that promote a range of species-appropriate behavior, facilitate behavioral choices and enhance individual well-being.”
