Zoonotic Diseases and Public Health Flashcards
7 cards from real DVM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Zoonotic Diseases and Public Health flashcards as text
Which zoonotic parasite is responsible for causing visceral larva migrans in children and is most commonly associated with dogs?
Answer: Toxocara canis
Toxocara canis larvae cause visceral larva migrans when ingested by children, migrating through visceral organs including the liver, lungs, and eyes.
Cutaneous larva migrans ('creeping eruption') in beach-going humans is most commonly caused by which organism?
Answer: Ancylostoma braziliense (cat/dog hookworm)
Ancylostoma braziliense larvae penetrate human skin but cannot complete their life cycle, migrating through the epidermis and causing the characteristic serpiginous track.
A veterinarian suspects Cryptosporidium parvum infection in a calf with profuse watery diarrhea. Which group of humans is at HIGHEST risk for severe zoonotic disease from this pathogen?
Answer: Immunocompromised individuals (HIV/AIDS, transplant recipients)
Cryptosporidium parvum causes self-limiting illness in immunocompetent individuals but can be life-threatening and chronic in immunocompromised hosts.
Echinococcus granulosus (cystic echinococcosis) is primarily maintained in which epidemiological cycle?
Answer: Dog (definitive) → sheep (intermediate) → dog
The classical sylvatic/pastoral cycle of E. granulosus involves dogs as definitive hosts passing tapeworm eggs to sheep as intermediate hosts, with humans as accidental dead-end hosts.
The 'One Health' approach to zoonotic disease control emphasizes which core principle?
Answer: Integrated collaboration across human medicine, veterinary medicine, and environmental health
One Health recognizes that human, animal, and environmental health are interconnected and requires collaborative, multisectoral approaches to prevent and control zoonotic diseases.
Which of the following statements about Nipah virus is CORRECT from a veterinary public health perspective?
Answer: Fruit bats are reservoirs; pigs served as amplifying hosts in the 1999 Malaysia outbreak
In the 1999 Malaysia outbreak, Pteropus fruit bats were the reservoir, pigs acted as amplifying hosts transmitting virus to farmers, and culling 1 million pigs halted the outbreak.
A public health investigation links multiple human Salmonella Typhimurium cases to a reptile petting zoo. The recommended public health message for visitors should emphasize:
Answer: Handwashing with soap and water immediately after contact with reptiles
Soap and water handwashing is the most effective prevention for Salmonella from reptile contact; alcohol sanitizers are less effective against Salmonella on hands.