Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research article

Descriptive study of enteric zoonoses in Ontario, Canada, from 2010 – 2012

Authors: Yvonne Whitfield, Karen Johnson, Leigh Hobbs, Dean Middleton, Badal Dhar, Linda Vrbova

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2017

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Contact with animals and their environment has long been recognized as an important source of enteric zoonoses. However, there are limited data available on the burden of illness associated with specific types of animals in Canada. This study describes the overall burden of enteric zoonoses in Ontario, Canada from 2010 to 2012.

Methods

Confirmed cases of seven enteric zoonotic diseases (campylobacteriosis, cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, listeriosis, salmonellosis, verotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC) infection, and yersiniosis) with episode dates from 2010 to 2012 were extracted from the integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS). Reported exposures were categorized as animal contact, foodborne, waterborne and ‘other’, with animal contact grouped into nine sub-categories based on the type of animal or transmission setting. Overall incidence rates and proportions by animal exposure categories, age and sex-specific incidence rates and hospitalization and death proportions were calculated and sex proportions compared.

Results

Our study found that approximately 26% of the enteric pathogens assessed during the 2010 to 2012 period reported contact with animals and their environments as the mode of transmission. Of enteric disease cases reporting animal contact, farm exposures were reported for 51.3%, dog or cat exposures for 26.3%, and reptile or amphibian exposures for 8.9%.

Conclusions

Contact with animals was reported more frequently during the period 2010 to 2012 in comparison to the period 1997 to 2003 when 6% or less of enteric cases were associated with animal contact. Public health professionals, stakeholders associated with animals and their related industries (e.g., pet treats, mobile zoos, abattoirs), and the public should recognize that animal contact is an important source of enteric illnesses in order to take measures to reduce the burden of illness from animal sources.
Literature
1.
Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario). Reportable disease trends in Ontario, 2011. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario; 2014.
2.
Vrbova L, Johnson K, Whitfield Y, Middleton D. A descriptive study of reportable gastrointestinal illnesses in Ontario, Canada, from 2007 to 2009. BMC Public Health. 2012;12:970–2458. 12-970.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
3.
Majowicz SE, Edge VL, Fazil A, McNab WB, Dore KA, Sockett PN, Flint JA, Middleton D, McEwen SA, Wilson JB. Estimating the under-reporting rate for infectious gastrointestinal illness in Ontario. Can J Public Health. 2005;96(3):178–81.PubMed
4.
Lee MB, Middleton D. Enteric illness in Ontario, Canada, from 1997 to 2001. J Food Prot. 2003;66(6):953–61.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Rajda Z, Middleton D. Descriptive epidemiology of enteric illness for selected reportable diseases in Ontario, 2003. Can Commun Dis Rep. 2006;32(23):275–85.PubMed
6.
Hale CR, Scallan E, Cronquist AB, Dunn J, Smith K, Robinson T, Lathrop S, Tobin-D'Angelo M, Clogher P. Estimates of enteric illness attributable to contact with animals and their environments in the United States. Clin Infect Dis. 2012;54 Suppl 5:S472–9.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Health Protection and Promotion Act. R.R.O. 1990, REGULATION 569 Reports.
8.
Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Infectious Disease Protocol, 2015. Toronto: Queen’s Printer of Ontario; 2015.
9.
10.
Wilson DJ, Gabriel E, Leatherbarrow AJ, Cheesbrough J, Gee S, Bolton E, Fox A, Fearnhead P, Hart CA, Diggle PJ. Tracing the source of campylobacteriosis. PLoS Genet. 2008;4(9):e1000203.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
11.
Hunter PR, Hughes S, Woodhouse S, Syed Q, Verlander NQ, Chalmers RM, Morgan K, Nichols G, Beeching N, Osborn K. Sporadic cryptosporidiosis case-control study with genotyping. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004;10(7):1241–9.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
12.
Havelaar AH, Galindo AV, Kurowicka D, Cooke RM. Attribution of foodborne pathogens using structured expert elicitation. Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2008;5(5):649–59.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Crump JA, Sulka AC, Langer AJ, Schaben C, Crielly AS, Gage R, Baysinger M, Moll M, Withers G, Toney DM, Hunter SB, Hoekstra RM, Wong SK, Griffin PM, Van Gilder TJ. An outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections among visitors to a dairy farm. N Engl J Med. 2002;347(8):555–60.CrossRefPubMed
14.
Canada’s Farm Population. Agriculture-Population Linkage Data for the 2006 Census. Ottawa: Statistics Canada; 2006. p. 2006.
15.
Stull JW, Peregrine AS, Sargeant JM, Weese JS. Pet husbandry and infection control practices related to zoonotic disease risks in Ontario, Canada. BMC Public Health. 2013;13:520–2458. 13-520.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
16.
Prpic JK, Robins-Browne RM, Davey RB. In vitro assessment of virulence in Yersinia enterocolitica and related species. J Clin Microbiol. 1985;22(1):105–10.PubMedPubMedCentral
17.
Leonard EK, Pearl DL, Finley RL, Janecko N, Peregrine AS, Reid-Smith RJ, Weese JS. Evaluation of pet-related management factors and the risk of Salmonella spp. carriage in pet dogs from volunteer households in Ontario (2005-2006). Zoonoses Public Health. 2011;58(2):140–9.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Lefebvre SL, Reid-Smith R, Boerlin P, Weese JS. Evaluation of the risks of shedding Salmonellae and other potential pathogens by therapy dogs fed raw diets in Ontario and Alberta. Zoonoses Public Health. 2008;55(8-10):470–80.CrossRefPubMed
19.
Finley R, Reid-Smith R, Weese JS. Human health implications of Salmonella-contaminated natural pet treats and raw pet food. Clin Infect Dis. 2006;42(5):686–91.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Mermin J, Hutwagner L, Vugia D, Shallow S, Daily P, Bender J, Koehler J, Marcus R, Angulo FJ, Emerging Infections Program FoodNet Working Group. Reptiles, amphibians, and human Salmonella infection: a population-based, case-control study. Clin Infect Dis. 2004;38 Suppl 3:S253–61.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Whitten T, Bender JB, Smith K, Leano F, Scheftel J. Reptile-associated salmonellosis in Minnesota, 1996-2011. Zoonoses Public Health. 2015;62(3):199–208.CrossRefPubMed
22.
23.
Sauteur PM, Relly C, Hug M, Wittenbrink MM, Berger C. Risk factors for invasive reptile-associated salmonellosis in children. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2013;13(6):419–21.CrossRef
24.
National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc. (NASPHV), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Compendium of measures to prevent disease associated with animals in public settings, 2011: National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2011;60(RR-04):1–24.
25.
26.
Goode B, O'Reilly C, Dunn J, Fullerton K, Smith S, Ghneim G, Keen J, Durso L, Davies M, Montgomery S. Outbreak of escherichia coli O157: H7 infections after Petting Zoo visits, North Carolina State Fair, October-November 2004. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009;163(1):42–8.CrossRefPubMed
27.
Loharikar A, Vawter S, Warren K, Deasy 3rd M, Moll M, Sandt C, Gilhousen R, Villamil E, Rhorer A, Briere E, Schwensohn C, Trees E, Lafon P, Adams JK, Le B, Behravesh CB. Outbreak of human Salmonella Typhimurium infections linked to contact with baby poultry from a single agricultural feed store chain and mail-order hatchery. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2013. 2009;32(1):8–12.CrossRef
28.
Health C, Canada W. An international outbreak of human salmonellosis associated with animal-derived pet treats--Canada and Washington state, 2005. Can Commun Dis Rep. 2006;32(13):150–5.
29.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC. Notes from the field: update on human Salmonella Typhimurium infections associated with aquatic frogs--United States, 2009-2011. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2011;60(19):628.
30.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Multistate outbreak of human Salmonella infections associated with exposure to turtles--United States, 2007-2008. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2008;57(3):69–72.
31.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Notes from the field: Multistate outbreak of human Salmonella typhimurium infections linked to contact with pet hedgehogs - United States, 2011-2013. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2013;62(4):73.
32.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Infections with Salmonella I 4, [5],12:i:- linked to exposure to feeder rodents-United States, August 2011-February 2012. Clin Infect Dis. 2012;55(2):i–ii.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Descriptive study of enteric zoonoses in Ontario, Canada, from 2010 – 2012
Authors
Yvonne Whitfield
Karen Johnson
Leigh Hobbs
Dean Middleton
Badal Dhar
Linda Vrbova
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4135-9

Other articles of this Issue 1/2017

BMC Public Health 1/2017 Go to the issue

Research article

Less healthy breakfast cereals are promoted more frequently in large supermarket chains in Canada

Research article

Evaluation of the ability of standardized supports to improve public health response to syndromic surveillance for respiratory diseases in Canada

Study protocol

Queensland Alcohol-related violence and Night Time Economy Monitoring project (QUANTEM): a study protocol

Study protocol

Preventing sickness absenteeism among employees with common mental disorders or stress-related symptoms at work: Design of a cluster randomized controlled trial of a problem-solving based intervention versus care-as-usual conducted at the Occupational Health Services

Research article

Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages: impact on overweight and obesity in Germany

Research article

Epidemiological link of a major cholera outbreak in Greater Accra region of Ghana, 2014