Farmers, ranchers and the education community gathered again Feb. 15-16 for this year’s Colorado Agriculture Big & Small small acreage conference.
      The yearly event, hosted by Colorado State University Extension, featured booths from a plethora of suppliers, county agencies and vendors.
    The conference provides agricultural producers, land managers, agricultural professionals and suppliers a chance to receive and share education and network with each other with sustainability in mind. Also on tap were more than two dozen speakers, the majority from the university, lecturing on agricultural practices, techniques and animal sciences.
    One of the more popular lectures focused on zoonotics, or diseases with the potential to infect humans and vertebrate animals, with transmission between the two. Offered by veterinarian Dave Van Metre, a professor in the college of veterinary medicine at Colorado State University, the lecture outlined risk recognition and preventive measures to minimize exposure to zoonoses. According to Van Metre, 75 percent of emerging human infectious diseases have zoonotic pathogens as a root cause.

    Those most likely to initially contract zoonoses are livestock producers and workers, veterinarians and animal researchers, followed by animal shelter workers, pet store workers and animal auction workers, many of whom were in attendance. Pet owners are also at risk, from their own animals or others they come in contact with. For this region, the most common zoonotic infections are predictably from animal bites.
    “Those of us who contact animals, livestock in particular, on a daily basis is a very small fraction of the U.S. population,” Van Metre said. “However, a tremendous number of us have contact with animals we consider house pets, and there is a whole variety of potential infectious agents, as well as well as issues related to bites and clawing.”
    A major problem facing awareness of zoonotic disease is misdiagnoses by health care professional, in some cases for common ailments like seasonal influenza. One such disease, Q Fever, mimics flu like symptoms but with much more severe consequences for the infected. Though usually mild, if left untreated Q Fever may progress to a chronic disease requiring months of antibiotics. If diagnosed Present in the birthing areas and bedding of hooved mammals, the disease can cause the animal to abort, multiplying the risk to humans.
    According to Van Metre, the keys to prevention are first making sure animals are healthy, vaccinated, receive parasite control and good hygiene. For livestock handlers, good hygiene practices are critical, as is cleaning and disinfecting animal areas. Clothing should be handled and cleaned away from children and pets, and handlers should never eat or drink in animal facilities to minimize exposure. For those who do get sick, be certain to notify physicians that the patient works with animals and to consider zoonotic exposure, to avoid being pigeonholed into a common diagnosis such as influenza.
    “You must self-identify,” Van Metre said. “You must in order for the physician to move out of this realm.” 

Contact Staff Writer Gene Sears at gsears@metrowestnewspapers.com