One Health

The Washington State Department of Health (WADOH) Public Health Laboratories (PHL) processes hundreds of animal specimens each year for rabies testing. These specimens include bats, squirrels, cats, dogs, ferrets and other mammals. Although most specimens in Washington test negative for rabies, suspected rabies exposures are a notifiable condition and resources are put into rabies testing.

Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) is dedicated to the conservation of mountain gorillas in East Africa, using an intensive emergency veterinary approach to support the recovery of this highly endangered species. Based on the concern that gorilla health is threatened by exposure to human pathogens, MGVP launched a program to fill critical health service gaps for its employees.

With antimicrobial resistance being one of the top global public health threats, integrated antimicrobial resistance surveillance systems are critical in gathering data, understanding resistance trends, creating stewardship plans and accurately quantifying resistance at national and local levels.

Traditional zoonotic disease research efforts centered on detection of high profile pathogens may miss opportunities to understand broader microbial transmission dynamics between humans, animals, and the environment.

Background: Salmonellosis is a common food-borne gastrointestinal infection causing diarrhea, upset stomach, and sometimes vomiting. Each year there are 600-800 cases of salmonellosis reported to the Washington State Department of Health.