Research to develop new diagnostic methods, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines has involved cross-species and both professions. However, as both professions have become more specialized, communities less identified, and the world more transient, collaboration and communication between human medicine and veterinary medicine has been limited in recent decades.
Despite this trend, the major organizations representing human and veterinary medicine have taken steps to pursue a one-health concept. Using the phrase of “one world, one health, one medicine” the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) have both adopted resolutions to collaborate for the enhanced protection of public health. This collaboration is now more important than ever as new infections throughout the world continue to emerge creating greater concern for threats of cross-species disease transmission, pandemics, and food safety in the global health environment. The resolutions identify specific areas of collaboration in medical education, clinical care, public health, and biomedical research in which the one-health concept can strengthen the synergistic relationships.
Dr. Roger K. Mahr, 2006-2007 AVMA president, made the one-health initiative his top priority during his term. Similarly, Ronald M. Davis, MD, AMA president, did likewise. The adoption of the resolution has been praised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Julie L. Gerberding, MD, director of CDC, called the actions as “fantastic news for creating this powerful network for health protection.” As a complementary asset, the CDC recently created the National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases that is dedicated to understanding infectious disease ecology. This new center is a recognition that human and animal health is and will become more intricately linked.
Selected to head the new center is Dr. Lonnie J. King, a familiar name to the rendering industry. Having served as a state veterinarian and dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, he has also served in many other professional and administrative positions to include the chief of the Veterinary Foreign Animal Disease Laboratory, Plum Island, NY. King has been a longtime supporting colleague to the past veterinarians who have served as representatives of the rendering industry. He describes the one-health concept as “a holistic systems approach to understanding health across all species.” All partners have endorsed a core set of principles focused on enhancing the public health cooperation among physicians, veterinarians, and their organizations.
The rendering industry should stay focused on the issues, opportunities, and responsibilities to animal and human health. The rendering industry’s relationship to animal agriculture remains as the most effective biosecure disposal procedure for infected and deceased animals. It provides an infrastructure to accomplish such. Renderers, however, cannot totally provide for the extremes that occur with natural disasters or major pandemic events. The utilization of the nationwide rendering infrastructure should, however, be an integral part of each planned response to all potential health events. The world in which renderers operate has fundamentally changed, requiring the industry to be much more proactive.
The threat of emerging diseases and the threat of cross-species disease transmission and pandemic opportunities in the global health environment have now been well publicized. The influenza virus has received major attention, but the list of potential health concerns requires a much longer list.
The majority of emerging infectious diseases including bioterrorist agents are zoonotic, a disease of animals that may secondarily be transmitted to man. Over 75 percent of the emerging diseases during the past 25 years are zoonotic. There is an ever-increasing linkage between the family and household pets, which extend beyond the traditional dog and cat to include numerous avian and ornamental aquaculture species. Similarly, modern animal production units with high concentrations of animal populations create increasing concerns for the possible transmission of human possessed infectious agents to those animals.
The occurrence of genetic mutation and enhanced pathogenicity has been well documented for the influenza virus. However, all microbes (bacteria, virus, parasitic, and mycotic) are not to be excluded from possessing those capabilities. Thus, zoonotic medicine is an evolving study requiring constant surveillance and biomedical research that integrates both human and animal health. The Animal Co-Products Research and Education Center, which the Fats and Proteins Research Foundation founded in 2004, is now poised to be a great asset in providing the research needs in validating the rendering process and other feed/food safety issues.
Animal fats have become increasingly important to the nation’s energy future. Rendered and recycled cooking and restaurant grease makes up approximately one-third of the U.S. fats and plant oil production, energy sources that have become important in biodiesel production and burner fuel alternatives. The rendering industry is now providing resources to the feed, oleochemical, and energy market sector. Should zoonotic and foreign animal disease threats emerge, safe containment and processing of infected tissues become a necessity. In reality, the rendering industry becomes an asset to the one-health concept.
There are over 38,000 animals that cross U.S. borders every day along with innumerable humans from all segments of the world and a multitude of varying environments. Enormous stakes have evolved as the one-world reference clearly applies to both human and animal health. The veterinary profession and its organizations are heavily involved in an engagement to integrate public health professionals worldwide to resolve the challenges that remain and emerge.
Dr. Ron DeHaven is the new AVMA executive vice president. He is former administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service who provided leadership and resolve following the news of the first bovine spongiform encephalopathy case and subsequent few cases diagnosed in the United States. DeHaven is now poised to coordinate with a One Health Initiative Task Force of veterinarians, physicians, and public health officials in presenting a seamless front and powerful network to protect human and animal health in a small world. The “one world, one health, one medicine” role taken by the medical professions provide further resolve in this country’s protection of human and animal health.
Dr. Pearl is past president and technical services director of the Fats and Proteins Research Foundation.
Tech Topics - February 2008 Render