Biology Reference
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habitats is inevitable. Therefore, it is critical to monitor for diseases transmis-
sible by birds, as well as other free-ranging animals or insects that may come
into contact with zoo animals.
For H5N1 avian influenza viruses, it is especially important for zoological
institutions to be prepared. Current H5N1 vaccines have not been validated
in exotic species and, since no set of standards currently exists for the future
transport or release of vaccinated animals, the vaccine is not being offered to
zoological institutions in the United States. Because of this, zoos will need
to rely on maximum biosecurity measures balanced with the welfare of the
animals (Redrobe 2007). This makes surveillance for H5N1 avian influenza
viruses all the more critical for zoological institutions.
5.4.2 Creation of the System
In January 2006, LPZ hosted the National Avian Flu Surveillance Planning
Meeting for Zoos. Organized and hosted by Dominic Travis, Vice President
of Conservation and Science at LPZ, and Tracey McNamara, Professor
of Pathology, Western University of Health Sciences, the 4-day meet-
ing brought together representatives from the CDC, the USDA, the U.S.
Department of the Interior (DOI), the AZA, state and local public health
departments, zoo and university researchers, local wildlife experts, and
human health professionals. The group drafted a plan to provide AZA zoos
with standardized guidelines for the collection and testing of samples and
to direct the distribution of data to researchers looking for signs of H5N1
in the United States.
The meeting highlighted the value of establishing a surveillance system
for avian influenza across zoological institutions nationwide. With sup-
port from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS)
and the backing of the AZA, LPZ created the Zoo Animal Health Network
(ZAHN). The first initiative of ZAHN was to draft the USDA APHIS
AZA Management Guidelines for Avian Influenza: Zoological Parks and
Exhibitors, which would lead to the construction of a surveillance system for
avian influenza in AZA institutions across the United States.
Building on the foundation established by the Ungulate Tuberculosis
Monitoring Program and the West Nile Virus Zoological Surveillance
Project, ZAHN is creating the infrastructure for a long-term disease sur-
veillance system across zoological institutions. Though the initial system is
designed to detect avian influenza viruses, it is being built with sufficient
flexibility such that it can be easily and quickly adapted to other diseases of
concern. This is an important aspect of the system given that 60.3% of emerg-
ing infectious disease events between 1940 and 2004 were zoonotic in nature,
and the percentage of the events with wildlife as a source has increased from
43% to 52% over time (Jones et al. 2008). This is likely due to the increase in
human-wildlife contact as the human population and agricultural demands
expand.
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