Principles of Animal Disease Control

Catalog description

Principles of disease control based on knowledge of the epidemiology of animal disease. VB SC 403H Principles of Animal Disease Control (3) Animal Health and well being has emerged as a clear concern of society. The general public is concerned about the health and well-being of their companion animals as well as the animals that provide them with portions of their daily diet. The Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak that occurred in Great Britain in the spring of 2001 coming on the heels of increased concern about Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and its possible links to the human disease; variant Creutzfeldt Jacob Disease, resulted in an increased awareness for the potential for animal disease to have adverse effects on society. These effects range from availability of wholesome food products to the zoonotic transmission of diseases between humans and animals.The goal of this course is to introduce students to the principles of animal disease prevention. This requires the student recall relevant background knowledge in biology, nutrition, microbiology and animal husbandry and management. Students will develop an understanding of the complex physiological, biochemical and microbiological mechanisms of importance to the maintenance of health and the prevention of disease.Examples of certain diseases are used to illustrate the application of general principles of disease control. Diseases of world wide importance as discussed in addition to the major diseases of importance to Pennsylvania animal owners. Collectively, the course material should provide animal owners, managers and future animal health professionals with the background to improve the decision making process required to maintain animal health and prevent losses from disease. The inherent, environmental and special factors involved in the maintenance of health and the prevention of disease will be emphasized.