Animal Husbandry Practices and Perceptions of Zoonotic Infectious Disease Risks Among Livestock Keepers in a Rural Parish of Quito, Ecuador

Christopher Lowenstein Divisions of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, Berkeley, California.

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William F. Waters Institute for Research in Health and Nutrition, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador.

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Amira Roess Department of Global Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia.

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Jessica H. Leibler Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.

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Jay P. Graham Public Health Institute, Oakland, California.

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Abstract

Small-scale livestock production plays an essential role as a source of income and nutrition for households in low- and middle-income countries, yet these practices can also increase risk of zoonotic infectious diseases, especially among young children. To mitigate this risk, there is a need to better understand how livestock producers perceive and manage risks of disease transmission. Twenty semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted with small-scale livestock producers in a semirural parish of Quito, Ecuador. Interviews explored livestock-raising practices, including animal health-care practices and use of antimicrobials, family members' interactions with livestock and other animals, and perceptions of health risk associated with these practices and activities. Interviews were analyzed for common themes. Awareness of zoonotic disease transmission was widespread, yet few study participants considered raising livestock a significant health risk for themselves or their families. Several study households reported handling and consuming meat or poultry from sick or dead animals and using animal waste as a fertilizer on their crops. Households typically diagnosed and treated their sick animals, occasionally seeking treatment advice from employees of local animal feed stores where medications, including antimicrobials, are available over the counter. Despite a basic understanding of zoonotic disease risk, this study identified several factors, such as the handling and consumption of sick and dead animals and purchasing medications for sick animals over the counter, that potentially increase the risk of zoonotic disease transmission as well as the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Author Notes

* Address correspondence to Jay P. Graham, Public Health Institute, 555 12th Street, 10th Floor, Oakland, CA 94607. E-mail: jay.graham@phi.org

Financial support: Christopher Lowenstein, William F. Waters, Amira Roess and Jessica H. Leibler received no outside financial support for their work on this study. The efforts of Jay P. Graham were funded by HHS National Institutes of Health (NIH) (K01 TW 009484).

Authors' addresses: Christopher Lowenstein, University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, Berkeley, CA, E-mail: chris.lowenstein@berkeley.edu. William F. Waters, Institute for Research in Health and Nutrition, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador, E-mail: wwaters@usfq.edu.ec. Amira Roess, Department of Global Health, School of Public Health and Health Services, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, E-mail: aroess@gwu.edu. Jessica H. Leibler, Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, E-mail: jleibler@bu.edu. Jay P. Graham, Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA, E-mail: jay.graham@phi.org.

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