Unit information: Wildlife Diseases and Integrated Health in 2020/21

Unit name	Wildlife Diseases and Integrated Health
Unit code	VETSM0036
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	. Eisler
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Bristol Veterinary School
Faculty	Faculty of Health Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

This unit will provide an introduction to basic concepts in wildlife diseases, their impacts and possible control. Focusing primarily on infectious diseases of wildlife, students will study transmission and epidemiology of their aetiological agents and learn about pathological and immunological responses in their hosts. Students will have opportunity to learn in depth about diseases such as tuberculosis in Cape buffalo and white tailed deer, brucellosis in bison and elk, foot and mouth disease in gazelle, European bat lyssavirus, avian influenza in wildfowl, chronic wasting disease in deer, morbilliviruses in lions, cetaceans and seals, coronavirus in cheetahs, chytridiomycosis in amphibians and Pseudogymnoascus destructans in bats. They will learn about the impact of diseases on wildlife individuals and populations, the importance of One Health (the nexus of wildlife,domestic animal,human and environmental health) in the context of wildlife at the human and domestic animal interface, and the role of wildlife in relation to emergence of important diseases of livestock and zoonoses such as Ebola and COVID-19 impacting on sustainable development and global health. Similarly they will have opportunity to study the effects of human activities including agriculture and other forms of habitat destruction, globalisation, international travel and climate change on the health of wildlife populations and the roles of international organisations, legislation and processes in regulating and influencing the transmission of infectious diseases of among wild animals, domestic animals and humans. Students will also develop skills enabling them to communicate key topics relating to wildlife disease and One Health to fellow professionals, policy makers and the public.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On completion of the unit, students will be able to: -

1. Summarise the natural history of infectious diseases of wildlife, including transmission, epidemiology, pathology, immunology and control.
2. Discuss the importance of wildlife at the human and domestic animal interface in relation to the emergence of livestock and zoonotic diseases, and ‘One Health’.
3. Explain the effects of human activities including environmental modification, agriculture, globalisation and climate change on the health of wildlife populations.
4. Appraise the role of international organisations, legislation and processes in regulating and influencing the transmission of infectious diseases of among wild animals, domestic animals and humans.
5. Communicate key topics relating to wildlife disease and One Health to a range of stakeholders including fellow professionals, policy makers and the public.

Teaching Information

Knowledge and understanding will be developed by following a structured syllabus, evaluating directed reading, and by engaging in problem-solving exercises. The unit will be taught through online material, including practical work, tutorials, student assignments and interactive discussions. Online lectures and tutorials will be delivered by researchers who are experts in the relevant fields. During this unit students will work in groups to design a presentation on an allocated wildlife health-related topic to be delivered to, and discussed with, their peers.

Assessment Information

The student's performance on this unit will be assessed through two in‑course assignments (each worth 50% of the overall mark):

(i) A policy brief covering an important wildlife disease topic, and

(ii) A public information poster on the same or a similar topic.

Reading and References

The following are some examples of recommended texts. Other textbooks or references may be suggested by individual tutors during their teaching sessions.

• Botzler, Richard G., Richard N. Brown (2014). Foundations of Wildlife Diseases. University of California Press. ISBN-13: 978-0520276093
• Kaplan, B., Kahn, L.H. and Monath, T.P. (Eds) (2009). One Health - One Medicine: linking human, animal and environmental health. Veterinaria Italiana 45(1) Jan-Mar 2009 (218pp). ISBN 88-901726-0-1. Online ISSN 1828-1427.
• OIE Terrestrial animal health code. Volumes I & II, 2015. http://www.oie.int/international-standard-setting/terrestrial-code/access-online/
• Osofsky, S.A., Cleaveland, S., Karesh, W.B., Kock, M.D., Nyhus, P.J., Starr, L. and Yang, A. (Eds). (2005). Conservation and Development Interventions at the Wildlife/Livestock Interface: Implications for Wildlife, Livestock and Human Health. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. xxxiii + 220pp. ISBN: 2-8317-0864-8.
• Wobeser, Gary A. (Editor) (2005). Essentials of Disease in Wild Animals. John Wiley & Sons; ISBN-13: 978-0813805894.