The zoonosis-prone veterinarian

Abstract

A study of 1,182 Illinois veterinarians revealed that 833 had experienced an accident, and of these 833, 42.7% also had experienced a zoonosis. Brucellosis and animal bites were especially prevalent zoonoses. This percentage differed significantly (P less than 0.01) from the 32.4% of 349 accident-free veterinarians who had experienced zoonoses. The prevalence of zoonoses was even higher (50%) among veterinarians with a history of 3 or more accidents. The prevalence of 16 nonzoonotic health conditions was similar in veterinarians who had experienced an accident and in the total veterinary population, demonstrating a degree of specificity to the accident-zoonosis association. Of the subjects studied, 5.7% had experienced 16.5% of the events, accidents or zoonoses. The subgroup that had experienced 5 or more events and the subgroup that experienced no events differed in many characteristics from the total veterinary population. The biological importance of the characteristics of these veterinarians remains to be determined. The hypothesis was advanced that zoonoses can be considered occupational accidents in veterinarians and that certain veterinarians are zoonosis prone. If true, this hypothesis also might apply to certain communicable diseases in the general human population.