Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) - Ecology of Zoonotic Diseases BVSC 4000   Ecology of Zoonotic Diseases
CREDIT HOURS: 3
Wild animals have always been valued as part of the natural world, and domestic animals as a source of food, fibre, work and companionship. That has not changed, but we now know that we and other animals share a microbial world, and that many of those microbes are pathogenic and are evolving to include humans as host. Most emerging infectious diseases are animal origin, known as zoonoses. Avian flu, Swine flu, HIV, SARS, West Nile and others, have spilled over from animal reservoirs to humans. Many zoonotic diseases and human pathogens result from our intimate contacts with domesticated animals, a process that has continued since the early days of domestication. What is the relationship among humans, non-human animals, and the environment we have in part created? What do we predict will happen over the next few decades? The purpose of this course is to better understand and attempt to answer these questions by examining the ecology of zoonotic diseases.
NOTES: Winter semester
FORMAT: Lecture
PREREQUISITES: ANSC 3001