Dermatophytosis in wild eastern cottontail rabbits: A one health investigation

Can you imagine a study where no eastern cottontail rabbits tested positive for dermatophytes? You'll be astounded when our expert guests, Siobhan Meadows and Sam Sander, reveal the unexpected findings from a unique study at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine's Wildlife Medical Clinic. Together, they shed light on the crucial importance of studying common wildlife species to understand ecosystem health, human impact, and biosecurity concerns. We also focus on the repercussions of pet interactions with wildlife, an area often overlooked, but of considerable public health significance.

We'll share how a dash of humor and supportive family and mentors help in overcoming challenges. As we put the pieces together, much like completing a puzzle with mischievous pets around, we conclude with a gratifying chat with Sam and Siobhan about their recent open-access article in AJVR, and the sheer joy of sharing their research with the world. So, come along for this enlightening escapade through the realms of veterinary research and personal growth.

Full article: https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.23.09.0211

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Transcript

Sarah Wright: 0:00

You're listening to Veterinary Vertex, a podcast of the AVMA Journals. In this episode we chat about Dermatophytosis in Eastern cottontail rabbits with our guest Siobhan Meadows and Sam Sander.

Lisa Fotier: 0:18

Today we have Siobhan and Sam joining us. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us here today.

Sarah Wright: 0:29

Siobhan, can you share with our listeners what they can expect from your AJVR article?

Siobhan Meadows: 0:34

Absolutely. This was a study conducted through the Wildlife Medical Clinic at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Over a year we sampled incoming free range Eastern cottontail rabbits for dermatophytes. In total, we collected 121 samples which were plated and analyzed by the Dermatology Service at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Overall, I think this is a pretty remarkable collaborative effort. It included the participation of many of our student volunteers in the Wildlife Medical Clinic, as well as staff and faculty in both zoo and dermatology services at the college.

Sarah Wright: 1:10

Yeah, it's excellent. It's definitely an important topic and something that I know a lot of people are interested in, so we're really happy that you're sharing this with our listeners today. Sam, what were some of the important insights from this article?

Sam Sander: 1:21

So to me this article is a really great opportunity to start a conversation on dermatophytosis and other diseases of concern in really common wildlife like the cottontail. So often research is kind of directed toward domestic animals or wild animals who are in desperate need of conservation, and I agree those species need our help and I am in no way trying to downplay the impacts of that research in the health and welfare of those species. However, we can garner so much information from looking at these common wildlife species, especially in terms of ecosystem health, disease prevalence and the impact of humans on these populations. We can use that information to extrapolate to other species who maybe are more difficult to study. I'm really proud of the work we did here in this initial investigation and look forward to continued conversations and future projects within this vein.

Lisa Fotier: 2:12

Yeah, thank you so much, Sam, for sharing all that really important information. You're right, we don't do enough studies for our wildlife species. What particularly sparked your research interest in dermatophytosis in rabbits, particularly in wildlife rabbits?

Sam Sander: 2:28

Yeah, so cottontail rabbits are one of the most frequent species that present to the Wildlife Medical Clinic at the University of Illinois every year. We know many of the rabbits that present to the Wildlife Clinic are coming in after some sort of interaction with a family member, be that a pet or a person, it doesn't really matter. They're part of your family and they're coming into contact with this animal. We also know dermatophytosis can be zoonotic, spreading from animals to infect people or from animals to infect another animal, and dermatophytosis has been documented in wild rabbits in other countries as well as we know it's in the domestic population. So for pets and lab rabbits as well. Despite this risk, the prevalence of dermatophytosis in cottontails in North America, or even just in Illinois, is really poorly studied. So, taking this information, Siobhan stewarded this project from start to finish, which allowed us to investigate the prevalence of dermatophytosis in the population of cottontails that presented to our clinic and garnered some great hands-on opportunities for both her and her classmates along the way.

Lisa Fotier: 3:29

Yeah, you're really talking about one health here, right, yeah, which is super important, and I'm sure all of us on the call have had siblings or friends, other people that are like, oh, we found this little rabbit isn't this cute, and you're just like, oh no, put it back.

Sam Sander: 3:46

Please don't rub it up against your face, yeah there's definitely a lot of conversations we have with the finders or the people who bring in animals to the wildlife clinic about not only how we can help that animal, but also what risks they've kind of assumed by trying to help in the first place and how to help them help themselves as well. So this was a way for us to get some more information to be able to do that.

Lisa Fotier: 4:11

Yeah, prevalence is important. Siobhan is a student. What inspired you to write this article?

Siobhan Meadows: 4:18

Yeah, so kind of along that same train of thought. Biosecurity and public health are such huge topics of interest, especially in veterinary medicine. So for those that work with these wildlife species, we know that these animals come through adores potentially carrying zoonotic diseases, and this poses a risk not only to the clinic staff but the finders, who are typically well-meaning individuals who've made it their mission to seek help for injured wildlife they found. So if the public is bringing us wildlife to care for, then we're partly responsible for making sure that we do what we can to make that process as safe as possible for our finders. That includes investigating potential zoonotic disease that everyone who comes into contact with these animals may contract. Something else that we consider is motivation for this study, where the pet interactions with wildlife and the health concerns for the pets and their owners from those interactions.

Sarah Wright: 5:10

So, Siobhan, what was the most surprising insight from this article?

Siobhan Meadows: 5:14

So, as far as we're aware, this is the first time that wild eastern cotton tails were investigated as a source of dermatophytes in the United States.

Siobhan Meadows: 5:23

Previous studies on the topic, which were performed primarily in European countries, showed that there was a presence of dermatophytes in their wild rabbits and hares. One of these studies out of Italy found dermatophytes in 26.4% of the wild rabbits they sampled, all of which were asymptomatic, with no skin lesions. So after reviewing the literature, we thought we would find a prevalence of dermatophytes in the eastern cotton tails and that we routinely get through the wildlife clinic. To our surprise, not a single rabbit we sampled tested positive. So it's possible that, since we sampled a small portion of the entire population, there is still prevalence in central Illinois that we didn't catch, though I think it's unlikely to be high as we would have expected to have seen some positive cultures. We also saw that 29% of our sample eastern cotton tails were presented because of an interaction with a dog or a cat. So even though we didn't find evidence of dermatophytosis in central Illinois population, there's still concern that other zoonotic diseases, when it comes to pet interactions, are an issue. Take Tuileremia, for example.

Sarah Wright: 6:28

Yes, it's definitely really interesting. I found it surprising too. When I first read it I was like wow, it really wasn't that high. And I don't know if you knew Siobhan, but I actually volunteered for seven years at the Wildlife Medical Clinic between undergrad and vet school, so it was definitely really, really intrigued because there is so much zoonotic potential.

Lisa Fotier: 6:44

So it's also important. Right, it's a negative finding, but it's important to publish that as well. Hey, we didn't find it, which doesn't mean they're as you said, siobhan, very elegantly. There are other concerns, but maybe you know. Just this isn't a big one when presented to the Wildlife Clinic.

Siobhan Meadows: 7:03

Yeah, and I think publishing negative research or negative results is just as important, as you know, those with really high impact findings, because it's something to consider when we look at these diseases.

Sarah Wright: 7:18

Yeah, we're actually just talking about that with another person that we had on the podcast. So really, really important, and we're glad that you guys again show us, show us information with the AJVR, and so our listeners were just joining us. We're currently chatting with Sam and Siobhan about dramatic mitosis in eastern continental rabbits. So, Siobhan, how has your advanced training prepared you to write this article?

Siobhan Meadows: 7:41

Yeah, so just a little background. I am currently rotating intern now, but during my undergraduate education I was able to participate in a few of my instructor's research labs. I also was able to work with geographical information systems and prepare remote sensing data through a grant with one of my professors in the Department of Homeland Security for a marine sciences institution in North Carolina. So those experiences gave me a really keen interest in pursuing research myself. So by the time I entered veterinary school at the University of Illinois, I was ready and willing to look for more research opportunities, and I've definitely experienced more research in veterinary school than anywhere previously, from reading research articles all the way to planning and executing my own study. I'm also very thankful to have had mentors who were able to support me through each aspect of this particular study, while still giving me the opportunity to really make this project my own from start to finish.

Sarah Wright: 8:35

Yeah, great mentorships are really important. Sam actually helped me with my first manuscript so I remember it was about clownfish and brought it to her office and was like how do I submit this? Yeah, no, good mentors are excellent.

Siobhan Meadows: 8:50

Yes, I couldn't have done any of this without Dr. Sander and Dr. Sosa, so I'm so always thankful for them.

Sarah Wright: 8:59

And Sam, I know that you've had a lot of advanced training too. How is your advanced training prepared you to help Siobhan with this manuscripts?

Sam Sander: 9:07

Yeah. So when I was in veterinary school I knew I wanted to be a zoo veterinarian and I kind of was be lined on that path for a very long time. And in my training after veterinary school I did two internships through your residency before finding my way to zoo position. And it was in that path that I also discovered a true enjoyment for research as well as teaching. And it was as I realized my professional goals as a zoo veterinarian that I realized that it was more than that. It wasn't just the zoo clinics that I wanted to do. It was that I wanted to engage in the research, that I wanted to have that mentorship and that teaching capacity in my professional life as well.

Sam Sander: 9:54

All of that together brought me back to the University of Illinois where I currently teach, and so through my training I've been exposed to research in a number of different ways, from studying for boards and learning all that there is there to contributing to that research and through my own projects, collaborating with colleagues along the way. And now really I see my role as helping students be able to work through their projects on their own and helping guide them through this kind of nebulous, sometimes very challenging, sometimes very intimidating space. But you know, in each phase of my life whether it was creating my initial research projects, whether that was learning from all that was there as I was studying for boards, to where I am now, where I'm helping more with the mentorship aspect of things I think I've learned something new about the process each step of the way and I just continue to find it really interesting and really engaging the way that we can exist in this world in from so many different facets and kind of explore research differently from different perspectives as your career kind of grows.

Sarah Wright: 10:59

I totally agree. I definitely learned a lot, especially from Lisa in my current role and being on the other side of things, so it's truly amazing, and I did want to put a little plug in. So, siobhan see, we're technically a student when this work was done. We do have our journal awards. I don't know if you've heard of them, but we launched these about two years ago and if you're a student, you can self nominate or have someone nominate you.

Siobhan Meadows: 11:21

Oh, thank you, I'll definitely look into that.

Sarah Wright: 11:23

Yeah, so this next set of questions is really important for our listeners. Siobhan was one piece of information the veterinarian should know before discussing this topic with a client.

Siobhan Meadows: 11:32

Yeah, we touched on it a little bit earlier, but our particular study didn't find evidence and, to do matter, fights in the free ranging Eastern cottontail rabbits in our central Illinois region, but it doesn't mean that it's not present or a potential health concern there or in other regions of the United States. Veterinarians, wildlife clinics and rehabilitators they need to keep this in mind for dermatophytosis and other zoonotic diseases by continuing to practice good biosecurity measures when working with this species and other wildlife species.

Sarah Wright: 12:05

On the other side of the relationship, Sam, what is one piece of information that the client should know about ringworm and Eastern cottontail rabbits?

Sam Sander: 12:14

Well, let me start by acknowledging that we are fortunate at the Wildlife Medical Clinic to have so many throughout the community who are aiding in our mission for wildlife care, and this sentiment echoed across most wildlife rehab facilities throughout the country.

Sam Sander: 12:28

While the animals are typically presenting to wildlife rehabbers because someone from outside the organization found them recognized, there was a concern and advocated for them by bringing them in for care, while wildlife are all around us, it's sometimes really difficult to perceive how separate our worlds can be and to recognize the inherent risks that are assumed when we interact with these wildlife, much like we already discussed.

Sam Sander: 12:48

When you break that down, the community member who is only trying to help is, at some level, inherently putting themselves at risk for illness or injury when they do so.

Sam Sander: 12:57

We're excited that the cottontail population in this study did not have any positive results for dermatophytes, both for its implications and the health of the cottontail population, but also as it provides some comfort to our community that dermatophytosis isn't a disease that is of significant high priority of concern when their pets interact with wild rabbits in central Illinois or when they interact with wild rabbits in central Illinois. That said, there are diseases of concern in this population and interactions with wild cottontails should really be limited only to those situations when it is absolutely necessary. Additionally, many of the rabbits that were treated in the study had a negative interaction with a pet cat or a pet dog, which caused their need for treatment in the first place, and so it serves as a really good reminder that one way that we can advocate for our local wildlife is to make sure our own pets aren't put in a position where they're interacting directly with these animals at the first place.

Lisa Fotier: 13:51

Yeah, really good, take home points. Thank you both. As we start to wind down a little bit, we'd like to learn a little bit more about each of you. So we talk a lot about grit and determination and resilience and all these things and professions in general, but certainly in veterinary medicine. It's a well discussed topic. Siobhan, where does your resilience, inspiration, determination, where does it come from?

Siobhan Meadows: 14:15

So, just for context, I'm hoping to pursue career in aquatic medicine and contribute to the community there by producing further research. I'm fairly certain my inspiration for all of that started in the early 1990s with a little film called Free Willy. I don't know if you've heard of it.

Lisa Fotier: 14:31

Oh yeah.

Siobhan Meadows: 14:32

Yes, I absolutely love that movie. I would watch it nonstop at my grandmother's house in VHS and I think it was just absolutely jealous. I couldn't work with orcas like they did in the movie, so I grew up with that and wanting to work in an around aquatic species all stemming from that, and sometimes during times of difficulty, I just have to bring humor into my life and joke to myself that if a 12 year old kid can sneak a 310 orca out of an aquarium, I think I can make it through this exam. Or now I think I can make it through this intern year. But of course it also doesn't hurt to have the never ending support of my family either. It's a great story and good mentors yes, absolutely, and my mentors.

Lisa Fotier: 15:16

Sam, how about you? Where do you think your resilience or determination comes from?

Sam Sander: 15:20

Well, I think comes from being the second child is what I'm told.

Sam Sander: 15:25

So I think birth order plays a role.

Sam Sander: 15:26

But I think, you know, as I reflect back on my life, there's been an evolution of myself along the way and so I think, you know, at some level I started out as that typically younger child who is going to do it just because somebody said they couldn't Right, and just to just to rise above.

Sam Sander: 15:44

And at some level that evolved to doing something you know, doing the things that I've kind of put my mind to and seeing if I could pose the question, could I pose the challenge and still hit that mark, and no longer was it about the others putting that influence on me, but me putting that influence on myself in this kind of new space that I find myself in my current professional and personal life. I think a lot of it is about the collaborations and helping other people kind of realize their dreams and realize their potential and kind of getting that the spark and the drive to keep pushing forward to be able to help with that collaboration and helping them realize their dreams. It's been really empowering to be back at the university and working with so many students and helping them along their journeys.

Lisa Fotier: 16:29

That's a great answer. I'm the youngest of seven, so I think my resilience came from getting. Nobody was looking where I was. I'm sure there was a headcount at dinner, but that was about it I think mine came from. I got myself into a lot of pickles and so I wouldn't get into trouble. I had to figure out a way to get out of that with nobody. Well, I'm sure they noticed, but I figured out for myself. I couldn't fess up what really not very smart thing I did that day.

Sam Sander: 16:56

My mom said that even as a kid, if I ever got in trouble with a group of kids, she knew that I was the ringleader and she never had to worry that somebody was going to convince me to do something that I didn't want to do. But she did have to worry that maybe I did it myself.

Lisa Fotier: 17:11

Awesome. Sam, even a little bit more personal. What was the first concert you attended?

Sam Sander: 17:22

I don't know that I could tell you that my first concert off the top of my head. But I can tell you that the first music that I owned was a cassette tape of Brian Adams. I had that everything I do I do for you song from Robin Hood, prince of Thieves, which I was absolutely obsessed with as a child, probably, arguably, maybe too young to have seen that movie. But that's okay. I do recognize I'm dating myself by saying my first music was a cassette tape of Brian Adams on it, but I have this very distinct memory of my mom coming home from the grocery store with that as a surprise token.

Lisa Fotier: 17:58

Well, you're dating yourself even more that you bought a cassette tape of the grocery store. That's an awesome answer, Saban, for you. When you put a puzzle together, are you one of those people that start in the middle or the outside and you get super annoyed if somebody impinges on your puzzle.

Siobhan Meadows: 18:18

I'm definitely a puzzle connoisseur. I always start by putting the border together first and then to take it even further as I'm sorting pieces out. All the inside pieces and the piles based on colors are parts of the picture that are really distinctive. It's a pretty much a foolproof methodology, although I will say, my husband tries to help and very frequently he's just told to leave.

Sarah Wright: 18:48

Yeah, I definitely understand that. We actually was talking about this with someone else and I was saying it's like a physical exam. You know where you start nose to tail or vice versa. There's a certain way to do it so you don't miss anything.

Sam Sander: 18:59

Yeah, I have a cat that likes to help put together puzzles, which constantly causes frustration because he's cute, but he's not that cute. Leave my puzzle alone.

Sarah Wright: 19:10

Yeah, during the pandemic, when I was back at my parents' house it was before my rotating started and I was just finishing up fourth year online my cat would actually steal puzzle pieces so she would watch and figure out which ones was the most important or that were being picked up, and then she'd take it in her mouth. We would never see it again. Luckily she didn't eat them, but they were just hidden around the house. Yeah.

Siobhan Meadows: 19:33

I have a very mischievous kitty cat that noticed, when I was about 30 pieces away from completing a 2000 piece puzzle, that maybe I just wanted to try to do it again and absolutely, completely destroyed it. So oh no, okay, I got to do it twice.

Sarah Wright: 19:51

So true, that's true. There you go. See, your resilience is showing there. But just thank you again, Sam and Siobhan, we really appreciate your time today and for your contribution to AJVR.

Sam Sander: 20:04

Absolutely. Thank you for having us and for letting us share our work with a broader community. We're really excited about it.

Siobhan Meadows: 20:13

Yes, had a great time and thank you so much for inviting us on.

Sarah Wright: 20:17

And to our listeners. You can read Sam and Siobhan's open access article on AJVR on our journal's website. I'm Sarah Wright with Lisa Fortier. We want to thank each of you for joining us on this episode of the Veterinary Vertex Podcast. We love sharing cutting edge veterinary research with you and we want to hear from you. Be sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or whatever platform you listen to.