Swine flu is a hybrid strain of influenza that derived from our piggy pals and feathered friends. There are actually over two hundred diseases that can be passed between animals and humans. Zoonosis presents a public health challenge. And we brought it on ourselves.
Humans are inherently lazy. Running amuck in the dense forest, scavenging for berries and meaty game was hard work, especially in the era when there wasn’t a cold one to wash away the sweat of the day. We created farms. Since, quaint depictions of barned rural life have dappled our art, been craved by cement city dwellers and pedestalled as a safe, gentler life. However domestication of wildlife, animals that live under human provision and control, who literally share their lives with us, also share their nasty bacteria. Zoonotic diseases have become increasingly prevalent, with mild to deadly effects.
We are a ferel population… we breed. We can no longer sustain our own growth. Bulging high-rise cities burden our over-toiled rural fields. Why are apples from Chili shipped to Toronto… aren’t Chileans hungry? Economics. We privileged slickers pay big bucks for golden treats ripened in chugging diesel smog. Transportation of fruity numnums comes with an additional price… little nasty buggie-boos hitch a free ride on our tin guzzlers.
Let’s just face it. We have thrown world balance completely out of order. We penned livestock. Got sick. Created antibiotics to counter. We live longer. Need more food. Transport nourishment from other countries. Microbes mutate. We genetically modify our animals… survival is a vicious cycle. Despite both these deadly adapting globetrotting microbes and the irony that everything we create for our own convenience kills us, we humans still survive… too much.
Suffering from people over-population, the earth also does her best to re-balance the scales by ever-concocting a toxic brew of poxes to push back upon us. It is just the nature of life. Everything wants to survive. Even bacteria. Really our self-perpetuated problems won’t go away. We want to live, inspite of the cost of living. So next time, don’t act all up-in-arms horrified when health authorities cry “pandemic!” Take a look at where your fruit comes from and realize we bit into the forbidden a long, long time ago…
How do you like them apples?
Tangled Web of Wilbur the Pig
The domestic pig originates from the Eurasian wild boar. Scientists sequenced mitochondrial DNA and nuclear genes from wild and domestic pigs from Asia and Europe. Clear evidence was obtained for domestication to have occurred independently from wild boar subspecies in Europe and Asia. The time since divergence of the ancestral forms was estimated at ~500,000 years, well before domestication ~9,000 years ago. Historical records indicate that Asian pigs were introduced into Europe during the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Fun Fact:
Domestication dates back! There is early evidence of us beekeeping, in the form of rock paintings, dating back to 13,000 BC.
Brucellosis (Brucella spp.): A bacterial disease associated with farm animals and dogs.
Campylobacteriosis (Campylobacter spp.): A bacterial disease associated with cats, dogs, farm animals and improper food preparation.
Cat Scratch Disease or cat scratch fever (Bartonella henselae): A bacterial disease associated with cat scratches and bites.
Cryptococcosis (Cryptococcus spp.): A fungal disease associated with wild birds, especially pigeon droppings.
Cryptosporidiosis (Cryptosporidium spp.): A parasitic disease associated with cats, dogs, and farm animals.
Escherichia coli O157:H7: A bacterial disease associated with cattle and improper food preparation.
Giardiasis (Giardia lamblia): A parasitic disease associated with various animals and water.
Hantavirus (Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome): A rare viral disease associated with wild mice.
Herpes B (Herpesvirus 1): A viral disease associated with Macaque monkeys.
Histoplasmosis (Histoplasma spp.): A fungal disease associated with bat guano (stool).
Hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum, Ancylostoma braziliense, Uncinaria stenocephals): A parasitic disease associated with dogs and their environment.
Leishmaniasis (Leishmania spp.): A parasitic disease associated with dogs and sand flies.
Leptospirosis (Leptospira spp.): A bacterial disease associated with livestock, dogs, rodents, wildlife and contaminated water .
Lyme Disease (Borrelia burgdorferi Infection): A bacterial disease associated with dogs and ticks.
Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis: A viral disease associated with rodents such as rats, guinea pigs and house mice.
Monkeypox: A viral disease recently suspected to be associated with prairie dogs, Gambian rats, and rabbits.
Plague (Yersinia pestis): A rare bacterial disease associated with wild rodents, cats, and fleas.
Psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci): A bacterial disease associated with pet birds, including parrots and parakeets.
Q fever (Coxiella burnetti): A bacterial disease associated with cattle, sheep, goats, dogs and cats
Rabies: A viral disease associated with mammals, including dogs, cats, horses, and wildlife.
Raccoon roundworm Infection (Baylisascaris procyonis): A parasitic disease associated with raccoons.
Ringworm (Microsporum spp. and Trichophyton spp.): A fungal disease associated with mammals including dogs, cats, horses and farm animals.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (Rickettsia rickettsii) : A rickettsial disease associated with dogs and ticks.
Roundworm (Toxocara canis, T. cati and Toxocaris leonina): A parasitic disease associated with cats, dogs and their environment.
Salmonellosis (Salmonella spp.): A bacterial disease associated with reptiles, birds, dogs, cats, horses, farm animals, and improper food preparation.
Tapeworm Infection (Dipylidium caninum): A parasite associated with flea infections in cats and dogs.
Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii): A parasitic disease associated with cats and their environment.
Tuberculosis or TB (Mycobacterium tuberculosis): A bacterial disease associated with deer, elk, bison and cattle.
Tularemia (Francisella tularensis): A bacterial disease associated with sheep and wildlife, especially rodents and rabbits.
West Nile Virus: A viral disease spread by mosquitoes which can affect birds, horses, and other mammals.
Yersiniosis (Yersinia enterocolitica): A bacterial disease associated with dogs, cats, and farm animals. Also associated with improper preparation of chitterlings.
