The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, an advocacy group based in Washington, recently formed a committee dedicated to preventing the spread of zoonotic diseases, or those that can be transmitted from animals to people.

“The committee will consist of a team of experts in veterinary medicine, disease and wildlife ecology, and the pet industry,” said Elwyn Segrest, president of PIJAC as well as president of Segrest Farms (Gibsonton, Fla.). “Their work will help build our capacity to prevent zoonotic disease transmission and respond in a timely, effective and ethical manner if disease outbreaks do occur.”

Bill Brant, a member of PIJAC’s board of directors and owner of The Gourmet Rodent Inc. (Archer, Fla.), is chairman of the 19-member committee.

The committee will distribute information about zoonotic diseases through the PIJAC Web site, PIJAC Pet Alerts, trade and consumer magazines, and the popular press.

The committee plans to release an updated salmonella poster and a brochure about preventing avian influenza, and develop an incident response plan modeled after successful military programs.

“It is important that people know how to enjoy their pets safely, whether that pet is a dog, cat or hedgehog,” said Marshall Meyers, executive vice president and general counsel for PIJAC. “It is also critical that our members know that PIJAC can, and will, provide them with credible information on animal disease prevention, to the benefit of their business, the animals and consumers.”

The committee also will take steps to correct inaccurate information often distributed through the media, scientific journals, government agencies and other organizations.

“I’m amazed at the amount of misinformation and its sources,” said Scott Solar, a committee member who owns Amazon Reptile Center stores in Covina and Montclair, Calif. “We were reading an article in the Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases recently that claimed, for example, that bearded dragons are largely imported and are rarely bred in the United States. That’s absolutely not true. And the same federal agency has representatives advising people to clean fish tanks outside to avoid salmonella. That practice wouldn’t protect people or the environment. We need to teach people appropriate hygiene instead.”

Rabies, salmonella and toxoplasmosis are among the most familiar zoonotic diseases transmitted between pets and their owners. However, very rare zoonotic diseases, such as monkeypox, are increasingly in the spotlight.

“By following proper quarantine, sanitation and pest-control practices, providing single-species housing, and learning as much as possible about the needs and potential diseases of each species they work with, pet importers, distributors and retailers can substantially reduce the risk of disease transmission,” said Dr. Jamie K. Reaser, senior science and policy adviser for PIJAC and coordinator of the committee. [July 2007 PET AGE]