Zoonoses in rural veterinarians in the central region of Argentina

Objective: To estimate the frequency of zoonoses in rural veterinarians and to search for risk factors.

Design: Cross-sectional study based on an anonymously answered structured questionnaire.

Setting: The interviewees participated in mandatory continuing education classes scheduled throughout the province by the College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Participants: Overall, 741 professionals were surveyed, and 75.8% (n = 562) of them completed the structured questionnaire.

Main outcome measures: Cumulative incidence (CIR) and incidence density (IDR) rates, standardised rates, χ(2) , Student's t-test, Pearson's correlation coefficient and logistic regression.

Results: The CIR for all zoonoses was 34.1% (brucellosis, 29.1%; toxoplasmosis, 2.1%; leptospirosis, 0.6%; tuberculosis, 0.6%; anthrax, 0.6%; ringworm, 0.4%; other, 0.6%). The IDR for the period 1964-2008 was estimated to be 20.7% (19.5% for brucellosis). The brucellosis IDR decreased between 1964 and 2008 and was higher during early post-graduation. The risk of brucellosis was associated with the number of years of practice and the geographical area. Sixty-nine respondents had at least one day of absence from work (24.0 ± 27.8 days).

Conclusions: A high frequency of zoonoses was reported by veterinarians with a large animal practice. Although the rate of zoonoses may be decreasing, further studies are needed to confirm this finding. A joint effort of all institutions is needed to prevent zoonoses among private practitioners.