Outfoxing a Rash: Clinical Example of Human–Wildlife Interaction

Abstract

Increasing human–wildlife contact can manifest in a variety of clinical conditions that may be overlooked by both human health and veterinary professionals. We report on an outbreak of scabies infection in a community, affecting both animals and humans, and representing the effects of an emerging infectious disease in a wildlife population. These cases underscore the potential importance of “animal sentinel” events for human, animal, and ecosystem health. The treatment given to the human cases of infection ranged from aggressive therapy to watchful waiting, with similar outcomes. There is a need for further collaborative, evidence-based research by human and veterinary health professionals into the optimal treatment and prevention of infections resulting from cross-species transmission.