VET361 Systemic and Serious Infectious Diseases

During the course in Systemic and Severe Infectious Diseases, students will learn about the serious, acute, and common systemic infectious and non-infectious diseases affecting animals. Diseases that are serious but not systemic will also be covered. The subject bridges from the organ blocks and will revisit important systemic and/or severe diseases that primarily affect one organ, such as rabies. Students will learn about the agents, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical and pathological manifestations, diagnostics, and control of all these diseases. Students will also learn about common poisonings in dogs, cats, and horses, along with their symptoms and pathogenesis.

The organized teaching consists of lectures, group tasks, seminars, casework, practical work, and work with case studies. Additionally, time is allocated for self-study so that students have time to work with the material. The subject will cover all animal species, and each will be studied separately. This is a change from the organ blocks.

The subject forms the foundation for understanding diseases and is a prerequisite for further studies in clinical education at Level 3.

KNOWLEDGE:

After completing the course, students should be able to explain regulations, defense mechanisms, and important principles within the etiology, pathogenesis, clinical and pathological manifestations, diagnostics, and treatment of a selection of systemic and severe infectious conditions in mammals, poultry, fish, and poisoning.

Students should, from the regulations that govern veterinary activities, be able to:

• Be familiar with the main features of the regulations governing veterinary practice, including the Food Act.
• Be familiar with the regulations that form the framework for the control of infectious diseases in animals and zoonotic infections.
• Be familiar with emergency procedures, reporting obligations, and principles for handling and combating serious/exotic infections in livestock and farmed fish.
• Be familiar with the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and its organization, management of regulations using regulatory instruments, as well as cooperation with the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (VKM) and the use of risk assessments.

Students should, from the disease learning section of the course, be able to:

• Explain the main content of the rules for registration and reporting of infectious diseases (listed diseases).
• Be familiar with the relevant characteristics of agents (microorganisms and parasites) that can cause infectious and serious systemic diseases in fish, birds, and land mammals.
• Explain, clarify, and recognize the pathogenesis, clinical signs, and pathological findings of serious infectious diseases.
• Explain and describe methods for laboratory diagnostics of serious infectious diseases and non-infectious systemic disorders.
• Describe the most typical clinical signs and pathological findings of major exotic diseases and explain their significance as imported diseases to Norway.
• Explain specific infections in patients with compromised immune systems.
• Be familiar with microbiological analytical methods.
• Explain the principles of diagnostics when suspecting serious systemic diseases.
• Be familiar with the indications for and principles of sample collection for microbiological analysis in the case of suspected infectious and severe systemic diseases, as well as the transport of such samples to the microbiological laboratory.
• Be familiar with the principles of treatment and management of serious infectious diseases, including principles for culling, disinfection, potential individual treatment, and the choice of antimicrobial agents, both in clinical practice, at the farm level, and on regional and national levels.
• Explain the diagnostics, handling, and management of infectious and severe systemic diseases:
  • Explain sample collection, submission, and interpretation of laboratory test results for serious infectious diseases.

Students should, from the poisoning section of the course, be able to:

• Be familiar with terms used to describe poisoning.
• Explain general principles for diagnosis and treatment in cases of suspected poisoning in horses and small animals.
• Be familiar with the most commonly occurring poisonings in small animals and horses, and how they are treated.
• Be familiar with where to find more detailed information on poisoning and its treatment in small animals and horses.

SKILLS:

After completing the course, students should be able to:

• Fill out a requisition with appropriate clinical/epidemiological information in case of suspicion of a listed disease.
• Practice clinical investigation of serious infectious diseases and systemic diseases through case studies and case reports.
• Know virological diagnostic methods on fish after field post-mortem examination.
• Collect sample material for detecting pathogens during field post-mortem examination of fish when suspecting a listed disease.
• Demonstrate proper infection control during field post-mortem examination.
• Interpret results, manage, and handle cases effectively.
• Discuss case studies and case reports in groups.
• Respond to written tasks related to case studies in a clear and structured manner.

GENERAL COMPETENCE:

After completing the course, the student should be better able to:

• Reflect on their own learning process.
• Identify their own academic strengths and weaknesses in the subject area.
• Apply and seek new knowledge independently.

EAEVE D1C

1.1; 1.10; 1.11; 1.12; 1.16; 1.17; 1.18; 1.19; 1.20; 1.21; 1.22; 1.23; 1.24; 1.25; 1.26; 1.29; 1.33; 1.37; 1.38.