MOUNT SINAI JOURNAL OF MEDICINE 76:419–420, 2009 419

THEME INTRODUCTION

Zoonotic Infections:An Emerging Threat to Human Health

Stephanie H. Factor, MD, MPH, and Mary E. Klotman, MD

Division of Infectious Diseases, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY

In the spring of 2007, Dr. Paul Klotman, Chair ofthe Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai Schoolof Medicine, proposed that a new course be devel-oped for the Master of Public Health Program. Heenvisioned a course that used a global health per-spective to introduce students to the public healthissues associated with emerging zoonotic infections.The idea was his alone; an appropriate textbookcould not be found. His request was in the context ofa marked shift in the focus and expansion of interna-tional efforts at Mount Sinai through the creation ofthe Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute.

Although the term global health is frequentlyused, it has not been well defined. In order tostandardize language, the Consortium of Universitiesfor Global Health Executive Board in June 2009defined global health as follows:

An area for study, research, and practice that placesa priority on improving health and achieving equityin health for all people worldwide. Global healthemphasizes transnational health issues, determinants,and solutions; involves many disciplines withinand beyond the health sciences and promotesinterdisciplinary collaboration; and is a synthesisof population-based prevention with individual-levelclinical care.1

They compared this to international health,which most often is used to refer to varioushealth experiences abroad, often in resource-limited

Address Correspondence to:

Stephanie H. FactorDivision of Infectious DiseasesMount Sinai School of Medicine

New York, NYEmail: stephanie.factor@

exchange.mssm.edu

countries, historically a focus among the trainees atMount Sinai School of Medicine. Given the dramaticgrowth of basic and translational sciences at theinstitution that could affect health worldwide, thetime had come to broaden the agenda.

Although global health encompasses a lot ofareas, the emphasis on emerging pathogens high-lights unique strengths at Mount Sinai in viraldiseases. Of the over 350 emerging infectious dis-eases from 1940 to 2004, over 60% are consideredzoonoses, human pathogens that originate from ananimal source. The majority of zoonoses have arisenfrom wildlife as opposed to domestic animals. Thepercentage of zoonoses arising from wildlife hasincreased over this time.2 Factors promoting theemergence of disease include ecological changes,such as those due to agricultural or economic devel-opment or anomalies in climate; human demographicchanges and behavior; travel and commerce; technol-ogy and industry; microbial adaptation and change;and breakdown of public health measures. The inter-play of these factors leading to recent worldwideoutbreaks is best exemplified by 3 viral diseases: theentrance of human immunodeficiency virus 1 intohumans, the rapid spread of severe acute respira-tory syndrome, and the recent spread of PandemicInfluenza (H1N1) 09.

The Institute of Global Health and EmergingPathogens at Mount Sinai has chosen a unique focuson the interplay between ecosystems and the emer-gence of zoonoses. To enhance the training of futureinvestigators in this area, a course was developedfor public health students. Rather than providingan in-depth review of zoonotic pathogens, as isoften presented to medical students, or exhaustivelydescribing modes of transmission of disease fromanimals to humans, the course involves a panel ofexperts who share their experiences in transnationaldeterminants, treatments, and prevention of zoonoticdiseases on the population and individual levels.

Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).DOI:10.1002/msj.20141

2009 Mount Sinai School of Medicine

420 S. H. FACTOR AND M. E. KLOTMAN: THEME INTRODUCTION–ZOONOTIC INFECTIONS

This issue is a collection of papers presented ator inspired by the 2008 class ‘‘MPH 010: Zoonoses:An Emerging Public Health Issue’’ given for theMount Sinai School of Medicine’s Master of PublicHealth Program and cosponsored by the GlobalHealth and Emerging Pathogens Institute. The authorscome from many disciplines: history, classics, publichealth, human medicine, veterinary medicine, andepidemiology. Their work spans the globe. Theyaddress both known and recently identified diseases.They are advocates of both human and nonhumananimal health. They speak of the transmission ofdisease by age-old practices, such as hunting, andthe transmission of disease by ‘‘of the moment’’exposures, such as xenotransplantation and highlymechanized food preparation. This volume is not a

compilation of all that is important in understandingthe emergence of zoonotic disease. It is a look atdisease with a whole new set of eyes.

DISCLOSURES

Potential conflict of interest: Nothing to report.

REFERENCES

1. Koplan JP, Bond TC, Merson MH, et al. Towards acommon definition of global health. Lancet 2009; 373:1993–1995.

2. Jones KE, Patel NG, Levy MA, et al. Global trendsin emerging infectious diseases. Nature 2008; 451:990–993.

DOI:10.1002/MSJ