Canary Database Project News

Authors: Rabinowitz P, Wiley J, Odofin L, Wilcox M, Dein FJ

Journal: Clinical Toxicology

Volume: 46

Issue: 2

Pages: 93-100

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: The goal of this systematic review was to identify evidence that animals could serve as sentinels of an attack with a chemical terrorism agent. METHODS: The biomedical literature was systematically searched for evidence that wild or domestic animals exposed to certain chemical weapons of terrorism had either greater susceptibility, shorter latency period, or increased exposure risk versus humans. Additionally, we searched for documented reports of such animals historically serving as sentinels for chemical warfare agents. RESULTS: For a small number of agents, there was limited evidence that domestic and/or wild animals could provide sentinel information to humans following an airborne attack with chemical agents, usually related to increased potential for environmental exposure. Some of this evidence was based on anecdotal case reports, and in many cases high quality chemical terrorism agent evidence regarding comparative susceptibility, exposure, and latency between humans and sentinel animal species was not found. CONCLUSION: Currently, there is insufficient evidence for routine use of animals as sentinels for airborne chemical warfare agents. At the same time, Poison Center surveillance systems should include animal calls, and greater communication between veterinarians and physicians could help with preparedness for a chemical terrorism attack. Further analysis of comparative chemical warfare agent toxicity between sentinel animal species and humans is needed.

Article on PubMed

Authors: Rabinowitz P, Odofin L, Dein FJ

Journal: Ecohealth

Volume: 5

Issue: 2

Pages: 224-9

Abstract: Linking human health risk to environmental factors can be a challenge for clinicians, public health departments, and environmental health researchers. While it is possible that nonhuman animal species could help identify and mitigate such linkages, the fields of animal and human health remain far apart, and the prevailing human health attitude toward disease events in animals is an “us vs. them” paradigm that considers the degree of threat that animals themselves pose to humans. An alternative would be the development of the concepts of animals as models for environmentally induced disease, as well as potential “sentinels” providing early warning of both noninfectious and infectious hazards in the environment. For such concepts to truly develop, critical knowledge gaps need to be addressed using a “shared risk” paradigm based on the comparative biology of environment-host interactions in different species.

Article on PubMed

On October 3, 2008, Dr. Rabinowitz presented Surveillance For Human and Animal Disease: Progress and Pitfalls at Princeton University’s Seminar on Biosecurity, Biotechnology and Global Health. View the slides!

We’re happy to announce our first Canary Database Reports podcasts, hosted by Peter and Dan. Episode one features an introduction to the Canary Database, from its origins to its latest features. Episode two features a discussion of our recent paper on Animals as Sentinels of Bioterrorism Agents.

We think that these discussions will be a useful addition to our resources, and we have additional episodes planned in the near future, so stay tuned!

To subscribe to the Canary Database Reports podcast, visit iTunes here or point other podcast catchers right at our podcast feed: podcast.canarydatabase.org/feed.xml.

Let us know what you think!

The Canary Database now attempts to create links to library full text link servers (known in libraries as “OpenURL resolvers”) for many hundreds of libraries. If you’re using the Canary Database from an academic campus, there’s a good chance you’ll see links from articles in our database back to your own library’s online journals. Follow these links to get to full text just like you would any other time you see the link buttons from your library!

We’re not certain, but we think this is the first time a small resource like ours has featured this kind of linking. If you want to know how to add this feature to your own database, contact us and we’ll fill you in.

New at canarydatabase.org is the ability to save records that interest you. Registered users can save any record with a single click, and can save records into different sets however you like. For example, if you’re studying sheep as sentinel animals, and separately preparing a paper on animals as sentinels of bioterrorism, you could create one set for each — “sheep”, and “bioterrorism”, and then save any records you find in the database to one, the other, or both sets. All with just a few quick clicks!

To get started, register for an account using the link at left. Check your email inbox for a verification message, and when you’ve followed its instructions (they’re easy, we promise!), log in to the site.

Now that you’re logged in, you’ll see checkboxes next to all the records you find in the database. Click them to save them… it’s that easy!

To review your saved records, or limit a search to only your saved records, click on the link for My page at left. You’ll be able to see and search your records right there, and from here you can also get started creating sets.

Saving records in sets is just as easy as saving records… click a record you want to save, and your sets will automatically be listed right there under the record. Click the set name to save it into, and you’re done!

It’s all easy, useful, and best of all… it’s free!

The presentation given by Dr. Rabinowitz at CSU recently is now available online here.