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Emergency Medicine518 papers

Animal handlers' lung

Last edited: 4/14/2026

Overview

Animal handlers' lung, also known as hypersensitivity pneumonitis, is an occupational lung condition affecting individuals who work closely with animals, particularly in environments with high levels of organic dust, endotoxins, and microbial antigens. It manifests as an immune-mediated inflammatory response following inhalation of these antigens. 1525

Diagnosis

  • Clinical Presentation: Symptoms include dyspnea, cough, fever, and fatigue, often triggered by exposure to animal environments.
  • Diagnostic Tests:
    • - Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs): To assess airflow obstruction and lung volumes. - High-Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT): For characteristic interstitial lung patterns. - Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL): To identify cellular infiltrates and markers of inflammation. - Serological Testing: For specific antibodies against environmental antigens.
  • Environmental Exposure Assessment: Identifying potential sources of antigen exposure. 1525

    • Management

  • Primary Prevention:
    • - Exposure Reduction: Minimize contact with antigen sources through improved ventilation, personal protective equipment (PPE), and hygiene practices.
  • Secondary Prevention:
    • - Avoidance: Temporarily removing the individual from the exposure environment.
  • Medical Management:
    • - Corticosteroids: High-dose oral or intravenous corticosteroids for acute exacerbations. 15 - Immunosuppressive Agents: In refractory cases, consider agents like methotrexate or azathioprine under specialist guidance.
  • Supportive Care: Oxygen therapy, hydration, and symptomatic relief measures. 15

    • Special Populations

  • Occupational Risks: No specific differentiation noted for pregnancy, pediatrics, or elderly populations in the provided abstracts; however, heightened vigilance is advised in all high-risk occupational groups. 1525

    • Key Recommendations

  • Implement strict environmental controls and use of PPE to minimize antigen exposure in animal handling environments. (Evidence: Moderate) 15
  • Early recognition and removal from exposure are critical in managing acute episodes of animal handlers' lung. (Evidence: Moderate) 15
  • Corticosteroids should be considered as first-line therapy for acute exacerbations of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. (Evidence: Moderate) 15
  • Regular health monitoring and education on symptoms and preventive measures are essential for at-risk workers. (Evidence: Expert opinion) 15

    • References

    1 Brownlie T. The potential roles for artificial intelligence in supporting veterinarians during an emergency response. New Zealand veterinary journal 2026. link 2 Gröhn YT, Lhermie G, Pfeiffer D, Torres G, Fox EL, Hertl JA. Views from chief veterinary officers about decision making during animal health emergencies: A qualitative analysis. Preventive veterinary medicine 2026. link 3 Schroeder JM, Lee HC, Schultze AE. Performance evaluation of the Sysmex XN-1000V in side-by-side comparison with the Siemens ADVIA 120 and manual methods for healthy CD Sprague-Dawley rats and CD-1 mice. Veterinary clinical pathology 2024. link 4 Thomovsky EJ, Johnson PA. A Model for Residency Training: The Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Residency Program at Purdue University. Journal of veterinary medical education 2024. link 5 Wenham C, Brand TL, Carlin EP, Donachie D, Fèvre S, Greve LC et al.. How can gender considerations be better integrated into animal health emergency preparedness and response?. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 2024. link 6 Capozzo AV, Corripio-Miyar Y, Lemmer Y. Insights from the 2023 International Veterinary Immunology Symposium: global perspectives at Kruger National Park. Veterinary research 2024. link 7 Vicedo M. Beyond the Instinct Debate: Daniel Lehrman's Contributions to Animal Behavior Studies. Journal of the history of biology 2023. link 8 Vroegindewey G, Gruszynski K, Handler D, Grudnik T, Balbo R, Dalla Villa P. World Organisation for Animal Health Members' Capacity to Deal With Animal Welfare Emergencies During Natural Disasters in Europe. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness 2023. link 9 Gilbert W, Adamson D, Donachie D, Hamilton K, Rushton J. A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Preparing National Veterinary Services for Transboundary Animal Disease Emergencies. Transboundary and emerging diseases 2023. link 10 Maranhão L, Ramalho EE, Dos Santos Sousa R, Alvarenga GC, Ferreira Neto JS. Hematology and Serum Chemistry of Free-Ranging Jaguars (Panthera onca) from a Floodplain Forest Site in Amazonia, Brazil. Journal of wildlife diseases 2022. link 11 Gasser BA, Schaub R. [Accidents with Animals While Hiking in the Swiss Alps]. Praxis 2021. link 12 Moser M, Keller R, Blaser C, Fürst AE. [Rescue of injured horses, cattle and pigs from manure and cesspools by the large animal rescue service Switzerland and Liechtenstein (GTRD CH/FL)®]. Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde 2021. link 13 Novotny MJ, Rhodes A, Shields J, Wilson A, Giraldo C, O'Gorman M et al.. Evaluation of signal detection algorithms within the Elanco Animal Health Pharmacovigilance database. Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics 2021. link 14 . Maintaining connections. The Veterinary record 2020. link 15 Eagles D, Gurung RB. The role of laboratories in animal-related disasters and emergencies. Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics) 2020. link 16 Hamilton SA, Kolek S, Pollard B, van Halderen A. Securing access to personnel and materials in transboundary animal disease responses. Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics) 2020. link 17 Callan T. Emergency operations centres: models and core principles. Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics) 2020. link 18 Adamson D, Gilbert W, Hamilton K, Donachie D, Rushton J. Preparing for animal health emergencies: considerations for economic evaluation. Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics) 2020. link 19 Bonbon E, Myers L. Good emergency management practices: a review of the core principles, with a focus on preparedness. Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics) 2020. link 20 Dieckmann HG, Costa LRR, Madigan JE. Current Operational Model for Veterinary Care in Large Animal Shelters During Disasters. Prehospital and disaster medicine 2020. link 21 Messenger RA, Stahlman S, Chern A. Animal-related injuries in veterinary services personnel, U.S. Army, 2001-2018. MSMR 2020. link 22 Hool N, Schüpbach-Regula G, Thomann B. [Study on the current situation in farm animal medicine]. Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde 2019. link 23 Alberton S, Vergneau-Grosset C, Summa N. Advances in Exotic Animal Clinical Pathology. The veterinary clinics of North America. Exotic animal practice 2019. link 24 Wareham KJ, Brennan ML, Dean RS. Systematic review of the factors affecting cat and dog owner compliance with pharmaceutical treatment recommendations. The Veterinary record 2019. link 25 Bogan JE. Ambulatory Emergency Medicine. The veterinary clinics of North America. Exotic animal practice 2018. link 26 Pereira SA, Jerônimo GT, Marchiori NC, Oliveira HM, Jesus GFA, Schmidt EC et al.. Tadpoles fed supplemented diet with probiotic bacterium isolated from the intestinal tract of bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus: Haematology, cell activity and electron microscopy. Microbial pathogenesis 2018. link 27 Koziel JA, Ahn H, Glanville TD, Frana TS, van Leeuwen JH, Nguyen LT. Lab-scale evaluation of aerated burial concept for treatment and emergency disposal of infectious animal carcasses. Waste management (New York, N.Y.) 2018. link 28 Leung V, Rousseau-Blass F, Beauchamp G, Pang DSJ. ARRIVE has not ARRIVEd: Support for the ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of in vivo Experiments) guidelines does not improve the reporting quality of papers in animal welfare, analgesia or anesthesia. PloS one 2018. link 29 Fowler H, Irimia B, Ramirez V, Meischke H, Rabinowitz P. Pet owners' perceptions of veterinary safety practices. The Veterinary record 2018. link 30 Barros N, Langley R. Fatal and non-fatal animal-related injuries and illnesses to workers, United States, 2011-2014. American journal of industrial medicine 2017. link 31 Kumar R, Kalaiselvan V, Verma R, Kaur I, Kumar P, Singh GN. Veterinary pharmacovigilance in India: A need of hour. Indian journal of pharmacology 2017. link 32 Fowler H, Adams D, Bonauto D, Rabinowitz P. Work-related injuries to animal care workers, Washington 2007-2011. American journal of industrial medicine 2016. link 33 Maceda-Veiga A, Figuerola J, Martínez-Silvestre A, Viscor G, Ferrari N, Pacheco M. Inside the Redbox: applications of haematology in wildlife monitoring and ecosystem health assessment. The Science of the total environment 2015. link 34 Dittberner MJ, Venter L, Naidoo V. Accelerated induction of etorphine immobilization in blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) through the addition of hyaluronidase. Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia 2015. link 35 Popoiu CM, Burian CA, Paunescu V, Boia E, Arghirescu S, Muntean DM et al.. Development of a high-performance anesthesia ventilator for research in small animals. The International journal of artificial organs 2014. link 36 Nordgren LD, Gerberich SG, Alexander BH, Church TR, Bender JB, Ryan AD. Evaluation of risk and protective factors for work-related bite injuries to veterinary technicians certified in Minnesota. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 2014. link 37 Welles EG. Automated in-clinic hematology instruments for small animal practitioners: what is available, what can they really do, and how do i make a choice?. The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice 2012. link 38 Leyden KN, Hanneman SK. Validity of the modified richmond agitation-sedation scale for use in sedated, mechanically ventilated Swine. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS 2012. link 39 Lindahl C, Lundqvist P, Norberg AL. Swedish dairy farmers' perceptions of animal-related injuries. Journal of agromedicine 2012. link 40 Shanan A. A veterinarian's role in helping pet owners with decision making. The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice 2011. link 41 O'Connor K. Once bitten. Australian family physician 2009. link 42 Seidel GE. ASAS Centennial Paper: Future research in physiology and endocrinology. Journal of animal science 2009. link 43 Entrican G, Lunney JK, Rutten VP, Baldwin CL. A current perspective on availability of tools, resources and networks for veterinary immunology. Veterinary immunology and immunopathology 2009. link 44 Kirk RG. 'Wanted-standard guinea pigs': standardisation and the experimental animal market in Britain ca. 1919-1947. Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences 2008. link 45 Paley M, Mayhew JE, Martindale AJ, McGinley J, Berwick J, Coffey P et al.. Design and initial evaluation of a low-cost 3-Tesla research system for combined optical and functional MR imaging with interventional capability. Journal of magnetic resonance imaging : JMRI 2001. link13:1<87::aid-jmri1013>3.0.co;2-0) 46 Canfield PJ. Comparative cell morphology in the peripheral blood film from exotic and native animals. Australian veterinary journal 1998. link 47 Beauchamp TL. Opposing views on animal experimentation: do animals have rights?. Ethics & behavior 1997. link 48 Leeflang P. Some observations on ethnoveterinary medicine in northern Nigeria. The veterinary quarterly 1993. link 49 Matsuzawa T. Present status of animal clinical pathology examinations in the Japanese Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association. Toxicologic pathology 1992. link 50 Cooke WJ. Small inexpensive anesthetic apparatus for rats. Journal of applied physiology 1976. link 51 Newberne PM. Influence of pharmacological experiments of chemicals and other factors in diets of laboratory animals. Federation proceedings 1975. link 52 Pindak FF, Kendrick JZ. Simple method for anesthetizing small animals for intranasal inoculations. Applied microbiology 1969. link

    Original source

    1. [1]
      The potential roles for artificial intelligence in supporting veterinarians during an emergency response. — Brownlie T New Zealand veterinary journal (2026)
    2. [2]
      Views from chief veterinary officers about decision making during animal health emergencies: A qualitative analysis. — Gröhn YT, Lhermie G, Pfeiffer D, Torres G, Fox EL, Hertl JA Preventive veterinary medicine (2026)
    3. [3]
      Performance evaluation of the Sysmex XN-1000V in side-by-side comparison with the Siemens ADVIA 120 and manual methods for healthy CD Sprague-Dawley rats and CD-1 mice. — Schroeder JM, Lee HC, Schultze AE Veterinary clinical pathology (2024)
    4. [4]
      A Model for Residency Training: The Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Residency Program at Purdue University. — Thomovsky EJ, Johnson PA Journal of veterinary medical education (2024)
    5. [5]
      How can gender considerations be better integrated into animal health emergency preparedness and response? — Wenham C, Brand TL, Carlin EP, Donachie D, Fèvre S, Greve LC et al. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (2024)
    6. [6]
      Insights from the 2023 International Veterinary Immunology Symposium: global perspectives at Kruger National Park. — Capozzo AV, Corripio-Miyar Y, Lemmer Y Veterinary research (2024)
    7. [7]
      Beyond the Instinct Debate: Daniel Lehrman's Contributions to Animal Behavior Studies. — Vicedo M Journal of the history of biology (2023)
    8. [8]
      World Organisation for Animal Health Members' Capacity to Deal With Animal Welfare Emergencies During Natural Disasters in Europe. — Vroegindewey G, Gruszynski K, Handler D, Grudnik T, Balbo R, Dalla Villa P Disaster medicine and public health preparedness (2023)
    9. [9]
      A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Preparing National Veterinary Services for Transboundary Animal Disease Emergencies. — Gilbert W, Adamson D, Donachie D, Hamilton K, Rushton J Transboundary and emerging diseases (2023)
    10. [10]
      Hematology and Serum Chemistry of Free-Ranging Jaguars (Panthera onca) from a Floodplain Forest Site in Amazonia, Brazil. — Maranhão L, Ramalho EE, Dos Santos Sousa R, Alvarenga GC, Ferreira Neto JS Journal of wildlife diseases (2022)
    11. [11]
      [Accidents with Animals While Hiking in the Swiss Alps]. — Gasser BA, Schaub R Praxis (2021)
    12. [12]
      [Rescue of injured horses, cattle and pigs from manure and cesspools by the large animal rescue service Switzerland and Liechtenstein (GTRD CH/FL)®]. — Moser M, Keller R, Blaser C, Fürst AE Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde (2021)
    13. [13]
      Evaluation of signal detection algorithms within the Elanco Animal Health Pharmacovigilance database. — Novotny MJ, Rhodes A, Shields J, Wilson A, Giraldo C, O'Gorman M et al. Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics (2021)
    14. [14]
      Maintaining connections. The Veterinary record (2020)
    15. [15]
      The role of laboratories in animal-related disasters and emergencies. — Eagles D, Gurung RB Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics) (2020)
    16. [16]
      Securing access to personnel and materials in transboundary animal disease responses. — Hamilton SA, Kolek S, Pollard B, van Halderen A Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics) (2020)
    17. [17]
      Emergency operations centres: models and core principles. — Callan T Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics) (2020)
    18. [18]
      Preparing for animal health emergencies: considerations for economic evaluation. — Adamson D, Gilbert W, Hamilton K, Donachie D, Rushton J Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics) (2020)
    19. [19]
      Good emergency management practices: a review of the core principles, with a focus on preparedness. — Bonbon E, Myers L Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics) (2020)
    20. [20]
      Current Operational Model for Veterinary Care in Large Animal Shelters During Disasters. — Dieckmann HG, Costa LRR, Madigan JE Prehospital and disaster medicine (2020)
    21. [21]
      Animal-related injuries in veterinary services personnel, U.S. Army, 2001-2018. — Messenger RA, Stahlman S, Chern A MSMR (2020)
    22. [22]
      [Study on the current situation in farm animal medicine]. — Hool N, Schüpbach-Regula G, Thomann B Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde (2019)
    23. [23]
      Advances in Exotic Animal Clinical Pathology. — Alberton S, Vergneau-Grosset C, Summa N The veterinary clinics of North America. Exotic animal practice (2019)
    24. [24]
      Systematic review of the factors affecting cat and dog owner compliance with pharmaceutical treatment recommendations. — Wareham KJ, Brennan ML, Dean RS The Veterinary record (2019)
    25. [25]
      Ambulatory Emergency Medicine. — Bogan JE The veterinary clinics of North America. Exotic animal practice (2018)
    26. [26]
      Tadpoles fed supplemented diet with probiotic bacterium isolated from the intestinal tract of bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus: Haematology, cell activity and electron microscopy. — Pereira SA, Jerônimo GT, Marchiori NC, Oliveira HM, Jesus GFA, Schmidt EC et al. Microbial pathogenesis (2018)
    27. [27]
      Lab-scale evaluation of aerated burial concept for treatment and emergency disposal of infectious animal carcasses. — Koziel JA, Ahn H, Glanville TD, Frana TS, van Leeuwen JH, Nguyen LT Waste management (New York, N.Y.) (2018)
    28. [28]
      ARRIVE has not ARRIVEd: Support for the ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of in vivo Experiments) guidelines does not improve the reporting quality of papers in animal welfare, analgesia or anesthesia. — Leung V, Rousseau-Blass F, Beauchamp G, Pang DSJ PloS one (2018)
    29. [29]
      Pet owners' perceptions of veterinary safety practices. — Fowler H, Irimia B, Ramirez V, Meischke H, Rabinowitz P The Veterinary record (2018)
    30. [30]
      Fatal and non-fatal animal-related injuries and illnesses to workers, United States, 2011-2014. — Barros N, Langley R American journal of industrial medicine (2017)
    31. [31]
      Veterinary pharmacovigilance in India: A need of hour. — Kumar R, Kalaiselvan V, Verma R, Kaur I, Kumar P, Singh GN Indian journal of pharmacology (2017)
    32. [32]
      Work-related injuries to animal care workers, Washington 2007-2011. — Fowler H, Adams D, Bonauto D, Rabinowitz P American journal of industrial medicine (2016)
    33. [33]
      Inside the Redbox: applications of haematology in wildlife monitoring and ecosystem health assessment. — Maceda-Veiga A, Figuerola J, Martínez-Silvestre A, Viscor G, Ferrari N, Pacheco M The Science of the total environment (2015)
    34. [34]
      Accelerated induction of etorphine immobilization in blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) through the addition of hyaluronidase. — Dittberner MJ, Venter L, Naidoo V Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia (2015)
    35. [35]
      Development of a high-performance anesthesia ventilator for research in small animals. — Popoiu CM, Burian CA, Paunescu V, Boia E, Arghirescu S, Muntean DM et al. The International journal of artificial organs (2014)
    36. [36]
      Evaluation of risk and protective factors for work-related bite injuries to veterinary technicians certified in Minnesota. — Nordgren LD, Gerberich SG, Alexander BH, Church TR, Bender JB, Ryan AD Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (2014)
    37. [37]
      Automated in-clinic hematology instruments for small animal practitioners: what is available, what can they really do, and how do i make a choice? — Welles EG The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice (2012)
    38. [38]
      Validity of the modified richmond agitation-sedation scale for use in sedated, mechanically ventilated Swine. — Leyden KN, Hanneman SK Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS (2012)
    39. [39]
      Swedish dairy farmers' perceptions of animal-related injuries. — Lindahl C, Lundqvist P, Norberg AL Journal of agromedicine (2012)
    40. [40]
      A veterinarian's role in helping pet owners with decision making. — Shanan A The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice (2011)
    41. [41]
      Once bitten. — O'Connor K Australian family physician (2009)
    42. [42]
      ASAS Centennial Paper: Future research in physiology and endocrinology. — Seidel GE Journal of animal science (2009)
    43. [43]
      A current perspective on availability of tools, resources and networks for veterinary immunology. — Entrican G, Lunney JK, Rutten VP, Baldwin CL Veterinary immunology and immunopathology (2009)
    44. [44]
      'Wanted-standard guinea pigs': standardisation and the experimental animal market in Britain ca. 1919-1947. — Kirk RG Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences (2008)
    45. [45]
      Design and initial evaluation of a low-cost 3-Tesla research system for combined optical and functional MR imaging with interventional capability. — Paley M, Mayhew JE, Martindale AJ, McGinley J, Berwick J, Coffey P et al. Journal of magnetic resonance imaging : JMRI (2001)
    46. [46]
      Comparative cell morphology in the peripheral blood film from exotic and native animals. — Canfield PJ Australian veterinary journal (1998)
    47. [47]
      Opposing views on animal experimentation: do animals have rights? — Beauchamp TL Ethics & behavior (1997)
    48. [48]
      Some observations on ethnoveterinary medicine in northern Nigeria. — Leeflang P The veterinary quarterly (1993)
    49. [49]
      Present status of animal clinical pathology examinations in the Japanese Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association. — Matsuzawa T Toxicologic pathology (1992)
    50. [50]
      Small inexpensive anesthetic apparatus for rats. — Cooke WJ Journal of applied physiology (1976)
    51. [51]
      Influence of pharmacological experiments of chemicals and other factors in diets of laboratory animals. — Newberne PM Federation proceedings (1975)
    52. [52]
      Simple method for anesthetizing small animals for intranasal inoculations. — Pindak FF, Kendrick JZ Applied microbiology (1969)
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