Session 5: Concern for Animal Care and Safekeeping as a Barrier to Leaving Abusive Relationships: Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence and Animal Welfare Service Providers

There is a clear link between intimate partner violence (IPV) and animal abuse, with such forms of violence often co-occurring (see Monslave, Ferreira, & Garcia, 2017 for a review). There is also mounting evidence that concern for animal care and safekeeping impacts the decision of whether to leave IPV relationships and seek shelter support (e.g., Ascione et al., 2007; Barrett, Fitzgerald, Stevenson, & Cheung, 2017). Barriers to animal care and safekeeping when seeking refuge may be especially pronounced in rural and northern areas, but few studies have examined this context to date (Wuerch, Giesbrecht, Price, Knutson, & Wach, 2017). The present study addresses this gap by examining the experiences of animal welfare and IPV service providers living in urban, rural, and northern communities in Saskatchewan, Canada. Two online surveys were distributed among animal welfare and IPV service providers across the province. Survey questions aimed to examine (a) whether concerns for the care and safety of companion animals and livestock are barriers to leaving IPV situations in Saskatchewan; and (b) existing supports and services in Saskatchewan that provide animal safekeeping services for individuals leaving IPV situations. A total of 32 animal welfare representatives and 51 IPV service representatives completed the online surveys (N = 83). Following completion of the online surveys, 12 participants were contacted to participate in semi-structured telephone interviews. Our results support previous research suggesting that concern for animal care and safekeeping impacts IPV survivors’ decisions to remain with or return to an abusive partner, as well as whether to seek shelter support (e.g., Ascione et al., 2007; Barrett et al., 2017; Hartman et al., 2018; Wuerch et al., 2017). Most IPV service providers (95.92%) reported that the safety and safekeeping of animals impacts individuals’ ability, planning, and decision to leave abusive partners, with many (77.55%) being personally aware of situations where this was the case. Many IPV service providers reported asking survivors seeking refuge about safety of animals during the intake process (65.31%) and helping to find temporary safekeeping for animals (56.25%) if needed; however, most animal welfare providers reported that, at present, there was not adequate access to animal safekeeping supports in their area (73.08%). Various challenges to helping find temporary safekeeping for animals were reported: IPV shelters not allowing animals, difficulty housing livestock, concern regarding anonymity of animal foster homes, animals not being up-to-date with vaccinations, certain programming only being available in urban areas, lack of transportation for animals from rural areas, and financial barriers. Suggestions for improving their ability to support individuals with animal safekeeping included: interagency collaboration, implementing a structured referral process for animal care and safekeeping, creating emergency funding for animal care and safekeeping, ensuring anonymity of animal foster homes, including a space for animals in IPV shelters, and creating facilities to house livestock. Our results have important implications for improving policies and practices related to IPV and animal care. Further research is warranted to inform and improve the development and implementation of national support services and resources

Epidemiological investigation and glycotyping of clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from patients with cystic fibrosis by mass spectrometry : Association with multiple drug resistance

The aim of the present investigation was to develop a novel approach for rapid identification and differentiation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa clones from Canadian cystic fibrosis patients by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry. We screened P. aeruginosa isolates for lipopolysaccharide structure and presence/absence of alginate and correlated these findings with antibiotic resistance patterns.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Infection with transmissible strains of pseudomonas aeruginosa and clinical outcomes in adults with cystic fibrosis

Context Studies from Australia and the United Kingdom have shown that some patients with cystic fibrosis are infected with common transmissible strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Objectives To determine the prevalence and incidence of infection with transmissible strains of P aeruginosa and whether presence of the organism was associated with adverse clinical outcomes in Canada. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective observational cohort study of adult patients cared for at cystic fibrosis clinics in Ontario, Canada, with enrollment from September 2005 to September 2008. Sputum was collected at baseline, 3 months, and yearly thereafter for 3 years; and retrieved P aeruginosa isolates were genotyped. Vital status (death or lung transplant) was assessed for all enrolled patients until December 31, 2009. Main Outcome Measures Incidence and prevalence of P aeruginosa isolation, rates of decline in lung function, and time to death or lung transplantation. Results Of the 446 patients with cystic fibrosis studied, 102 were discovered to be infected with 1 of 2 common transmissible strains of P aeruginosa at study entry. Sixty-seven patients were infected with strain A (15%), 32 were infected with strain B (7%), and 3 were simultaneously infected with both strains (0.6%). Strain A was found to be genetically identical to the Liverpool epidemic strain but strain B has not been previously described as an epidemic strain. The incidence rate of new infections with these 2 transmissible strains was relatively low (7.0 per 1000 person-years; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8-12.2 per 1000 person-years). Compared with patients infected with unique strains of P aeruginosa, patients infected with the Liverpool epidemic strain (strain A) and strain B had similar declines in lung function (difference in decline in percent predicted forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration of 0.64% per year [95% CI, -1.52% to 2.80% per year] and 1.66% per year [95% CI, -1.00% to 4.30%], respectively). However, the 3-year rate of death or lung transplantation was greater in those infected with the Liverpool epidemic strain (18.6%) compared with those infected with unique strains (8.7%) (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.26 [95% CI, 1.41 to 7.54]; P = .01). Conclusions A common strain of P aeruginosa (Liverpool epidemic strain/strain A) infects patients with cystic fibrosis in Canada and the United Kingdom. Infection with this strain in adult Canadian patients with cystic fibrosis was associated with a greater risk of death or lung transplantation. JAMA, 2010;304(19):2145-2153 www.jama.co