Environmental Pathobiology and Global Opportunities

Abstract

The mission of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) is to foster excellence in veterinary pathology for the protection and improvement of animal, human, and environmental health as a benefit to society. One mechanism by which the College promotes the advancement and sharing of knowledge to the scientific community is through our journal Veterinary Pathology. In keeping with our College’s mission to become the premier forum for presenting leading-edge pathobiological research, our editor-in-chief, Carl Alden, has decided to broaden the focus of this publication by creating sections modeled along the Journal’s specialty groups. The establishment of a section on Environmental Pathobiology will provide opportunities for diagnosticians, pathologists, pathology residents, and scientists to learn and publish about current mechanistic research and various types of diagnostic methods used to assess and clarify disease processes caused by exposure to environmental contaminants. The significance of environmental contaminants as agents of disease and public health concern, as well as their costly impact on health care and industry, is well established. Some past and current high-profile examples of these agents and their associated diseases include asbestos and mesothelioma, gasoline additives and lead encephalopathy, DDT and negative impact in birds and other wildlife, and, most recently, the potential impact of large crude oil spills on the flora and fauna of coastal environments. Today, the challenge is no less; a multiplicity of various indoor and outdoor environmental factors, including nanoparticles, dusts, organic and inorganic chemicals, metals, alternative and herbal medicines, pharmaceuticals, food additives, pesticides, biological agents, and radiation, including electromagnetic fields, have the capacity to directly or indirectly cause toxic injury or influence the animal or human host’s response to infectious disease. Animal models help us to understand cellular and molecular mechanisms that influence the pathogenesis of diseases associated with exposure to environmental agents. Veterinary pathologists, by virtue of their training in comparative medicine and pathobiology, play a pivotal role by identifying and clarifying mechanisms of toxicity and carcinogenicity in animal models. A broad-based knowledge of comparative anatomy, morphologic responses to tissue and cellular injury, toxicological principles, and molecular biology allows pathologists to propose and test accurate hypotheses regarding toxic mechanisms, the results of which may aid in hazard identification and risk assessment. Furthermore, a pathologist’s diagnostic and interpretive skills can provide the first predictive clues that certain environmental agents may be harmful to animals or humans. Anatomic and clinical pathologists are engaged in diverse activities that include the diagnosis of disease conditions in companion and food/fiber animals, teaching and hypothesis testing research in academic institutions, and the assessment of toxicologic bioassays in laboratory animals for commercial and governmental sponsors. In addition, many pathologists are either currently leading teams or collaborating with researchers in the evaluation and study of environmental agents of concern to human health in animal models. The section on Environmental Pathobiology will provide (1) an opportunity for sharing featured national/international scholarly articles on toxicity study outcomes of environmental factors in animals and (2) a venue for pathology/testing strategies and environmental monitoring discussions that concern global environmental issues. Included will be outcomes of investigative and regulatory-based studies that use genetically engineered animal models laboratory animals. The section on Environmental Pathobiology will also offer a high-profile refereed outlet for publishing environmentally relevant findings in alternative animal species, including domestic and exotic animals; lower vertebrates such as fish, amphibians, and birds; various forms of wildlife; and nonhuman primates. The Environmental Pathobiology section is anticipated to serve as a forum for global collaboration among pathologists and other scientists. One sign of the desire for such collaborative effort is the recent formation of the Environmental Toxicologic Pathology Special Interest Group (ETPSIG) of the Society of