Contact: Jaime Meyer, ISIS
651-209-9259
Background: ISIS Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS)
and detection of infectious disease
Zoological institutions have an enormous educational, economic, social and cultural impact worldwide. Zoological institutions lead in scientific research, conservation education, veterinary medicine and the fight against species extinction. Knowledge from zoological institutions contributes to our collective understandings of wildlife populations, conservation methods and zoonotic diseases, which are capable of spreading between animals and people.
For more than 30 years, the International Species Information System (ISIS) has collected information on 2 million animals and their environments from more than 600 zoological institutions in 70 countries on six continents. Zoos, aquariums and related organizations use this collective data to aid institutional, regional and global animal management and conservation goals.
What is ZIMS?
When complete, the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) will be a comprehensive Web-based database of animal collection information on more than 2 million captive animals in almost 700 institutions worldwide. ZIMS will contain information needed by zoological institutions to support animal management and care, problem solving and research. Because it is a community information solution, ZIMS will integrate a global data pool of multiple independent sets of existing zoo and aquarium animal, group and environmental data and systems.
Who is involved in the ZIMS Project?
Almost 500 animal care experts from more than 200 zoos and aquariums worldwide are working with ISIS to build ZIMS.
In addition, ISIS has received commitments to fund the ZIMS Project totaling US $4 million from 146 members of the zoological community, a prestigious US $500,000 National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a US $300,000 grant from the US National Science Foundation and a US $500,000 appropriation from the US Congress. ISIS is continuing efforts to raise funds from other governmental sources and corporate sponsors. ISIS has projected that the first phase of the ZIMS Project will require US $10 million in capital funding.
Why are governments interested in funding ZIMS?
Human and animal travel across geographic borders provides opportunities for infectious diseases to spread worldwide. Currently, governments do not have the capability to detect new and emerging zoonotic disease outbreaks early.
Wild animal veterinarians, which typically reside in zoological institutions, may be the first to detect, understand and manage new diseases like avian flu, SARS and monkey pox. In fact, Dr. Tracey McNamara, head veterinary pathologist at the Bronx Zoo, was the first to discover the West Nile Virus in the United States. In August 1999, Dr. McNamara performed necropsies (post-mortem examinations) on several dead crows found throughout New York City and surveyed the areas where the birds were dying. From this analysis, Dr. McNamara was able to warn health officials that West Nile Disease had arrived in North America for the first time.
When complete, ZIMS will be a powerful tool for detection and understanding emerging infectious diseases that may threaten wildlife or be communicable to humans.
What will the role of the zoological community be in the detection of zoonotic diseases?
The zoological community will take a publicly-visible role as the protectors of wildlife and sentinels for zoonotic diseases.
How does monitoring zoonotic disease aid the zoological community?
Zoo and aquarium professionals continuously monitor their collections to protect their animals from disease threats. In addition, zoos perform necropsies on any animal (wild or not) that dies on zoo grounds. This standard (and expensive) procedure helps protect live animal collections from zoonotic diseases, such as rabies, anthrax or chronic wasting disease.
When ZIMS is complete, zoological institutions will share their monitoring and detection information through this tool. ZIMS will provide a unique and valuable real-time monitoring network for detecting and identifying many emerging infectious diseases.
By using ZIMS as a tool, zoological institutions with live animal collections can collaborate as a networked group worldwide to provide vital information about disease emergence and take appropriate responses to protect their own animal populations.
When will ZIMS be available?
ISIS expects to begin training members to use ZIMS mid-2006.