This article originally appeared in the January issue of Military Officer.

IN HER WORDS | CAPT. CASEY BARTON BEHRAVESH, USPHS | DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL'S ONE HEALTH OFFICE IN THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR EMERGING AND ZOONOTIC INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Behravesh, USPHS, is a veterinarian and zoonotic disease expert who investigates outbreaks transmitted between humans and animals, especially salmonella and E. coli.

Veterinarians in the USPHS?

People are frequently surprised there are veterinarians at human health agencies. I explain to them how diseases can cross between animals and people ... and also the food safety element. My goal is to help people understand how the health of people, animals, and the environment are linked.

Lucky dog

One of the health care workers [treating a patient with Ebola in Dallas in October 2014] was a nurse who became symptomatic, and she had a pet dog. Thankfully, we were able to … show the dog didn't have Ebola. It was released from quarantine after 21 days and [eventually] reunited with its owner. [Later that year,] I met the nurse and her dog at the North American Veterinary Conference. She said while she was fighting for her life, what kept her going were updates and pictures of her dog.

Common culprits

Lizards and other reptiles are well-known carriers of salmonella because they have it in their intestines as part of their normal flora. They can appear perfectly happy, healthy, and clean, but salmonella can contaminate their scales and make people sick.

Don't kiss your chickens!

There have been thousands of illnesses linked to backyard chickens. One of the risk factors we identified was that over half of the people who got sick were bringing birds inside their home if it got too cold out. Also, around 13 percent of [those who were sick] admitted to kissing their chickens. We estimated there were probably a lot more who did!

By Senior Editor Laural Hobbes