One Medicine, One Pathology, and the One Health concept

In a recent article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association,1 a “One Health” concept to integrate principles and discoveries in both veterinary and human medicine for the mutual benefit of all the species involved was outlined. This article was a summary of a report2 created by a task force of veterinarians and physicians that is trying to coordinate efforts and knowledge dealing primarily with infectious diseases. The purpose of the One Health Initiative Task Force (OHITF) was to lay the groundwork for a “campaign to facilitate collaboration and cooperation among health science professions, academic institutions, governmental agencies, and industries to help with the assessment, treatment, and prevention of cross-species disease transmission and mutually prevalent, but non-transmitted, human and animal diseases, and medical conditions.”1