Zoonotic Infections

Zoonotic Infections:Bacterial,Viral,Parasitic,Fungal and Rickettsial

Introduction:

Zoonotic infections can be defined as infections of animals that are naturally transmissible to humans. As such they are worldwide and often spread with humans through their companion and domestic animals. However, when humans move to new area or come into contact with different animal species, then new zoonoses may emerge or are recognized.

A list of more important/significant zoonotic infections is given in the following Table which also outlines the aetiological agent of the disease, its usual animal reservoir host and usual mode of transmission to humans.

Disease	Organism	Main reservoirs	Usual mode of
			transmission to humans
Anthrax	Bacillus anthracis	livestock, wild animals,	direct contact, ingestion
		environment
Animal influenza	influenza viruses	livestock, humans	may be reverse zoonosis
Avian influenza	Influenza virus, avian	poultry, ducks	direct contact
	strains
Bovine tuberculosis	Mycobacterium bovis	cattle	milk
Brucellosis	Brucella species	cattle, goats, sheep, pigs	dairy products, milk
Cat scratch fever	Bartonella henselae	cats	bite, scratch
Cysticercosis	Taenia species	cattle, pigs	meat
Cryptosporidiosis	Cryptosporidium species	cattle, sheep, pets	water, direct contact
Enzootic abortion	Chlamydophila abortus	farm animals, sheep	direct contact, aerosol
Erysipeloid	Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae	pigs, fish, environment	direct contact
Fish tank granuloma	Mycobacterium marinum	fish	direct contact, water
Food poisoning	Campylobacter species	poultry, farm animals	raw meat, milk
	Salmonella species	poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs	foodborne
Giardiasis	Giardia lamblia	humans, wildlife	waterborne, person to person
Glanders	Burkholderia mallei	horse, donkey, mule	direct contact
Haemorrhagic colitis	Escherichia coli O157	ruminants	direct contact (and
			foodborne)
Hantavirus syndromes	Hantaviruses	rodents	aerosol
Hepatitis E	Hepatitis E virus	not yet known	not yet known
Hydatid disease	Echinococcus granulosus	dogs, sheep	ingestion of eggs excreted
			by dog
Leptospirosis	Leptospira species	rodents, ruminants	infected urine, water
Listeriosis	Listeria monocytogenes	cattle, sheep, soil	dairy produce, meat products

Louping ill	Louping ill virus	sheep, grouse	direct contact, tick bite
Lyme disease	Borrelia burgdorferi	ticks, rodents, sheep, deer,	tick bite
		small mammals
Lymphocytic	Lymphocytic	rodents	direct contact
choriomeningitis	choriomeningitis virus
Orf	Orf virus	sheep	direct contact
Pasteurellosis	Pasteurella multocida	dogs, cats, many	bite/scratch, direct contact
		mammals
Plague	Yersinia pestis	rats and their fleas	flea bite
Psittacosis	Chlamydophila psittaci	birds, poultry, ducks	aerosol, direct contact
Q fever	Coxiella burnetii	cattle, sheep, goats, cats	aerosol, direct contact, milk,
			fomites
Rabies	Rabies viruses	dogs, foxes, bats, cats	animal bite
Rat bite fever	Streptobacillus moniliformis	rats	bite/scratch, milk, water
(Haverhill fever)
Rift Valley fever	Rift Valley fever virus	cattle, goats, sheep	direct contact, mosquito bite
Ringworm	Dermatophyte fungi	cats, dogs, cattle, many	direct contact
		animal species
Streptococcal sepsis	Streptococcus suis	pigs	direct contact, meat
Streptococcal sepsis	Streptococcus	horses, cattle	direct contact, milk
	zooepidemicus
Tickborne encephalitis	Tickborne encephalitis	rodents, small mammals,	tickbite, unpasteurised milk
	virus	livestock	products
Toxocariasis	Toxocara canis/cati	dogs, cats	direct contact
Toxoplasmosis	Toxoplasma gondii	cats, ruminants	ingestion of faecal oocysts,
			meat
Trichinellosis	Trichinella spiralis	pigs, wild boar	pork products
Tularemia	Francisella tularensis	rabbits, wild animals,	direct contact, aerosol, ticks,
		environment, ticks	inoculation
Zoonotic diphtheria	Corynebacterium ulcerans	cattle, farm animals, dogs	direct contact, milk
West Nile fever	West nile virus	wild birds, mosquitoes	mosquito bite

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