ZOONOTIC DISEASES

This abbreviated list of zoonoses attempts to mention those diseases that are more important in terms of their likelihood to infect man, and in terms of their  severity
 
 

Disease
  
 
Causative Organism Principal Animals Involved Known Distribution Probable Means of Spread to Man
BACTERIAL DISEASES
Anthrax Bacillus anthracis Warm-blooded animals Worldwide Human infections usually through the skin; may be inhaled or ingested. Spores in soil or animal products are resistant.
Brucellosis Brucella abortus

B melitensis

B suis

B canis

Cattle

Goats, sheep

Pigs, caribou

Dogs

Worldwide Direct contact with excretions or secretions, including milk of infected animals.
Campylobacteriosis Campylobacter spp Many animals Worldwide

Incidence appears to be increasing 

Most species or subspeicies appear to be reasonably host-specific but cross-infection is possible, usually via fecal contamination of food.
Cat Scratch Fever Unidentified bacillus Cats, dogs, others

(little or no effect other than in man)

Northern Hemisphere

Common

Scratches, "licks", bites.
DF-2 Infection Dysgonic Fermenter (DF-2) Dogs, other mammals USA Unknown, but dogs and their bites are suspect.
Leptospirosis Leptospira spp (many serovars) Domestic and wild animals, especially rodents Worldwide In man, by direct contact with an infected animalÂ’s urine or tissue (or aborted fetus), or from contaminated soil or water.
Listeriosis Listeria monocytogenes Numerous animals and birds Worldwide Food-borne among domestic animals; routes of infection in man not well defined.
Lyme Disease (Borreliosis) Borrelia burgdorferi Deer, dogs, horses, rodents, raccoons, opossums USA (endemic in NE), Europe, Australia Tick bite, and possibly urine and tissues.
Plague Yersinia pestis Rodents, cats, dogs, others Western USA, Central and South America, SE Asia, Southern Africa  Fleas, contact with infected animals, inhalation.
Psittacosis (Ornithosis) Chlamydia psittaci Parakeets, pigeons, parrots, turkeys, ducks, geese, etc. Worldwide Usually by inhaling dust from feces or feathers. Other isolates from cattle, sheep, goats, opossums, etc., rarely cause disease in man. However, pregnant women are at risk around aborting sheep.
Salmonellosis Salmonella spp (2000 serotypes) Poultry, pigs, cattle, horses, dogs, cats, wild mammals and birds, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans Worldwide Usually via ingestion of undercooked food contaminated with feces; handling diseased animals.
Tularemia Francisella tularensis Rabbits, dogs, cats, rodents, sheep Circumpolar in Northern Hemisphere Ingestion, exposure to infected animals (e.g., skinning rabbits), arthropod bites.
Yersiniosis Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

Y enterocolitica

Animals and birds Northern Hemisphere Contaminated food or water.
FUNGAL DISEASES



Many fungal diseases occur in man and other animals, but most are uncommon to rare, and most are the result of environmental exposure rather than of cross-species contagion. Ringworm is a "true zoonosis".

         
Ringworm Microsporum spp

Trichophyton spp

Many mammals, also birds Worldwide Direct contact with infected animals and fomites.
PARASITIC DISEASES

Protozoan Diseases

Several genera of protozoans may infect man and other animals, but risk of human infection from contact with other animals is low. Most such infections are acquired by ingestion of material contaminated with human feces; some are transmitted by biting insects. Those listed below are more common or could be considered "true zoonoses".

ChagasÂ’ disease Trypanosoma cruzi Dogs, cats, pigs, armadillos, other mammals Western Hemisphere, southern USA to central Argentina Fecal material of tiratoma bug (Reduviidae) into bite wounds, blood transfusion.
Toxoplasmosis Toxoplasma gondii Mammals, especially cats, birds Worldwide Ingestion of oocysts shed in feces of infected cats, and meat that contains cysts.
Trematode (Fluke) Infections

Man shares several fluke infections with other animals. Some of these may be acquired by eating raw or undercooked fish, crustaceans, or contaminated plants. Others are acquired if the skin is exposed to water that contains infective cercariae.

Cestode (Tapeworm) Infections

Man shares several tapeworm infections with other host species. Infection with the adults is undesirable but of much less significance than is infection with the larval stages (via ingestion of worm eggs).

Echinococcosis, Hydatid disease Echinococcus granulosus Dogs, wild carnivores, sheep, cattle Worldwide Ingestion of eggs shed in feces of carnivores.
Fish tapeworm Diphyllobothrium spp Dogs, fish-eating animals Worldwide Ingestion of raw or partially cooked infected fish.
Sparganosis Spirometra spp Dogs, cats, raccoons, amphibians Worldwide Direct contact or ingestion of raw tissues of crustaceans (Cyclops spp); ingestion of undercooked feral pigs; use of infected frog or snake meat as wound dressing.
Nematode (Roundworm) Infections

Some of these diseases occur in man and other animals, although most are reasonably host-specific. Rarely, people may become infected with parasites of other host species through insect bites, ingestion of infected tissue, or contact with infective larvae. The following are of considerable importance.

Cutaneous larva migrans Ancylostoma brasiliense

A caninum

Dogs, cats Worldwide Skin penetration by infective larvae.
Visceral larva migrans Toxocara canis

T cati

Dogs, cats Worldwide Ingestion of eggs shed in feces of dogs, cats.
DISEASES CAUSED OR BORNE BY ARTHROPODS

It is not uncommon for persons handling animals infested with mites (usually Sarcoptes spp) or fleas (e.g., from dogs or cats) to become infested, although usually the infestation on the abnormal host is short-lived. This can, however, lead to significant discomfort, or, on occasion, to transmission of other diseases, e.g., plague. Various ticks infest man as well as other animals, and the consequences may be serious. Some ticks cause paralysis of their hosts (including man) via envenomization. The greatest dangers lie not in the arthropod infestation itself, but in the diseases for which the arthropods may serve as vectors. Several encephalitides, hemorrhagic fevers, rickettsioses, and protozoal blood parasitoses are transmitted by arthropods. Arthropod-borne bacterial diseases include Lyme disease, plague, and tularemia.