Common Zoonoses in Agriculture

What the heck are zoonoses?

Zoonosis Certain diseases carried by animals can also affect humans. – These diseases are called zoonoses (plural of zoonosis)

How to protect yourself 1. Avoid or minimize use equipment or tools likely to cause cuts, abrasions, or puncture wounds.

2. Avoid mouth-to-mouth resuscitation of newborn animals

3. Wash injuries immediately with running water and cover the wound with a waterproof dressing, and keep existing cuts covered.

4. Wash your hands and exposed skin before eating or drinking.

Common Zoonotic Diseases

Cryptosporidiosis Host animal: Calves and lambs Symptoms in humans: diarrhea and abdominal pain/flu-like symptoms for up to six weeks Transmission: Usually from fecal matter

Leptospirosis (Wells Disease) Host animal: Rats Symptoms in humans: fever, headache, vomiting, muscle pain... Can cause juandice, meningitis, and kidney failure Transmission: contact with infected rat’s urine

Orf Host animal: Sheep and goats Symptoms in humans: ulcerative lesions on face, hands, and arms Transmission: contact with lesions on infected animals or with infected wool, fencing, or hedges

Ovine Chlamydiosis Host animal: Mainly sheep Symptoms in humans: Aborted pregnancy, flu-like illness Transmission: Handling or contact with infected afterbirth

Psittacosis Host animal: caged, wild and exotic birds; can be spread into ducks and other poultry Symptoms in humans: flu-like illness; can lead to pneumonia, endocarditis, hepatitis, death Transmission: inhaling dust or aerosol from feces or nasal discharge from infected birds.

Q Fever Host animal: Mainly sheep and cattle Symptoms in humans: Mild illness, chills, headache, malaise. Can cause pneumonia, liver and heart valve damage and death Transmission: Contacting animal or animal products, inhaling dust contaminated with material from afterbirth, feces, or urine

Ringworm (fungus) Host animal: Cattle, pigs, sheep, horses, dogs Symptoms in Humans: Inflamed, swollen, crusty skin lesions Transmission: Sprotes enter skin through cuts and abrasions; spores transmitted to skin from handling infected livestock or equipment

Other Common Zoonotic Diseases Anthrax West Nile Bubonic Plague Lyme’s Disease Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Mad Cow) SARS Avian Influenza H1N1 Brucellosis Rabies