This is a list of zoonotic diseases, infectious diseases that have been reported of jumping from a non-human animal to a human.
Causative pathogen keys
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Virus | Bacteria | Parasite | Fungi | Prion |
![]() | Disease [1] | Pathogens | Animals involved | Mode of transmission | Emergence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | African trypanosomiasis (African sleeping sickness) | Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense | range of wild animals and domestic livestock | bite of the tsetse fly | 'Present in Africa for thousands of years' – major outbreak 1900–1920, cases continue (sub-Saharan Africa, 2020). |
![]() | Angiostrongyliasis | Angiostrongylus cantonensis , Angiostrongylus costaricensis | rats, cotton rats | consuming raw or undercooked snails, slugs, other mollusks, crustaceans, contaminated water, and unwashed vegetables contaminated with larvae | |
![]() | Anisakiasis | Anisakis | whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, other marine animals | eating raw or undercooked fish and squid contaminated with eggs | |
![]() | Anthrax | Bacillus anthracis | grazing herbivores such as cattle, sheep, goats, camels, horses, and pigs | by ingestion, inhalation or skin contact of spores | Known for at least 2000 years, but only first described clinically in 1752. Causative agent identified in 1877. [2] |
![]() | Ascariasis | Ascaris suum , Toxocara canis , Toxocara cati | pigs, dogs, cats | ingestion of eggs from contaminated soil, food, or water | |
![]() | Aspergillosis | Aspergillus spp. | birds | inhalation of spores from soil and contaminated surfaces, contact with infected birds | First identified in 1847. [3] |
![]() | Avian influenza | Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 | wild birds, domesticated birds such as chickens [4] | close contact | 2003–present avian influenza in Southeast Asia and Egypt. |
![]() | Babesiosis | Babesia spp. | mice, other animals | tick bite | |
![]() | Balantidiasis | Balantidium coli | pigs (primary reservoir), other mammals (e.g., camels, cattle, sheep), rarely non-human primates | fecal-oral transmission via ingestion of cysts in contaminated food or water, direct contact with pig feces, mechanical transmission possible via flies and cockroaches | |
![]() | Batai virus infection | Batai orthobunyavirus | birds, livestock | mosquito bite | |
![]() | Baylisascariasis | Baylisascaris procyonis | raccoons | ingestion of eggs in feces | |
![]() | Barmah Forest fever | Barmah Forest virus | kangaroos, wallabies, opossums | mosquito bite | First human case reported in 1986. |
![]() | Botulism | Clostridium botulinum | birds, mammals | ingestion of contaminated food, wound infection, or intestinal colonization | |
![]() | Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) | Prions | cattle | eating infected meat | Isolated similar cases reported in ancient history; in recent UK history probable start in the 1970s. [5] |
![]() | Brucellosis (undulant fever, Malta fever, Mediterranean fever) | Brucella spp. | cattle, goats, pigs, sheep | infected milk or meat | Historically widespread in the Mediterranean region; identified in the early 20th century. |
![]() | Bubonic plague, Pneumonic plague, Septicemic plague, Sylvatic plague | Yersinia pestis | rabbits, hares, rodents, ferrets, goats, sheep, camels | flea bite | Epidemics like Black Death in Europe around 1347–53 during the Late Middle Age; third plague pandemic in China-Qing dynasty and India alone. |
![]() | California encephalitis | California encephalitis virus | small mammals | mosquito bite (Aedes species) | First identified in 1943 in Kern County, California. |
![]() | Campylobacteriosis | Campylobacter spp. | poultry, cattle, pets (dogs and cats) | consumption of contaminated food or water, direct contact with infected animals | |
![]() | Capillariasis | Capillaria spp. | rodents, birds, foxes | eating raw or undercooked fish, ingesting embryonated eggs in fecal-contaminated food, water, or soil | |
![]() | Capnocytophaga canimorsus infection | Capnocytophaga canimorsus | dogs, cats | bites, scratches, or close contact with animals | |
![]() | Cat-scratch disease | Bartonella henselae | cats | bites or scratches from infected cats | |
![]() | Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) | Trypanosoma cruzi | armadillos, Triatominae (kissing bug) | contact of mucosae or wounds with feces of kissing bugs, accidental ingestion of parasites in food contaminated by bugs or infected mammal excretae | |
![]() | Chikungunya | Alphavirus chikungunya | primates, small mammals, rodents, birds, mosquitoes | mosquito bite ( Aedes aegypti , Aedes albopictus ) | First identified in 1952 in Tanzania. |
![]() | Clamydiosis / Enzootic abortion | Chlamydophila abortus | domestic livestock, particularly sheep | close contact with postpartum ewes | |
![]() | Clostridioides difficile infection (Clostridium difficile infection) | Clostridioides difficile | cattle, companion animals | fecal-oral route, contact with contaminated surfaces or hands | |
![]() | Colorado tick fever | Colorado tick fever virus | small rodents | tick bite (primarily by Dermacentor andersoni , the Rocky Mountain wood tick) | |
![]() | COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) | Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 | bats, felines, raccoon dogs, minks, white-tailed deer [6] | respiratory transmission | 2019–present COVID-19 pandemic; ongoing pandemic. |
![]() | Cowpox | Cowpox virus | rodents, cattle, cats | direct contact with infected animals | |
![]() | Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease | PrPvCJD | cattle | eating meat from animals with Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) | 1996–2001: United Kingdom. |
![]() | Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever | Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever orthonairovirus | cattle, goats, sheep, birds, hares | tick bite ( Hyalomma spp.), human-to-human contact via bodily fluids | |
![]() | Cryptococcosis | Cryptococcus neoformans | birds like pigeons | inhaling fungi | |
![]() | Cryptosporidiosis | Cryptosporidium spp. | cattle, dogs, cats, mice, pigs, horses, deer, sheep, goats, rabbits, leopard geckos, birds | ingesting cysts from water contaminated with feces | |
![]() | Cysticercosis and taeniasis | Taenia solium , Taenia asiatica , Taenia saginata | pigs and cattle | consuming water, soil or food contaminated with the tapeworm eggs (cysticercosis) or raw or undercooked pork contaminated with the cysticerci (taeniasis) | |
![]() | Dengue fever | Dengue virus | primates | mosquito bite (primarily by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus ) | The earliest detailed descriptions of dengue-like illness appeared in medical records from 1779 to 1780, but has had a significant re-emergence in recent years (see for example 2019–20 dengue fever epidemic). |
![]() | Dermatophytosis (tinea, ringworm) | Microsporum spp., Trichophyton spp. | cattle, sheep, goats, cats, dogs | contact with infected individuals or animals, contact with contaminated surfaces (fomites) or soil | Know by ancient Romans, but only fully described in 1837. [7] |
![]() | Dirofilariasis | Dirofilaria spp. | dogs, wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, cats, monkeys, raccoons, bears, muskrats, rabbits, leopards, seals, sea lions, beavers, ferrets, reptiles | mosquito bite | |
![]() | Dhori virus infection | Dhori virus | birds, livestock, mammals | tick bite | |
![]() | Dobrava-Belgrade virus infection | Dobrava-Belgrade virus | rodents (e.g., yellow-necked mouse) | rodent bite and scratches, inhalation of aerosolized particles from rodent droppings, urine, or nesting materials | |
![]() | Dracunculiasis | Dracunculus medinensis | dogs, cats, baboons | mainly contaminated water | Known by ancient Egyptians, but only fully identified in 1870. |
![]() | Eastern equine encephalitis | Eastern equine encephalitis virus | horses, birds, cattle | mosquito bite | |
![]() | Ebola | Ebolavirus spp. | chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, fruit bats, monkeys, shrews, forest antelope and porcupines | through body fluids and organs | 2013–16; possibly in Africa. |
![]() | Echinococcosis | Echinococcus spp. | dogs, foxes, jackals, wolves, coyotes, sheep, pigs, rodents | ingestion of infective eggs from contaminated food or water with feces of an infected definitive host | |
![]() | Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli infection | Shigatoxigenic and verotoxigenic Escherichia coli | cattle, sheep, goats, deer | ingestion of contaminated food or water, direct contact with infected animals or their feces | |
![]() | Erysipeloid | Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae | pigs, fish, birds | direct contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products | |
![]() | Fasciolosis | Fasciola hepatica , Fasciola gigantica | sheep, cattle, buffaloes | ingesting contaminated plants | |
![]() | Fasciolopsiasis | Fasciolopsis buski | pigs | eating raw vegetables such as water spinach | |
![]() | Foodborne illnesses (commonly diarrheal diseases) | Escherichia coli , Salmonella spp., Listeria spp., Shigella spp. | animals domesticated for food production (cattle, poultry) | raw or undercooked food made from animals and unwashed vegetables contaminated with feces | |
![]() | Giardiasis | Giardia duodenalis | beavers, other rodents, raccoons, deer, cattle, goats, sheep, dogs, cats | ingesting spores and cysts in food and water contaminated with feces | |
![]() | Glanders | Burkholderia mallei. | horses, donkeys | direct contact | |
![]() | Gnathostomiasis (larva migrans profundus) | Gnathostoma spp. | dogs, minks, opossums, cats, lions, tigers, leopards, raccoons, poultry, other birds, frogs | raw or undercooked fish or meat | |
![]() | Hantavirus | Hantavirus spp. | deer mice, cotton rats and other rodents | exposure to feces, urine, saliva or bodily fluids | |
![]() | Henipavirus | Henipavirus spp. | horses, bats | exposure to feces, urine, saliva or contact with sick horses | |
![]() | Hepatitis E | Hepatitis E virus | domestic and wild animals | contaminated food or water | |
![]() | Histoplasmosis | Histoplasma capsulatum | birds, bats | inhaling fungi in guano | |
![]() | HIV infection | Simian immunodeficiency virus | primates | contact with infected blood and other bodily fluids, mother-to-infant during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding | Immunodeficiency resembling human AIDS was reported in captive monkeys in the United States beginning in 1983. [8] [9] [10] SIV was isolated in 1985 from some of these animals, captive rhesus macaques who had simian AIDS (SAIDS). [9] The discovery of SIV was made shortly after HIV-1 had been isolated as the cause of AIDS and led to the discovery of HIV-2 strains in West Africa. HIV-2 was more similar to the then-known SIV strains than to HIV-1, suggesting for the first time the simian origin of HIV. Further studies indicated that HIV-2 is derived from the SIVsmm strain found in sooty mangabeys, whereas HIV-1, the predominant virus found in humans, is derived from SIV strains infecting chimpanzees (SIVcpz). |
![]() | Human granulocytic anaplasmosis | Anaplasma phagocytophilum | deer, rodents, humans | tick bite (primarily by Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus ) | |
![]() | Human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis | Ehrlichia chaffeensis | deer | tick bite (primarily by Amblyomma americanum , the lone star tick) | |
![]() | Japanese encephalitis | Japanese encephalitis virus | pigs, water birds | mosquito bite | |
![]() | Kyasanur Forest disease | Kyasanur Forest disease virus | rodents, shrews, bats, monkeys | tick bite | |
![]() | La Crosse encephalitis | La Crosse virus | chipmunks, tree squirrels | mosquito bite | |
![]() | Lassa fever | Lassa mammarenavirus | rodents | contact with urine, feces, or bodily fluids of infected rats; human-to-human transmission via bodily fluids | |
![]() | Leishmaniasis | Leishmania spp. | dogs, rodents, other animals [11] [12] | sandfly bite | 2004 Afghanistan. |
![]() | Leprosy (Hansen's disease) | Mycobacterium leprae , Mycobacterium lepromatosis | armadillos, monkeys, rabbits, mice [13] | mostly human-to-human direct contact, meat consumption [13] [14] | |
![]() | Leptospirosis | Leptospira interrogans | rats, mice, pigs, horses, goats, sheep, cattle, buffaloes, opossums, raccoons, mongooses, foxes, dogs | direct or indirect contact with urine of infected animals | 1616–20 New England infection; present day in the United States. |
![]() | Louping ill | Louping ill virus | sheep, red grouse, other mammals | tick bite (primarily by Ixodes ricinus ) | First human case reported in 1934. |
![]() | Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) | Borrelia burgdorferi | deer, wolves, dogs, birds, rodents, rabbits, hares, reptiles | tick bite | |
![]() | Lymphocytic choriomeningitis | Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus | rodents | exposure to urine, feces, or saliva | |
![]() | Marburg virus disease (Marburg viral haemorrhagic fever) | Marburg virus | Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus), primates | contact with infected bat excreta, bushmeat consumption, or human-to-human transmission via bodily fluids (e.g., blood, saliva, vomit) | |
![]() | Mediterranean spotted fever (Boutonneuse fever, Kenya tick typhus, Indian tick typhus, Marseilles fever, Astrakhan fever) | Rickettsia conorii | dogs, rodents, other mammals | tick bite | |
![]() | Melioidosis | Burkholderia pseudomallei | various animals | direct contact with contaminated soil and surface water | |
![]() | Microsporidiosis | Encephalitozoon cuniculi | rabbits, dogs, mice, and other mammals | ingestion of spores | |
![]() | Middle East respiratory syndrome | MERS coronavirus | bats, camels | close contact | 2012–present: Saudi Arabia. |
![]() | Mpox | Monkeypox virus | rodents, primates | contact with infected rodents, primates, or contaminated materials | |
![]() | MRSA infection | Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus | livestock, companion animals | direct contact with infected individuals or contaminated surfaces | |
![]() | Nipah virus infection | Nipah virus (NiV) | bats, pigs | direct contact with infected bats, infected pigs | |
![]() | O'nyong'nyong fever | O'nyong'nyong virus | reservoir hosts unknown [15] | mosquito bite ( Anopheles funestus , Anopheles gambiae ) | First identified in 1959 in Uganda. |
![]() | Orf | Orf virus | goats, sheep | close contact | |
![]() | Pasteurellosis | Pasteurella multocida | domestic cats, dogs, livestock, and wild animals | bites, scratches, inhalation of aerosols, or contact with infected secretions | |
![]() | Powassan encephalitis | Powassan virus | ticks | tick bites | |
![]() | Psittacosis (parrot fever) | Chlamydophila psittaci | macaws, cockatiels, budgerigars, pigeons, sparrows, ducks, hens, gulls and many other bird species | contact with bird droplets | |
![]() | Puumala virus infection | Puumala virus | bank voles ( Clethrionomys glareolus ) | rodent bite or scratches, inhalation of aerosols containing rodent excreta | |
![]() | Q fever (query fever) | Coxiella burnetii | livestock and other domestic animals such as dogs and cats | inhalation of spores, contact with bodily fluid or feces | |
![]() | Rabies | Rabies lyssavirus | dogs, bats, monkeys, raccoons, foxes, skunks, cattle, goats, sheep, wolves, coyotes, groundhogs, horses, mongooses and cats | through saliva by biting, or through scratches from an infected animal | Variety of places like Oceania, South America, Europe. |
![]() | Rat-bite fever | Streptobacillus moniliformis , Spirillum minus | rats, mice | rat bite of rats, contact with urine and mucus secretions | |
![]() | Rift Valley fever | Phlebovirus | livestock, buffaloes, camels | mosquito bite, contact with bodily fluids, blood, tissues, breathing around butchered animals or raw milk | 2006–07 East Africa outbreak. |
![]() | Rocio viral encephalitis | Rocio virus | birds [16] | mosquito bite | |
![]() | Rocky Mountain spotted fever | Rickettsia rickettsii | dogs, rodents | tick bite | |
![]() | Ross River fever | Ross River virus | kangaroos, wallabies, horses, opossums, birds, flying foxes | mosquito bite | |
![]() | Saint Louis encephalitis | Saint Louis encephalitis virus | birds | mosquito bite | |
![]() | Seoul virus infection | Seoul virus | rodents | contact with infected rodent saliva, feces, urine, or bites | |
![]() | Severe acute respiratory syndrome | SARS coronavirus | bats, civets | close contact, respiratory droplets | 2002–04 SARS outbreak; China. |
![]() | Sindbis fever | Sindbis virus | birds | mosquito bite | |
![]() | Smallpox | Variola virus | possibly monkeys and horses | spread from person to person quickly | Last reported case in 1977; certified by WHO to be eradicated (i.e., eliminated worldwide) as of 1980. |
![]() | Streptococcosis | Streptococcus suis | pigs | direct contact with infected pigs or pork products, especially through cuts or abrasions, or inhalation of contaminated aerosols | |
![]() | Swine influenza | Swine influenza virus | pigs | close contact | 2009–10; 2009 swine flu pandemic; Mexico. |
![]() | Taenia crassiceps infection | Taenia crassiceps | wolves, coyotes, jackals, foxes | contact with soil contaminated with feces | |
![]() | Tick-borne encephalitis | Tick-borne encephalitis virus | birds, rodents, horses | tick bite (primarily by Ixodes ricinus ) | |
![]() | Thogotovirus infection | Thogotovirus | livestock, humans | tick bite | |
![]() | Toxocariasis | Toxocara spp. | dogs, foxes, cats | ingestion of eggs in soil, fresh or unwashed vegetables or undercooked meat | |
![]() | Toxoplasmosis | Toxoplasma gondii | cats, livestock, poultry, rodents | exposure to cat feces, organ transplantation, blood transfusion, contaminated soil, water, grass, unwashed vegetables, unpasteurized dairy products and undercooked meat | First identified in 1908 in a gundi in Tunisia and a rabbit in Brazil. [17] |
![]() | Trichinosis (trichinellosis) | Trichinella spp. | rodents, pigs, horses, bears, walruses, dogs, foxes, crocodiles, birds | eating undercooked meat | |
![]() | Tuberculosis (white death, consumption) | Mycobacterium bovis | infected cattle, deer, llamas, pigs, domestic cats, wild carnivores (foxes, coyotes) and omnivores (possums, mustelids and rodents) | milk, exhaled air, sputum, urine, feces and pus from infected animals | |
![]() | Tularemia (rabbit fever) | Francisella tularensis | lagomorphs (type A), rodents (type B), birds | ticks, deer flies, and other insects including mosquitoes | |
![]() | Valtice fever (Ťahyňa virus virus infection) | Bunyavirus | rodents | mosquito bite [18] | |
![]() | Venezuelan equine encephalitis | Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus | horses, donkeys, zebras, birds, rodents | mosquito bite | |
![]() | Wesselsbron disease | Wesselsbron virus | sheep, cattle | mosquito bite | |
![]() | West Nile fever | West Nile virus | birds, horses, primates, dogs, cats, and incidentally reptiles and amphibians | mosquito bite | First identified in 1937 in the West Nile sub-region of Uganda. Later emerged in the Western Hemisphere in 1999 during an outbreak in New York. [19] |
![]() | Western equine encephalitis | Western equine encephalitis virus | horses, birds | mosquito bite | |
![]() | Yersiniosis | Yersinia enterocolitica | pigs, rodents, cattle | ingestion of contaminated food or water | |
![]() | Zika fever | Zika virus | chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, monkeys, baboons | mosquito bite, sexual intercourse, blood transfusion and sometimes bites of monkeys | 2015–16 epidemic in the Americas and Oceania. |