Zoonotic Diseases by Dr. Syed Sadaf Akbar | جانوروں سے انسانوں میں منتقل ہونے بیماریاں ۔ ڈاکٹر سیدہ صدف اکبر
Zoonotic Diseases by Dr. Syed Sadaf Akbar. These are the diseases that are transferred from animals to humans. These also transfer from humans to animals. Furthermore, this is a highly important issue of public health concern. Moreover, this issue of zoonosis is taken under one health aspect.
Diseases which can be transferred from animals to humans are known as zoonotic diseases. Humans can acquire these infections through a variety of means including airborne pathogens or through bites and saliva.
Transmission of Zoonotic Diseases
Zoonotic diseases can be transmitted to humans in many ways like animal bites and scratches, food animals, farmers and veterinarians, livestock owners like mosquitoes, lice, fleas, and ticks.
Some individuals are more at risk than others like people with autoimmune diseases; those suffering from chronic, underlying illnesses; cancer patients and pregnant females.
Spread Between Animals and Humans
Zoonotic diseases are those spread between animals and people. These diseases are due to a wide range of pathogens including viruses, fungi, parasites, and bacteria. Zoonotic diseases can cause a wide range of effects in people, and many times even death. Though humans may display evidence of illness, animals do not always appear sick. These animals are commonly referred to as “carriers” as they are carrying disease-causing pathogens.
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Zoonotic Diseases and Risk Factors
The major factor contributing to the appearance of new zoonotic pathogens in human populations is increased contact between humans and wildlife. This can be caused either by encroachment of human activity into wilderness areas or by movement of wild animals into areas of human activity.
People can get sick from a zoonotic disease by direct contact, when they are in direct contact with an infected animal’s blood, urine, feces, saliva, or any other body fluids. Indirect contact by being in an area animals reside, or touching an object or surface that has been contaminated by germs.
It is important to maintain proper hygiene when caring for animals. One should protect themselves and the animals, by wearing gloves, washing your hands before and after contact, and avoid eating immediately following cleaning.
Commonly Affected Animals and Zoonotic Diseases
People can get zoonotic diseases from contact with infected live poultry, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and other domestic and wild animals.
A common way for these diseases to spread is through the bite of a mosquito or tick. People can get diseases in most places where they might have contact with infected animals and insects, including drinking contaminated water. Bacterial penetration of abraded or lacerated skin by infected urine, contaminated food, water, or soil, or by direct contact with an infected animal.
خوراک اور پانی سے پھیلنے والی بیماریاں اور ون ہیلتھ کے موضوع پر انٹرنیشنل ورکشاپ کا انعقاد
Major Zoonotic Diseases
Rabies
Rabies virus spreads through saliva, most commonly by bites or scratches. The most common zoonotic diseases are plague, tuberculosis, cat scratch fever, tick paralysis, hantavirus, ringworm, salmonellosis, leptospirosis, lyme disease, campylobacter infection, giardia infection, cryptosporidium infection, roundworms, hookworms, scabies, harvest mites, and rabies.
Hookworm
Hookworm lives in small intestine in cats and dogs. This infection is transmitted from food animals to humans. There are two types of hookworms which are commonly infect humans such as Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus. There are no particular signs and symptoms to this hookworm infection but it can give rise to protein deficiency, intestinal inflammation. If the pregnant women got affected by this disease, cause retarded growth of the fetus, premature birth and low birth weight.
Tapeworm
Tapeworm lives in the digestive tract and vertebrates as adults, and often in the bodies of animals. The one who eats the undercooked meat like beef, and fish that people got infected by these tape-worm infections. There are no specific symptoms to this tapeworm infection but some people experience upper abdominal pain, loss of appetite and diarrhea. If T solium larva migrates to the brain then people suffered with severe headaches and other neurological problems.
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis caused by the parasite called as Toxoplasma gondii and commonly hosts by cat and wild animals are host. It usually spreads by eating poorly cooked food that having cysts, exposure to infected cat feces. Transmitted from cats to humans, especially pregnant women causing mother-to-fetus transmission. Most healthy people who become infected show symptoms like fever, aches and pains. Cats acquire the infection by eating infected raw meat or rodents and excrete the pathogen in their feces.
Cryptosporidiosis
Cryptosporidiosis is also a parasitic disease, which is caused by Cryptosporidium. It lives in soil, water and food. It affects the small intestine and respiratory tract, both immunocompromised and immune competent individuals causes severe watery diarrhea with cough. Most common symptoms include weight loss, dehydration, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. The prevention of this disease is washing your hands often and cleaning the fruits or vegetables before eating.
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease in dogs which can be transferred to humans by coming into contact with an infected dog’s urine. Main hosts are skunks, raccoons, opossums, mice, and domestic livestock animals. It enters the body through cuts or abrasions. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, jaundice, red eyes, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rash.
Brucellosis
Brucellosis is caused by Brucella spp and transmitted through raw milk or unpasteurized dairy products. Transmission occur due to contact with tissues, blood, urine, vaginal discharges, or fetuses of infected animals. Brucellosis is a highly contagious infection in many animals. It usually begins as a septicemia localizing in lymph nodes, spleen, reproductive organs, and joints where it can persist for long periods of time. Use gloves, and handling infected animals.
Plague
Bubonic plague caused by Yersinia pestis and hosts are fleas, rats and ground squirrels. Transmission occur due to flea bite and wild rodents, rabbits, and mammals serve as the hosts to the fleas. The signs in animals are fever, pneumonia, and swollen lymph nodes. In humans, the disease is categorized into bubonic and pneumonic types. The bubonic form is characterized by a bacteremia and infected lymph nodes. Try to avoid contact with flea habitats. Flea habitats should be avoided and care should be taken when handling animals.
Conclusion
Most of the bacteria that cause disease in wildlife also cause disease in man. There are several important routes of disease transmission. The transmission of neglected minor wounds, abrasions, and skin lesions where the skin is broken serve as common ports of entry for microorganisms. These bacteria are frequently caused by many groups of bacteria, but they usually involve Staphylococcus and Streptococcus.
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