Zoonotic Infections News

Several abortifacient disease agents of sheep and goats are known to be pathogenic for humans. This includes bacterial diseases – such as brucellosis, Q fever and Mammalian Chlamydiosis – as well as protozoan (toxoplasmosis) and viral (Rift valley fever). Other zoonotic pathogens, such as Listeria and Salmonella spp, may cause abortions in sheep and goats occasionally. Toxoplasma gondii, found worldwide, causes infections in carnivore and omnivore animal species and in humans. It is one of the main three causes of abortion in sheep; in some countries, it is the main cause.

The August 2008 Zoonotic Infections column, titled “Q fever: a reemerging zoonosis,” examined a Q fever epidemic of unusual magnitude in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant.

Last month’s Part 1 of the leptospirosis review, which addressed the etiology, geographic distribution, transmission, infection reservoir and infection in humans, included some information on the recent leptospirosis epidemic in flooded territories of the Philippines. As of Oct. 26, 2,158 cases – including 167 deaths – were recorded. On Nov. 16, WHO reported that the number of cases increased to 3,382 individuals, with an estimate of 249 deaths. To compare, during all of 2008, 769 cases were reported throughout the Philippines.

Tropical Storm Ondoy’s heavy rains on Sept. 24, caused massive flooding in the Philippines’ National Capital Region and its nearby provinces Rizal and Laguna. A major leptopspirosis outbreak followed.

Rabies is widely distributed across the globe, with certain exceptions. According to WHO data, more than 55,000 people die of rabies each year. About 95% of human deaths occur in Asia and Africa; the highest numbers are seen in India and China.

The term “fever of unknown origin” (FUO), coined in 1961, was initially defined as an illness of more than three weeks, during which fever higher than 38.3°C (101°F) was recorded on several occasions, remaining undiagnosed after one week of investigations in hospital. This definition has undergone some slight modifications throughout the years to reflect evolutionary changes in clinical practice.

In mid-July 2009, several domestic cats and dogs in South Dakota’s Sioux Falls neighborhood were found infected by tularemia. Reportedly, one animal died of the disease and pet owners were advised to protect their animals by using tick repellant or checking pets for ticks. No human infection was recorded during the event.

One of the diseases that is considered a health hazard to travelers visiting certain African countries is the zoonotic, arthropod–borne viral disease Rift Valley Fever, also known as Infectious Enzootic Hepatitis of Sheep and Cattle. Although humans are infected, mostly, by their exposure to blood, tissues and aborted foeti of infected domestic ruminants, transmission from animal to human by arthropod vectors plays its role as well.

Since its identification in April 2009, an influenza A (H1N1) virus containing a unique combination of gene segments from both North American and Eurasian swine lineages has continued to circulate in humans, spreading globally. Indeed the first name the media gave to the novel virus was “swine flu virus,” though the virus is human-to-human transmitted, not pig-to-human.

Between mid-January and mid-February 2009, 33 human cases of cowpox were reportedly diagnosed in France (15 cases, 14 of which were in the north) and Germany (18 cases, 12 of which were in North-Rhine-Westphalia and six in Bavaria).