Emerging zoonoses and pathogens of public health significance – an overview

Abstract

Emerging zoonotic diseases have assumed increasing importance in public and animal health, as the last few years have seen a steady stream of new diseases, each emerging from an unsuspected quarter and causing severe problems for animals and humans. The reasons for disease emergence are multiple, but there are two main factors -expansion of the human population and globalisation of trade. Current issues such as the increasing movement of a variety of animal species, ecological disruption, uncultivatable organisms, and terrorism, all imply that emerging zoonotic diseases will in all probability, not only continue to occur, but will increase in the rate of their emergence. The recurring nature of the crises dictates that closer integration of veterinary and medical communities is warranted, along with improved education of the general public and policy makers.

Baboons as potential reservoirs of zoonotic gastrointestinal parasite infections at Yankari National Park, Nigeria

“…In a review of the over 140 zoonotic parasites shared between humans and animals 1,2 , the intestinal parasites recovered in this study are amongst those known to have high pathologic involvement in humans. Heavy infection with A. lumbricoides causes diarrhoea, vomiting, and occasionally occlusion of the intestinal tract.…”

“…An estimated 71% of emerging human pathogens of zoonotic importance have wildlife origins 1 . Some of the factors which may account for this include alteration of the environment, increasing human populations causing an increased level of contact between humans and infected animals, increasing movements of people, and an increased trade in animals and animal products 1 .…”

“…Some of the factors which may account for this include alteration of the environment, increasing human populations causing an increased level of contact between humans and infected animals, increasing movements of people, and an increased trade in animals and animal products 1 . The ability of infectious disease agents to cross the species barrier has long been recognised 3 .The role of wildlife in transmitting infections to humans 1,2 , and in maintaining infection through spillover and spillback mechanisms has been explored in many organisms 1 but more so in nonhuman primates 2,3, . Non-human primates often carry gastrointestinal parasites that have been found to be shared between humans and primates 3,4,5 .…”

Zoonotic Viral Infections Transmitted by Food: Selected Examples

“…Viruses need living cells to replicate and almost all food-borne viruses are human pathogens [13]. Most food-borne viruses are highly infectious in many human cases and can spread rapidly from individual to individual [14].…”

Emerging viral threats in Gabon: health capacities and response to the risk of emerging zoonotic diseases in Central Africa

“…3,5,[13][14][15] In fact, the number of EID events caused by pathogens coming from wildlife has increased during the past six decades. 3 The majority of pathogens recorded were of viral origin.…”