Some Unusual Facts About Zoonotic Diseases

Zoonotic diseases are diseases transmitted from animals. Sometimes from your own pets. Some of the zoonotic diseases you may be familiar with include ringworm, rabies, fleas, giardia, anthrax, lyme disease, bordetella, brucellosis (undulant fever), bartonellosis (cat scratch fever), cheyletiella, hantavirus (from rodents), leishmaniasis, psittacosis (parrot fever), roundworms, salmonella (from reptiles), mange (from dogs), scabies/mites, toxoplasmosis (from cats) and many others.

They can be viral, fungal, bacterial, protozoal or parasitic infections. Most of them are an irritating problem that can be treated with creams or medications quite easily and without complication, but some zoonotic diseases can be fatal.

Here are a few, very unusual ones you may not know about. These are extremely rare but interesting zoonotic diseases.

Buffalo Pox

This oddly-named disease is a real illness. Fortunately, it is seen only in India. The buffalo pox virus is exactly like the vaccinia virus used in the smallpox vaccine which has been used worldwide to protect humans against smallpox.

The vaccinia virus is seen in water buffalo in India, but it can and is transmitted to humans. There have been epidemics of buffalo pox (via animal-to-human transmission) in India as late as 1976. Recently, however, newly discovered human-to-human transmission of buffalo pox virus, also known as BPV, has been discovered and is concerning medical researchers. This transmission form has not been seen before and medical experts are worried that a public health problem could result with these recent outbreaks.

Cowpox

Cowpox is a mild form of smallpox and has been around for hundreds of years. The disease is also seen in rodents and cats and one reported case seen in a circus elephant. The disease is extremely rare and no cases have ever been reported in the United States. There have only been 150 human cases reported, the latest in Egypt in 2001.

Monkeypox

Monkeypox is also related to the smallpox virus and is seen primarily in the rain forest countries of central and west Africa. First seen in laboratory monkeys in 1958, it was later discovered in African rodents, African tree squirrels, mice, rats and rabbits. In 1970, monkeypox was first reported in humans and in 2003, monkeypox was seen in prairie dogs and humans in the United states.

Camelpox

This is possibly the closest relative of all the above to the smallpox virus and scientists fear its very real potential risks as a bioweapon. They suggest that camelpox could become a threat to humans through natural processes or genetic engineering. Camelpox is a severe disease of camels in northern Africa and southwestern Asia. Some experts think that Iraq may be using the camelpox virus in its biological weapons program. In 1995, the Iraqi government admitted that they were working with camelpox. (Journal reference: Journal of General Virology vol. 83, p 855)

Sources:

http://www.vetscite.org/publish/items/000540/

www.MedicineNet.com