Basics
Learn More
See, Play and Learn
- No links available
Research
Resources
For You
Summary
Animal diseases that people can catch are called zoonoses. Many diseases affecting humans can be traced to animals or animal products. You can get a disease directly from an animal, or indirectly, through the environment.
Farm animals can carry diseases. If you touch them or things they have touched, like fencing or buckets, wash your hands thoroughly. Adults should make sure children who visit farms or petting zoos wash up as well.
Though they may be cute and cuddly, wild animals may carry germs, viruses, and parasites. Deer and deer mice carry ticks that cause Lyme disease. Some wild animals may carry rabies. Enjoy wildlife from a distance.
Pets can also make you sick. Reptiles pose a particular risk. Turtles, snakes and iguanas can transmit Salmonella bacteria to their owners. You can get rabies from an infected dog or toxoplasmosis from handling kitty litter of an infected cat. The chance that your dog or cat will make you sick is small. You can reduce the risk by practicing good hygiene, keeping pet areas clean and keeping your pets' shots up-to-date.
Latest News
- 8 People Infected in Rare U.S. Outbreak of Rat Virus (01/20/2017, HealthDay)
- Bird Flu Strain May Have Jumped from Cat to Human (12/23/2016, HealthDay)
Related Issues
- Disease Precautions for Dog Walkers (American Veterinary Medical Association)
- Spring and Baby Poultry are Here! (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Specifics
- Bat Influenza (Flu) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Birds Kept as Pets (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Cats (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Dogs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Farm Animals (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Horses (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Key Facts about Tularemia (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus from Pet Rodents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Mycobacterium bovis (Bovine Tuberculosis) in Humans (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Pets and Parasites (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- Pets and Pasteurella Infections (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- Rat Bite Fever (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- Ringworm (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Rodent Control: Seal Up! Trap Up! Clean Up! (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Take Caution When Bats Are Near (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Toxocariasis (also known as Roundworm Infection) FAQs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Zoonotic Hookworm FAQs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Women
- Caring for Pets When You're Pregnant (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Toxoplasmosis and Pregnant Women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)