Zoonotic diseases in the Northeast
This list features the zoonotic diseases that are more likely to be encountered in the Northeast. The names of the more significant diseases are shown in all capitals and boldface type.
Sample listing:
Disease name
Agent (what causes disease)
Vectors (animal carriers in the Northeast)
Route (how people catch the disease)—see box
Symptoms in people
Ancylostomiasis, Cutaneous larval migrans, Creeping eruptions
Agent: Parasite (hookworm)
Vectors: People, dogs, cats
Route: Worm burrows into skin; ingestion
Symptoms: Meandering, itchy red lines on skin
Anthrax
Agent: Bacteria (spores)
Vectors: Most mammals, mostly food animals, rabbits, mice
Route: Inhalation; ingestion; wound/eye/nose/mouth via contact with infected carcass
Symptoms: (Two forms) Flu-like. Pustules on skin. Cough, respiratory failure. Vomiting, diarrhea. Can be fatal.
Aspergillosis
Agent: Fungal spores
Vectors: None, but grows in soil enriched by bird and bat droppings (esp. pigeons, poultry)
Route: Inhalation
Symptoms: Mild, flu-like, pneumonia
Babesiosis
Agent: Parasite (protozoa)
Vectors: Wild and domestic animals, white-footed mouse, meadow vole, and white-tailed deer (via tick)
Route: Tick bite
Symptoms: Irregular fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, fatigue
Botulism (food poisoning)
Agent: Bacterial toxin
Vectors: Birds, mammals
Route: Ingestion
Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, disturbed vision, weakness.
Brucellosis
Agent: Bacteria
Vectors: Hoofed animals
Route: Ingestion (milk); fecal-oral; wound/eye/nose/mouth
Symptoms: Intermittent fever, chills, headache, body aches, weakness, weight loss
Campylobacteriosis
Agent: Bacteria
Vectors: Hoofed animals, feral cats and dogs, birds, young animals
Transmission routes (how people catch disease): Fecal-oral: Person touches contaminant and then, with unwashed hands, touches mouth.Ingestion: Person eats or drinks contaminated product. Inhalation: Person breathes in disease agent. Wound/eye/nose/mouth: The contaminant invades a person’s wound, eyes, nose, or mouth. |
Route: Fecal-oral
Symptoms: Sudden gastrointestinal disease, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever. Pseudoappendicitis.
Cat scratch disease
Agent: Bacteria
Vectors: Feral cats, dogs, squirrels
Route: Cat bites, scratches, or licks person
Symptoms: Fever, malaise, swollen lymph nodes
Cryptococcosis
Agent: Fungal spores
Vectors: Pigeons, starlings
Route: Inhalation; ingestion
Symptoms: Meningitis. Can be fatal.
Cryptosporidiosis
Agent: Parasite (protozoa)
Vectors: Rodents, birds (poultry), ruminants, fish, reptiles, domestic animals
Route: Fecal-oral; waterborne; wound/eye/nose/mouth
Symptoms: Enteritis, diarrhea, low fever, malaise, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps
Dermatomycosis
Agent: Fungus (ringworm)
Vectors: Dog, cat, cattle, horses, coyote, fox, other mammals, birds
Route: Wound/eye/nose/mouth
Symptoms: Ring-like lesion, scaling, redness
ENCEPHALITIS (several related diseases, including West Nile, Eastern,Western, and St. Louis encephalitis) Agent:Viruses
Vectors: Birds, bats, some rodents, jackrabbits (via mosquitoes)
Route: Mosquito bites
Symptoms: Mild flu-like to severe. Can be fatal. (There’s a high fatality rate in horses afflicted with Eastern equine encephalitis.)
Ehrlichiosis (two forms)
Agent: Bacteria (rickettsia)
Vectors: Dog, cattle, other mammals (probably via tick)
Route:Tick bite?
Symptoms: Flu-like, sometimes a rash appears.
Giardiasis
Agent: Parasite (protozoa)
Vectors: People, dogs, beaver
Route: Fecal-oral; ingestion; environmental contamination (water)
Symptoms: Diarrhea, greasy, frothy, smelly feces, cramps, flatulence.
HANTAVIRUS PULMONARY SYNDROME
Agent: Virus
Vectors: Deer mice, white-footed mice
Route: Inhalation, rodent bite
Symptoms: Flu-like. Can be fatal.
HISTOPLASMOSIS
Agent: Fungal spores
Vectors: None, but grows in soil enriched by bird and bat droppings (especially pigeons)
Route: Inhalation
Symptoms: Mild, flu-like, pneumonia. Can be fatal.
Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease)
Agent: Bacteria
Vectors: Rodents, rabbits, fox, skunk, raccoon, opossum, deer
Route: Fecal-oral; ingestion; wound/eye/nose/mouth
Symptoms: Fever, jaundice, pain in stomach, joints, or muscles, nausea. Can be fatal.
LYME DISEASE
Agent: Bacteria
Vectors: Wild rodents (some mice, chipmunks), raccoon, deer, rabbits, birds (via deer/black-legged tick)
Route:Tick bite
Symptoms: Flu-like, rash, arthritis
Lymphocytic-choriomeningitis
Agent: Virus
Vectors: House mouse and rats
Route: Inhalation; fecal-oral; rodent bites
Symptoms: Flu-like. Inflammation of testes, joint pain, paralysis, coma.
Mange
Agent: Parasites (mites)
Vectors: Dog, cat, fox, coyote,rodents, other mammals
Route: Mite bites; wound/eye/nose/mouth
Symptoms: Crusty, red rash between fingers, on back of hands and arms.
Psittacosis
Agent: Bacteria
Vectors: Birds (especially pigeons), parakeets, poultry, waterfowl
Route: Inhalation, especially from dry feces
Symptoms: Flu-like, anorexia, pneumonia. Can be fatal.
Q (query) fever
Agent: Bacteria
Vectors: Mammals (especially sheep, goats), birds
Route: Wound/eye/nose/mouth
Symptoms: Flu-like, high fevers. Pneumonia. Hepatitis.
Can be fatal (rarely).
RABIES
Agent: Virus
Vectors: Mammals, especially raccoon, striped skunk, foxes, bats
Route:Animal bite or scratch; wound/eye/nose/mouth; rarely, inhalation
Symptoms: Paralysis, convulsions, coma. Nearly always fatal.
RACCOON ROUNDWORM
Agent: Parasite (roundworm)
Vectors: Raccoons
Route: Fecal-oral
Symptoms: Nausea, tiredness, enlarged liver, loss of coordination, coma. Can be fatal.
Rickettsial pox
Agent: Bacteria (rickettsia)
Vector: House mice
Route: Mite bite
Symptoms: resemble chicken pox.
Rocky mountain spotted fever
Agent: Bacteria (rickettsia)
Vectors: Wild rodents, rabbits, hares, carnivores, birds
(via tick)
Route:Tick bite
Symptoms: Rapid onset fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, rash, loss of muscle control. Can be fatal.
Ingestion: Person eats or drinks contaminated product. Inhalation: Person breathes in disease agent. Wound/eye/nose/mouth: The contaminant invades a person’s wound, eyes, nose, or mouth.
Transmission routes (how people catch disease): Fecal-oral: Person touches contaminant and then, with unwashed hands, touches mouth.
Salmonellosis (food poisoning)
Agent: Bacteria
Vectors: Rodents, swine, cattle, wild birds, poultry, pet reptiles (turtles, iguanas, etc.)
Route: Ingestion; wound/eye/nose/mouth
Symptoms: Sudden headache, fever, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting
Schistosomiasis (Swimmer’s itch)
Agent: Parasite
Vectors: Rodents, waterfowl
Route: Waterborne (can penetrate intact skin)
Symptoms: Rash
Sporothrichosis
Agent: Fungal spores
Vectors: Cats, dogs, horses, soil, plants
Route: wound/eye/nose/mouth via soil or plants
Symptoms: Skin lesions, spreads along lymph nodes.
Toxocariasis, Visceral larval migrans
Agent: Parasite (roundworm)
Vectors: Dog, cat, raccoon, other mammals Route: Ingestion of eggs (soil, contam. Items)
Symptoms: Fever, cough, wheezing. Eye problems, brain damage.
TOXOPLASMOSIS
Vectors: Cats
Route: Fecal-oral; ingestion (of contaminated eggs in meat)
Symptoms: Fever, malaise, muscle pain, headache. Can be fatal.
Tularemia
Agent: Bacteria
Vectors: Wild rodents, rabbits, hares, muskrats, carnivores, birds, hoofed animals (deer), bull snakes Route: Bites from ticks or biting insects; Inhalation; Ingestion. Can penetrate intact skin.
Symptoms: Mild to severe. Pneumonia, ulcer at bite site, swollen lymph nodes, death.
Typhus
Agent: Bacteria (rickettsia)
Vector: Rodents (inc. rats, mice, squirrels), opossum (via rat flea or body louse)
Route: Flea or lice bites; inhalation;wound/eye/nose/mouth
Symptoms: Fever, severe headache, chills, general pains, possible rash.
In the Northeast, these are the diseases you’d most likely be exposed to by…
MAMMALS
- Rabies (any mammal, but most commonly from skunks, raccoons, foxes, bats)
- Raccoon roundworm (mostly raccoons. Also: mice, squirrels, woodchucks, rabbits)
- Histoplasmosis (from bat roosts and caves, not directly from bats)
- Hantavirus (deer mouse, white-footed mouse)
- Mange (foxes, coyotes, squirrels)
- Toxoplasmosis (contact with contaminated meat, cat feces, or soil)
BIRDS
- Histoplasmosis (from bird roosts, poultry barns, not directly from birds)
REPTILES
- Salmonellosis
- There are some venomous snakes in the Northeast.
PARASITES AND INSECTS
- West Nile virus (mostly from mosquito bites)
- Lyme disease (from ticks. People are most likely to be infected from May through July).
HEALTH ISSUES FROM OTHER NWCO JOB HAZARDS
- Falls
- Car accidents
- Heat-related illnesses
- Tetanus infection (puncture wound, contact with infected nail) or other infections from wounds
- Exposure to toxic substances such as pesticides, and fiberglass, that are often found in attics
- Electrocution, and other hazards caused by dangerous sites