Janice Carr/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Image Number: 138)
Animals can bring tremendous joy to our lives, but they can also make us sick. Every year, tens of thousands of people fall ill to diseases transmitted through animal contact. These conditions are known as zoonotic diseases, or zoonoses. Here are some of the most common.
Salmonellosis
This very common bacterial infection can be transmitted through direct contact with animals such as dogs, rodents, and reptiles as well as through consumption of infected food. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, headache, and spleen enlargement.
Leptospirosis
Contact with the urine of infected dogs, mice, or rats, or with urine-contaminated materials, can quickly spread this debilitating disease. Symptoms, which present in two phases, include headache, muscle ache, stiff neck, eye pain when viewing bright light, and inflammation of nerves of the eyes, brain, and spinal column.