Human diseases from wildlife

This book presents information on prevalent and serious zoonotic diseases in the US and Canada, some of which have been national headline news like anthrax, influenza, and West Nile virus. Diseases that are caused by pathogens with the ability to infect both humans and animals are known as zoonotic diseases, which literally means "disease from animals." The issue of human-wildlife disease interactions is a growing concern as humans continue to interface with wildlife. People who handle wildlife, including field workers, wildlife professionals, trappers, and hunters, want to know about potential diseases, risks, and how to protect themselves from disease. This book was written because many are uninformed about zoonotic diseases. This lack of information causes some people to have a heightened fear of zoonotic diseases, preventing them from enjoying wildlife or spending time outdoors. On the other hand, some people needlessly expose themselves to disease by neglecting simple precautions. This book includes information on bacterial, spirochetal, rickettsial, and viral diseases as well as macroparasites and emerging zoonotic diseases. More than two dozen diseases are covered including rabies, tularemia, baylisascariasis, salmonellosis, leprosy, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and swimmer's itch. Each chapter contains the history of the disease, symptoms in humans, medical treatment, transmission of pathogens to humans, the role of wildlife as vectors, and methods to minimize risk

Introduction -- Plague -- Brucellosis -- Tuberculosis -- Tularemia -- Leprosy -- Anthrax -- Rat-Bite Fever -- Salmonellosis -- Escherichia coli and Other Foodborne Diseases -- Psittacosis and Other Zoonotic Diseases Caused by Chlamydia Species -- Leptospirosis -- Lyme Disease -- Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever -- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Other Spotted Fevers -- Q Fever and Coxiellosis -- Epidemic Typhus and Murine Typhus -- Ehrlichiosis and Anaplasmosis -- Rabies -- Equine Encephalitis : Eastern, Western, and Venezuelan -- West Nile Virus and Other Diseases Caused by Flaviviruses : Yellow Fever, Dengue, St. Louis Encephalitis, Japanese Encephalitis, Powassan Encephalitis, and Deer Tick Virus -- Colorado Tick Fever and Human Diseases Caused by Bunyaviruses : La Crosse Encephalitis, California Encephalitis, Cache Valley Virus, and Jamestown Canyon Virus -- Hantaviruses -- Influenza -- Cryptococcosis -- Histoplasmosis -- Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in Humans, Chronic Wasting Disease in Cervids, Mad Cow Disease in Cattle, and Scrapie in Sheep and Goats -- Baylisascariasis and Raccoon Roundworms -- Trichinellosis -- Swimmer's Itch and Giardiasis -- Appendix A : Definition of Medical T…