Top 10 Horrible Diseases that Came From Animals
Did you know over half of the infectious diseases humans experience come from animals? Scientists estimate that animals spread over six out of every ten known infectious diseases! Many are deadly and can lead to outbreaks, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Read on to learn about ten horrible zoonotic diseases that exist and how you might catch them.
10) Toxoplasmosis:
Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection caused by a microorganism called Toxoplasma gondii, or T. gondii. This parasite exists everywhere—in air, on land, in the sea, and in most warm-blooded animals. However, its primary hosts are house cats. Toxoplasmosis affects up to 2 billion people globally. Most people will have no noticeable symptoms and don’t require treatment for Toxoplasmosis. Up to 20% will have mild symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes or flu-like aches.
In rare cases, severe infections can lead to:
- Vision loss
- Brain damage
- Paralysis
- Schizophrenia
- Inflamed heart tissues
- If brain damage continues without treatment, especially in people with weak immune systems, Toxoplasmosis can be fatal.
9) Salmonellosis:
Salmonellosis is a bacterial infection caused by the bacteria Salmonella. You can find the Salmonella bacteria in domestic and wild animals, including pigs, cattle, cats, dogs, poultry, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Infected animals often don’t show signs of the disease, so make sure to wash after handling them. For example, if you have a pet turtle, it can have Salmonella on its body and anywhere in its tank.
Symptoms of Salmonella include:
- Abdominal pain
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Turning bones into fluid
8) Anthrax (Bacillus Anthracis):
A spore-forming bacteria causes anthrax disease. You can commonly find it in herbivore mammals such as pigs, cattle, sheep, camels, antelopes, and goats. The bacteria spores can survive for long periods and easily spreads in the air. The mortality rate of anthrax depends on the exposure method.
You can get anthrax by:
- Inhaling spores
- Eating undercooked meat from infected animals, or
- Handling products such as wool and hides from infected animals.
7) Rabies:
Rabies is a terrible viral disease that affects all warm-blooded mammals, including humans. An infected animal will have the rabies virus in its saliva and brain tissue. They usually spread the virus to humans through bites. The virus can also spread by coming into contact with open cuts or wounds. Bat and dog bites are common sources of humans catching rabies. According to the CDC, approximately 59,000 deaths are caused by rabies worldwide.
The early symptoms of rabies include:
- fevers
- headaches.
- Rabies can also cause other unexpected symptoms such as Hydrophobia, the fear of water.
6) Zoonotic Influenza:
The most prevalent zoonotic influenza is the avian influenza viruses, particularly the A(H5) and A(H7N9) viruses, also known as bird flu. You can contract avian influenza viruses from poultry such as chickens, turkeys, and ducks. This virus can transfer to humans directly or indirectly from exposure to infected live or dead poultry and contaminated environments such as bird markets.
It can cause symptoms of :
- diarrhea,
- vomiting
- internal bleeding
- chest pain,
- and complications such as Multi-organ dysfunctionPneumoniaHypoxemic respiratory failure Septic shock
5) Arbovirus:
Arbovirus refers to arthropod-borne viruses, such as dengue fever, Zika virus, and West Nile virus. Mosquito bites are a common transmitter of arboviruses. Different arthropods carry different arboviruses. For example, dengue arises from the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. The West Nile virus spreads from mosquitoes that caught the virus after feeding on infected birds or horses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports around 400 million people to contract dengue fever annually, and 22,000 die as a result.
Severe cases of dengue fever will have symptoms including:
- Vomiting blood
- Continuous vomiting
- Blood in your bowel movements
- Bleeding from the gums or nose
- Feeling tired or restless
4) Malaria:
Although malaria is also transmitted by mosquitoes, Malaria is not a virus, but it is a disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite. The Anopheles mosquito can host the parasite that causes Malaria. Mosquitos use saliva to prevent blood clots when they bite humans. The parasite is transmitted into our bloodstream through this saliva. Once in our bodies, the parasites multiply in the liver then infect and destroy red blood cells.
Mild symptoms are more flu-like and include:
- fevers
- headaches
- muscle aches
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- and tiredness.
For more severe cases, symptoms will include:
- Impaired consciousness
- Convulsions
- Respiratory distress
- Abnormal bleeding
3) Ebola Virus Disease (EVD):
The Ebola virus disease (EVD) was formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Wild animals can transmit EVD to humans. You can get infected if you contact an infected animal’s bodily fluids, especially those found ill or dead.
Examples of animals that can infect humans include:
- Porcupines
- Antelopes
- Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family
- Monkeys
- Chimpanzees
- Gorillas
Severe symptoms such as:
- Impaired kidney and liver function
- Internal and external bleeding
- Low white blood cells
2) HIV and AIDS:
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been a global health issue since scientists first identified it in the 1980s. At the end of 2019, WHO estimated 38 million people globally are living with HIV. The virus targets the immune system and weakens our body’s defenses against infections.
HIV is a type of lentivirus similar to the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) that attacks monkeys and apes’ immune symptoms.
- Initial symptoms of HIV in humans include:
- weight loss
- fever
- diarrhea
- and swollen lymph nodes will be prevalent.
It can also develop into severe illnesses such as:
- Bacterial infections
- Cryptococcal meningitis
- Tuberculosis (TB)
- Cancers such as Kaposi’s sarcoma and lymphomas
1) Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19):
The novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 caused the COVID-19 disease that turned pandemic in 2020. While genetic analysis of the virus suggests it originated in bats, officials in China suspect the initial outbreak in Wuhan links to a seafood market. Two theories speculate that the pangolins, or snakes, the market sold could be the intermediate animal that transferred the virus from bats to humans.
The symptoms are varied depending on the strain and who is infected. It can range from mild symptoms of sore throat, headaches, diarrhea, and skin rashes to more severe indicators:
- Loss of taste or smell
- Persistent chest pain
- Sleep disorders
- Neurological complications
**At the beginning of April 2021, there have been over 132.4 million cases of people infected globally and over 2.87 million deaths from COVID-19.
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