What to know
- Animals, including pets, can sometimes carry germs (like viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi) that can make people sick.
- These germs can cause many different types of illnesses in people and animals.
- Animals can appear healthy even when they are carrying germs that can make people sick, depending on the disease.
The basics
There are many diseases that can spread between animals and people. These diseases are caused by harmful germs like viruses, bacterial, parasites, and fungi. These germs can cause many different types of illnesses in people and animals, ranging from mild to serious illness and even death. Animals can sometimes appear healthy even when they are carrying germs that can make people sick.
People can get diseases from animals by touching an infected animal, its poop or pee, or contaminated items in its environment.
A to Z list of zoonotic diseases
A
- Ancylostoma braziliense Infection – see Hookworm Infection
- Ancylostoma caninum Infection (Hookworm Infection)
B
- Bartonella henselae Infection
- Borrelia burgdorferi Infection (Lyme Disease)
- Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease)
- BSE – see Mad Cow Disease
C
- C. neoformans Cryptococcosis
- Campylobacter Infection (Campylobacteriosis)
- Canine Influenza
- Capnocytophaga Infection
- Cat Scratch Disease
- Cave Disease – see Histoplasmosis
- Chlamydia psittaci Infection (Psittacosis)
- Cryptococcosis, C. neoformans
- Cryptosporidiosis (Cryptosporidium Infection)
- Cryptosporidium Infection (Cryptosporidiosis)
- CSD – see Cat Scratch Disease
- Cysticercosis (Pork Tapeworm)
D
- Dermatophyte Infection (Ringworm)
- Dipylidium Infection (Tapeworm Infection)
- Dog flu – see Canine Influenza
E
- Echinococcosis (Echinocococcus Infection)
- Echinocococcus Infection (Echinocococcus Infection)
- E. coli Infection (Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection)
- Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infection (E. coli Infection)
F
G
H
- H3N8 Influenza – see Canine Influenza
- Histoplasma Infection – see Histoplasmosis
- Histoplasmosis (Histoplasma Infection)
- Hookworm Infection (Ancylostoma caninum Infection)
L
- LCMV (Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis)
- Leishmania Infection (Leishmaniasis)
- Leishmaniasis (Leishmania Infection)
- Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis (LCMV)
M
- Mad Cow Disease – see Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
- Microsporum Infection – see Ringworm
- Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox)
O
P
Q
R
S
- Salmonella Infection
- Salmonellosis (Salmonella Infection)
- Sarcoptes scabeii Infection (Sarcoptic Mange)
- Sarcoptic Mange (Sarcoptes scabeii Infection)
- Sporothrix schenckii Infection (Sporotrichosis)
- Sporotrichosis (Sporothrix schenckii Infection)
- Swine Influenza
T
- Taenia solium Infection – see Cysticercosis
- Taeniasis – see Cysticercosis
- Tapeworm Infection (Diplyidium Infection)
- Ticks
- Tinea – see Ringworm
- Toxocara Infection – see Roundworm
- Toxocariasis (Roundworm Infection)
- Toxoplasma gondii Infection (Toxoplasmosis)
- Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii Infection)
- Trychophyton mentagrophytes Infection – see Ringworm