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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.
Prion diseases are a family of illnesses that affect people and animals. These diseases are rare but always lead to death in the person or animal within months to years of symptoms beginning. There is no treatment or vaccine.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a serious disease in animals such as deer, elk, moose and reindeer. Since first reported in the United States, CWD has spread to animals in more than half of the states in the continental United States.
Some coronaviruses, such as canine and feline coronaviruses, infect only animals and do not infect people. Some coronaviruses that infect animals can be spread to people and then spread between people, but this is rare. This is what happened with SARS-CoV-2, which likely originated in bats.
Fleas are small insects that survive by feeding on animal or human blood. Their bites can cause discomfort, itchiness, and irritation. Sometimes, fleas can infect people or pets with the germs that cause flea-borne typhus, plague, or cat scratch disease.
Key points. In the United States, ticks can spread bacteria, viruses, and parasites (pathogens) that cause human diseases. Many tickborne diseases can have similar signs and symptoms. Ticks transmit pathogens that cause disease through the process of feeding.
Zoonotic diseases (also known as zoonoses) are caused by germs that spread between animals and people. Some people are more likely to get really sick after being infected with certain diseases. There are simple ways to help protect yourself and your family from zoonotic diseases.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease that affects deer, elk, moose and similar animals. It has been reported in the United States, Canada, Norway, Finland, Sweden and South Korea. No CWD infections in people have ever been reported.
There are millions of fungal species, but only a few hundred of them can make people sick. Fungal infections range from mild to life-threatening. People with weakened immune systems (from illness, age, or medical treatments like steroids) are at higher risk for most fungal infections.
Diseases affecting people and animals. Some fungal diseases, such as ringworm, are zoonotic, meaning that the disease can spread from animals and people. Other fungal diseases, like histoplasmosis, can cause sickness in both people and animals. However, histoplasmosis spreads from the environment.