Ambo University

College of medicine And Health science

Department of medical laboratory science

Zoonotic Disease: Microbiological and public health

importance
Prepared by: Geleta Gemechu

June,2021
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Course outline
1 Definition of zoonotic disease
2 Introduction
3 zoonotic disease caused by bacteria
3.1 Anthrax
3.2 Brucellosis
3.3 Bovine tuberculosis
4 zoonotic disease caused by bacteria
4.1 Rabies virus
4.2 Ebola Virus
4.3 West Nile virus

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 Introduction

Zoonotic diseases :

 The word ‘Zoonosis’ (Pleural: Zoonoses) was introduced by Rudolf

Virchow in 1880 the diseases shared in nature by man and animals.

 Later WHO in 1959 defined that Zoonoses are “those diseases and

infections which are naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and

man”.

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 Introduction

Zoonotic disease

 There are approximately 1415 pathogens known to affect humans,

 about 61% of all human pathogens are zoonotic

 Nearly half of all humans’ infectious diseases known today can be

classified as emerging

 about 75% of emerging infectious diseases are caused by zoonotic

pathogens (Sandhya Morwal,et al 2017 ).

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 Classification

Based on etiology,

zoonoses are classified into

bacterial zoonoses ( anthrax, salmonellosis, tuberculosis, brucellosis, )

viral zoonoses (such as rabies,and Ebola)


parasitic zoonoses ( toxoplasmosis, trematodosis)


fungal zoonoses (such as ring worm)


rickettsial zoonoses (Q-fever), chlamydial zoonoses (psittacosis)

mycoplasma zoonoses (Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection)


acellular non-viral pathogenic agents (such as transmissible spongiform

encephalopathies and mad cow disease.

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 Transmission
 Trasmission to humans in different ways

Directly or indirectly from animals.

 Diseases that are transmitted directly to humans from animals through
media such as air. (avian influenza)
that spreads from animals to humans through droplets or fomites.
 bites such as in the case of rabies.

When a rabid animal (dog, bat, monkey, skunk, raccoon, or fox) bites a
human, the virus directly enters the human body through saliva.
Indirect
 via vectors (Dengue fever, Chikungunya fever(3).

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 Distribution
 Across the globe

 Can cause an estimated 2.4 billion cases of illness

 2.7 million deaths in humans per year (K.; Brierley, et al 2012)
In low- and middle-income countries the risk is high
 In Ethiopia the economy is largely dependent on agriculture

   roughly 80% of households have direct contact with domestic animals

( opportunity for infection and spread of disease ) public impact is high

(Belay ED et al,2017)

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Zoonotic disease caused by bacteria

3.1 Bacillus anthracis

The word anthrax is derived from the Greek word, ‘anthrakis’ (or ‘coal’) in reference to

the black skin lesions

Caused by Bacillus anthracis poses a significant public health importance.

B. anthracis is soil-borne bacteria with the capability to produce spores; ,

allowing them to survive in the environment for a very long time.

Anthrax can be transmitted to humans through

 close contact with infected animals (such as cattle and goat)

 their products (such as meat, skin, or even bones).

Human to human transmission exists, but it is very rare.

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3.1 Bacillus anthracis
 B. anthracis possess a protein capsule, which prevents phagocytosis.

 produces a plasmid-encoded exotoxin,

 which is composed of three proteins:
protective antigen,
edema factor
lethal factor.

Clinical feature

 Skin and soft tissue(cutaneous) anthrax is the Development of a necrotic skin lesion

(malignant pustule)

 Respiratory: (‘wool-sorter’s disease’): spores are inhaled causing pulmonary

oedema, haemorrhage and commonly, death.

 Gastrointestinal: consumption of contaminated meat results in haemorrhagic

diarrhorea. This typePrepared

of anthrax
Geletacan also
G (MSc std)result in death
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3.1 Bacillus anthracis
 Every year, about 2,000–20,000 humans are affected by anthrax cases

globally
 Mortality can be 25–65% in intestinal anthrax;

 it may rise up to 100% in pulmonary anthrax. Developing countries whose

economy usually depends on agriculture are still facing hazardous effects due
to anthrax

Lab diagnosis
 Numerous diagnostics ranging from basic Gram stains to more specialized

culture and molecular diagnostics

Treatment

B. anthracis is sensitive to many antibiotics

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Gambo, West Arsi Province of Ethiopia from 2010–2013

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3.2 Brucellosis
 Brucellosis,is, caused by gram-negative bacteria of the genus Brucella,

 Couse human suffering and huge economic losses in animals.

 The disease primarily affects cattle, sheep, goats, swine, and dogs.

 Brucellosis is usually caused

B. Melitensis Brucella in cattle,,

B. Ovis in small ruminants,

B. Suis in pigs and

B. Canis in dogs.

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3.2 Brucellosis
transmitted from its animal reservoirs to human by
 direct contact with infected animals

 through the ingestion of raw milk or unpasteurized cheese

 Transmission through the inhalation of aerosols and contact with

secretions has also been reported

In humans, brucellosis mainly causes influenza-like infections, pneumonia,
and other complications including meningitis, endocarditis, septicemia,
serious weakness, pain in muscle and joints, extreme headache, fever, and
night sweats.
In animals, brucellosis causes abortion, lameness, abscess, reduction in milk
production, and decrease in survival chances of newborn
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3.2 Brucellosis
 Diagnosis

The diagnosis of human brucellosis is based on

 epidemiological information,
 clinical manifestations,
 Diagnostic methods include

 bacteriological,
 serological (Rose Bengal,Serum Agglutination Test, Intradermal test
Supportive therapy, including bed rest and adequate diet, during the acute
manifestations of the disease. Patients can recover without treatment
The antibiotic most widely recommended is tetracycline, the daily dose for
adults being 1-2 g orally
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Bovine Tuberculosis

3.3 Bovine tuberculosis is

disease of domestic animals that are most commonly seen in cattle and buffalo
and humans.
It is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis.
Infected animals shed bacteria in respiratory secretions, faeces and milk.
Humans can become infected with TB through exposure from
drinking infected milk,
breathing in the bacterium shed by infected animals
direct contact with a cut or other skin breaks.
The estimated prevalence of bovine tuberculosis in Ethiopia was 5.8% (95%
CI: 4.5, 7.5)gm (Sibhat Bet al 2018)
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Zoonotic disease caused by virus
4.1 Rabis Virus
 Rabies is cause by a negative-stranded RNA virus of the rhabdovirus

family.
 Once the symptoms of the disease have developed, rabies is always fatal.

 usually infected following deep bite or scratch by an infected animal.

 Dogs are the main hosts and transmitters of rabies.

 According to the official WHO data, more than 2.5 billion people are at

risk in over 100 countries reporting the disease.

 Rabies mortality ranks 10th in all infectious diseases worldwide.

 There are still about 50,000 to 60,000 human deaths annually although

effective vaccines for post-exposure treatment are available. (Balako

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4.1Rabis Virus
In Ethiopia
Acc national surveillance data conducted from 2007 to 2012 showed that

15,178 exposure cases (3.4/100,000),

272 fatal cases with more than 88% of exposure cases were due to dog bites.

Regional data.
 Tigray (11.4/ 100,000),
 Oromia (3.5/100,000),
 Benshangul Gumz (3.3/100,000),
 Amhara (1.5/100,000), SNNPR (1.2/100,000)
 Addis Ababa (0.8/100,000) regions contributed the highest incidence
(98%) (Endalew Yizengaw1 et al ,2018)
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4.1 Rabis Virus
 Affect CNS and the patient show stranger behavior, hallucination

 Hydrophobia is the best known symptom of this disease and is path

gnomonic for rabies

 Lab diagnosis is detecting the virus from patient's brain cell or infected dog

Treatment
 first aid
 Post exposure prophylaxes

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4.2 Ebola virus
 Ebola virus (EBOV) is the deadliest emerging virus

 causing infection in human and nonhuman primates (NHP).

 It is a filovirus and causes hemorrhagic fever in human.

 It is an enveloped, single-stranded, non-segmented, negative RNA virus.

 EBOV virus genome is approximately 19 kb and encodes for 9 proteins.

 EBOVs together with Marburg viruses constitute the Filoviridae family

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4.2 Ebola virus
 A group of viruses within the genus Ebola virus

Ebola virus (species Zaire ebolavirus)

Sudan virus (species Sudan ebolavirus)
Taï Forest virus (species Taï Forest ebolavirus,
( formerly Côte d’Ivoire ebolavirus),
Bundibugyo virus (species Bundibugyo ebolavirus) ,
Reston virus (species Reston ebolavirus)
Bombali virus (species Bombali ebolavirus).
only four (Ebola, Sudan, Taï Forest, and Bundibugyo viruses) have caused
disease in people.
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4.2 Ebola virus
 first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic

Republic of Congo
 The first outbreaks appeared in 1976 in 2 country one

Nzara, South Sudan,

the other in Yambuku, DRC.

 latter occurred in a village near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its

name
 Since 1976 ,the 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa was the largest Ebola outbreak

 The outbreak started in Guinea and then moved across land borders to Sierra

Leone and Liberia

 The fruit bats of Pteropodidae family are natural Ebola virus hosts

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4.2 Ebola virus
Transmission
Ebola is introduced into the human
through close contact with the
blood
secretion
organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals
 fruit bats,
chimpanzees,
gorillas,
monkeys, forest antelope ill or dead or in the
rainforest.
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4.2 Ebola virus
Human-to-human transmission
 Direct contact with Blood or body fluids of a infected person

 Objects that have been contaminated with body fluids (like blood, feces,

vomit)
 the body of a person who died from Ebola

Disease characteristics
 The incubation period, is from 2 to 21 days.

 A person infected with Ebola cannot spread the disease until they develop

symptoms. 

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4.2Ebola virus
Symptoms :
 Fever ,Fatigue, Muscle pain, Head ache, Sore throat followed by impaired
kidney and liver function
 In some cases, both internal and external bleeding

(for example, oozing from the gums, or blood in the stools)

case fatality rate is around
50%. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks

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4.2 Ebola virus
Lab Diagnosis
 (ELISA)

 chain reaction (PCR) assay

 electron microscopy

 virus isolation by cell culture.

 Laboratory findings include low white blood cell and platelet counts

and elevated liver enzymes.

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4.2 Ebola virus
Treatment And Vaccine
 Supportive care - rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids - and treatment

of specific symptoms improves survival

 late 2020 FDA in approve two monoclonal antibodies (Inmazeb and

Ebanga)  for Zaire Ebola vaccine virus (Ebolavirus)

 In December 2020 FDA approved Ervebo vaccine

(Except pregnant & breast feeding)

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4.3West Nile Virus
Is a single-stranded RNA virus

 belongs to the family of Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus,

 first isolated from a febrile patient in the West Nile district of Northern
Uganda in 1937.
 The virus causes disease mainly in birds, equines and humans

Birds are amplifying hosts and their migratory pattern have greatly influenced the

re-emergence and global spread

In Ethiopia Study conducted on the cattle of Gambella (2020, AA college of

veternery) Indicates
 that the prevalence of anti-WNF virus IgG antibody was 5.4%
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4.3 West Nile Virus
No symptoms in most people.   (8 out of 10)

Febrile illness (fever) in some people. About 1 in 5 people who are infected develop a

fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting,
diarrhea, or rash.
Most people with this type of West Nile virus disease recover completely,

fatigue and weakness can last for weeks or months.

Serious symptoms in a few people. 

About 1 in 150 people who develop a severe illness affecting the central nervous

system such as encephalitis or meningitis .

No vaccine or specific antiviral treatments
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 Thank you

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