Zoonoses - animal diseases that can affect humans

Diseases passed from animals to humans are known as zoonoses (pronounced zoo-oh-no-sees).

They can be caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi.

Zoonoses can be passed by livestock, pets, feral animals and wildlife. They can infect you through direct contact or indirectly through contaminated water, soil or equipment.

Types in the NT

Zoonoses that may occur in the Northern Territory (NT) include all of the following:

• Australian bat lyssavirus
• cat-scratch disease
• cryptosporidiosis
• giardiasis
• Hendra virus
• hydatids
• leptospirosis
• listeriosis
• melioidosis
• psittacosis
• Q Fever
• ringworm
• salmonellosis
• scrub typhus
• sparganosis
• toxoplasmosis.

For information about specific diseases, go to the NT Health website.

Read the agnote of diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans PDF (168.6 KB).

Prevention

For information about preventing zoonoses, go to the Australian Veterinary Association website.

The site also has a comprehensive list of zoonotic diseases in Australia.