Zoonoses Surveillance and Prevention in International Zoo Animal Trade and Zoological Gardens.
MONDIAL VET LYON 99 – 26th World Veterinary Congress WSA, Friday, 24th September 1999, 0830-0900 h, Hall C8.
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Introduction
Zoonoses are diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans. They comprise viral bacterial fungal and parasitic diseases. In zoos, the most important source of zoonotic diseases are primates, birds and reptiles. In wildlife, the most important potential carriers of human diseases are rodents and carnivores (MONTALI, 1999).
There are more than 200 communicable diseases known to be common to man and animals (ACHA and SZYFRES, 1987, KRAUSS et al. 1997), less than 10% of which are contained in the lists A and B of the OIE International Animal Health Code (OIE, 1998). The number of zoonoses regulated by national legislations is not much higher and, in many countries, may even be lower. In the case of Switzerland for instance, the animal health legislation regulates a total of 80 infectious or contagious diseases, 26 of which have a zoonotic potential (DOLLINGER et al. 1998a). As a result, zoonoses in zoo animals are often only detected, once an animal is already in the collection, and has either fallen sick and died, or other animals or humans have been infected. This situation is largely due to veterinary administrations addressing primarily diseases of agricultural livestock. When confronted with an import application for zoo animals, import conditions are often established on an ad hoc basis which may not necessarily be scientifically sound. To reduce the risk of introducing zoonoses by international trade and of their spreading in zoos, measures have to be taken at several levels.
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