Non-Flavivirus Encephalitis 30Neurological diseases include those caused by highly pathogenic neurotropic agents such as rabies viruses and opportunistic agents that may develop disease in the immunocompromised. These agents belong to the genus Rhabdovirus, Herpesvirus, Flavivirus, Alphavirus, Bornavirus and Circovirus; others are bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, Borrelia garinii and Borrelia afzelii, Chlamydophila psittaci, Campylobacter jejuni, or parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii, Encephalitozoon cuniculi, and Halicephalobus gingivalis. Recognized neurozoonotic agents among the fungi are Aspergillus spp., Mucor spp., Candida spp. and Cryptococcus neoformans. Within the group of food-borne zoonoses, E. coli O157: H7 is a particularly relevant syndrome because ruminants, especially cattle, are the main reservoir of the bacterium, while milk and dairy products and meat are the vehicle of infection. At a 2004 meeting on emerging zoonoses jointly organized by the WHO, FAO and OIE, the factors that contribute to the emergence of zoonoses were carefully analyzed: greater pathogen adaptation and resistance (new strains); increased drug resistance; increased susceptibility of humans and animals; climate change and so on. Currently, there are about 60 (DPR 320/54 and European Directive 2003/99/EC), notifiable animal diseases in Italy, many of which are zoonoses, but this list is always likely to change. It is also worth pointing out that the existence of animal reservoirs (domestic and wild) and complex transmission mechanisms, by vector and food, make collaboration between human and veterinary medicine essential for ensuring public health safety. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of neurological zoonoses or zoonotic agents in Italy, and to estimate the epidemiological impact of neurological diseases potentially transmissible to humans. It is important to assess which species are at risk of disease and which are the best reservoirs for pathogens in order to understand the cause of their onset and which measures could be taken against their spread.