Zoonoses

Abstract

Historically, it was common to name new infectious diseases for the places they had originally been identified. For example, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever was initially observed in Crimea, and its viral pathogen was isolated in the Republic of Congo. The first reported instance of Lyme disease came from the town of Lyme, Connecticut, USA. West Nile fever is caused by a virus that was isolated in the West Nile region of Uganda. However, this naming system does not reflect any sort of epidemiological reality, nor does it necessarily express accurate geographical origins. For example, the Spanish flu of 1918 was so named because Spain was the first country to publicly acknowledge the disease's existence, even though it seemingly was also present in the US. Many diseases are also named after their etiological pathogens (e.g., tuberculosis or toxoplasmosis), which may, in turn, be named after the people responsible for their discovery. Finally, some diseases are named for the animal source of transmission to humans (e.g., swine flu). However, in 2015, the WHO released recommended naming practices that do not stigmatise peoples, nations, geographical areas, and/or species. This work to change the nomenclature of emerging infectious diseases was carried out in close collaboration with the World Organisation for Animal Health (whose acronym, OIE, refers to the group's original name, l'Office international des épizooties); the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO); and the experts behind the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) tool. A disease's official name is now ultimately chosen by the ICD. Thus, the "swine flu" or "Mexican flu" that appeared in Mexico in 2009 was officially named influenza A(H1N1)pdm09.

Land system governance shapes tick-related public and animal health risks

“…Health consequences of land use have been a recurrent feature of human history – with many examples, e.g. in relation to domestication (Vourc’h et al, 2022 ). Zoonotic spill-overs have brought attention to the health collateral damages of land use changes, but by no means constitute the only health risk associated with land use.…”

Avian Influenza A Viruses Modulate the Cellular Cytoskeleton during Infection of Mammalian Hosts

“…Importantly, infected humans can transmit influenza viruses to other animals (pigs, poultry, cats, and dogs). This phenomenon is called reverse zoonosis and may contribute to the further diffusion of influenza viruses [21].…”