Emerging Infectious Diseases (Dec 2012)

Surveillance of Zoonotic Infectious Disease Transmitted by Small Companion Animals

  • Michael J. Day,
  • Edward Breitschwerdt,
  • Sarah Cleaveland,
  • Umesh Karkare,
  • Chand Khanna,
  • Jolle Kirpensteijn,
  • Thijs Kuiken,
  • Michael R. Lappin,
  • Jennifer McQuiston,
  • Elizabeth Mumford,
  • Tanya Myers,
  • Clarisa B. Palatnik-de-Sousa,
  • Carol Rubin,
  • Gregg Takashima,
  • Alex Thiermann

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1812.120664
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 18, no. 12

Abstract

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The One Health paradigm for global health recognizes that most new human infectious diseases will emerge from animal reservoirs. Little consideration has been given to the known and potential zoonotic infectious diseases of small companion animals. Cats and dogs closely share the domestic environment with humans and have the potential to act as sources and sentinels of a wide spectrum of zoonotic infections. This report highlights the lack of a coordinated global surveillance scheme that monitors disease in these species and makes a case for the necessity of developing a strategy to implement such surveillance.

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