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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