🦠 Diseases & Zoonoses · 8 min
Zoonoses and protecting yourself
Why this matters
Protection of the public's health requires a licensed rehabilitator to be fully aware of, and knowledgeable about, zoonotic diseases. This is the unit where the risk is to you.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Define zoonosis and name the major zoonoses in New York wildlife
- Apply personal hygiene practices that break transmission
- Respond correctly to a bite
A zoonotic disease is any disease transmissible from other animal species to people. They can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites or other agents. Potential for disease is everywhere, and there is no single warning sign. A squirrel you take in might have tularemia. An ailing gull with diarrhea might have a minor problem, or Salmonella that will make you very ill.
| Disease | Agent | How it reaches you |
|---|---|---|
| Rabies | Virus (Rhabdoviridae) | Saliva or blood of an infected mammal, through a bite or a break in the skin. All native mammals can transmit it. Birds cannot contract it. |
| Baylisascaris procyonis (raccoon roundworm) | Nematode | Swallowing something contaminated with eggs. Causes brain and eye damage, and death. |
| Salmonellosis | Bacteria | Fecal-oral. Common in birds, mammals, reptiles and humans. Reptiles shed it without appearing ill. |
| Leptospirosis | Bacteria | Urine of rodents and other infected mammals; contaminated food or water; broken skin. |
| Hantavirus | Virus | Inhaling dust from infected rodent droppings, urine or saliva. Carried in New York by deer mice and white-footed mice. |
| Psittacosis / chlamydiosis | Bacteria | Inhaling dust from dried bird droppings. "Parrot fever", also in pigeons, sparrows, ducks and gulls. |
| Aspergillosis | Fungus | Inhalation of spores, classically from contaminated bedding, which is why straw is not used for raptors. |
| Ringworm | Fungus (not a worm) | Direct skin-to-skin contact and infected bedding. Highly contagious but treatable. |
| Sarcoptic mange | Mite | Direct skin-to-skin contact and bedding. |
| Lyme disease | Bacteria | Deer ticks. |
| Tularemia | Bacteria | Contact with infected animals, notably rabbits and rodents. |
Not zoonotic
Distemper is a viral disease that affects many mammals but does not cause disease in humans. It is still deadly to your other patients.
What to do about it
- Wear disposable gloves. Wash hands frequently, and always after reptiles.
- Do not launder rehabilitation clothing or animal bedding with family laundry, especially with children, elderly family members, or anyone on immunosuppressive medication in the house. A separate washing machine is best.
- Never go barefoot in animal care areas.
- Do not eat, drink or smoke while caring for wildlife.
- Do not use family bathroom facilities to bathe or care for sick animals.
- Keep domestic animals well away from wildlife, their old food, bedding and feces.
- Tell your family doctor you are a wildlife rehabilitator. The USGS publishes a medical wallet card for wildlife professionals listing diseases a physician might not otherwise consider. Keep your tetanus shots current.
- Discuss pre-exposure rabies vaccination with your physician. It is recommended for anyone handling wild mammals and mandatory for RVS work.
If you are bitten
Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water, call your local health department (all bites are reportable, and they decide whether the animal is tested), and see a physician. Washing does not prevent rabies, but it reduces other infections. Recommended vaccinations for rehabilitators: rabies and tetanus.
This lesson is part of the NY Wildlife Rehabilitator Exam course. Open it in the course to answer the retrieval checks that go with it, track what you have read, and quiz the whole unit. Lessons, quizzes and the glossary are free.