The three most common zoonoses are leptospirosis, Q fever and brucellosis, which are responsible for a substantial burden of disease among humans and livestock.
Bovine brucellosis, one of the most common zoonoses in the world, is highly contagious and can negatively impact herd fertility through abortions, weak offspring, and/or lowered milk production (John et al. 2010; Scolamacchia et al. 2010).
In addition, the paucity of accurate data on the prevalence and distribution of even the most common zoonoses in India means that the experts we interviewed had to rely on piecemeal data and personal experiences in identifying the regions, occupations, and populations most affected by zoonotic disease, Thus, our understanding of at-risk populations must be revised as better data becomes available.
Some of the most common zoonoses are caused by parasites as roundworms (ascarids) and hookworms, also known soil-transmitted helminths [ 2].
In Africa, bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis, anthrax, sleeping sickness, and rabies are still widespread [ 8, 9] and in Tanzania, African trypanosomiasis, plague, rabies, brucellosis, anthrax and echinococcosis have been documented as being among the most common zoonoses [ 6].
Leptospirosis is one of the most common zoonoses in the world, with a wide range of manifestations that can vary from mild to severe with acute hepatic and renal failure, pneumonia or meningitis.
Brucellosis, also known as undulant or Malta fever, is one of the most common bacterial zoonoses endemic in many countries, particularly developing ones [1].
Toxocarosis is considered as one of the most common parasitic zoonoses in the world and a high incidence has been reported in developing countries.
Salmonellosis is one of the most common food borne zoonoses reported world-wide [ 5, 18].
Fresh scats from most areas surveyed tested positive to a variety of common zoonoses.
Of the ninety owners aware of zoonoses risk, 72.52% of them thought that the most common source of infection is contaminated food, 23% answered that transmission of parasites to humans is caused by direct contact with pets while 4.40% had no idea.
