PRINCIPAL ZOONOSES IN SMALL ANIMALS: A BRIEF REVIEW

Abstract

With the close relationship between people and animals, zoonosis take an even more
important role in public health. Among the main zoonoses can be highlighted rabies,
leishmaniasis, canine brucellosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, toxoplasmosis and
leptospirosis wich have different epidemiological and control aspects. Rabies is 100% fatal in
animals and humans, causing acute encephalomyelitis, it is still considered a serious public
health problem. Since the 1950s and 1960s, when there was a high number of cases of human
rabies transmitted mainly by dogs in Brazil, it was observed growing in government activities,
such as the implementation of the "Prevention National Program of Human Rabies" ( PNPR)
in 1973, at national level, and then in 1983 the "Action Plan for the Elimination of Urban
rabies the Cities of Latin America", developed by the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO). Some progress has been made in controlling the disease, reducing the number of
human cases. In Brazil, in 2015, was reported only one case of human rabies. Canine
Visceral Leishmaniasis (CVL) is expanding in Brazil. It is a zoonosis of importance to
public health. The causative agent of canine visceral leishmaniasis is a protozoan of the genus
Leishmania, transmitted by mosquitoes belonging to the family of sandflies. Dogs are the
main reservoir of the disease and humans, accidental hosts. This disease in dogs brings a lot
of controversy, since the Ministry of Health together with the Ministry of Agriculture
Livestock and Supply (MAPA) created the Interministerial Ordinance No. 1426 which
prohibits the treatment with medicaments recommended for the treatment of human
unregistered products in MAPA, recommending euthanasia of infected or sick dogs. Canine
Brucellosis is characterized as a chronic infectious anthropozoonosis that despite low
incidence in the human population and its mild signs has great socioeconomic importance
because it is the main cause of infertility in domestic canids worldwide and it is a zoonosis. It
can infect humans in their work activities, especially in the case of shelter dogs. Brazilian
Spotted Fever is caused by Gram negative bacteria, obligate intracellular, Rickettsia
rickettsii. Its vector is the tick Amblyomma cajennense. With the proximity of urban and rural
areas, the incidence of the disease in humans has increased, since exposure to vector and
infected or sick animals is becoming more frequent. Rocky Mountain spotted fever has an
acute evolution and its rapid diagnosis is important because it can be fatal in most cases, if the
treatment is not rapidely iniciated. Toxoplasmosis is one of the most worldwide spread
zoonoses, caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, which has three distinct genotypes. Its
definitive host is cat and other felines, and because of the increasing importance as a pet, there
is need for further clarification about its transmission, especially, when there is the
involvement of pregnant women. There are controversial and misconceptions about the direct
contact with these animals and their transmission. Poor hygiene and eating raw foods are the
main sources of contamination in humans and these health professional must guide the
population as the essential hygiene measures to reduce its incidence. Leptospirosis is another
zoonosis of worldwide distribution caused by the differents serovars of Leptospira
interrogans that affects several species of domestic and wild mammals. The dog and cat
eliminate leptospires in the urine, with important epidemiological role in the spread of this
disease, which is prevalent in places with poor sanitation. The bacteria enter the body through
contact with contaminated water or urine with the injured skin and mucous membranes,
evading the body's natural defenses and staying mainly in the kidney and liver. Vaccination
and environmental management are the main forms of prevention