Tool 11.17 Zoonotic diseases of sheep

Disease

How spread

Common signs in people

Anthrax

Respiratory, ingestion or local through
break in skin

Respiratory or gastrointestinal forms have very high mortality rates as does local skin infection if left untreated

Campylobacteriosis     

Ingestion of food or water contaminated with campylobacter

Severe diarrhoea, pain, fever, headache, nausea

Hydatids

Dogs infected with hydatid tapeworms,
humans ingest tapeworm eggs from dogs. 
People cannot get infected from cysts in sheep

May not be obvious for some time but signs in people depend on where cysts occur – can be fatal. Prevent by not feeding dogs raw offal and treating dogs every 6 weeks with tapeworm tablets containing praziquantel

Listeriosis

Ingestion

Transient mild flu-like to acute meningoencephalitis with case fatality rate of 30%, foetal infection can lead to abortion

Q fever

Inhalation of aerosols and dust, handling aborted foetuses or foetal fluids

Headache, chills, fever, muscle pain, malaise, coughing, vomiting.

Can be prevented by vaccination in people as long as they have no previous exposure.

Check out https://www.qfever.org/ for more information.

Salmonella

Faeco-oral route

Acute watery/blood flecked diarrhoea, fever, headache

Scabby mouth

Handling infected material from 
mouths/feet of sheep

Papule that heals spontaneously

Toxoplasmosis

Raw or undercooked infected meat, faeco-oral route (from infected cat faeces as the host) and afterbirth or aborted foetuses from infected sheep

Toxoplasmosis does not usually cause any symptoms and most people do not realise they've had it, but can cause acute, life-threatening illness. Some people get flu-like symptoms, such as high temperature, aching muscles, tiredness, feeling sick, sore throat and swollen glands.

You're more at risk of serious symptoms if you get infected during pregnancy (toxoplasmosis can cause miscarriage) or your immune system is weakened.

Yersiniosis

Faeco-oral route

Acute watery diarrhoea, fever, headache