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Article: Man and beast both at risk.(Zoonotic Diseases)
- Article from:
- USA TODAY
- Article date:
- October 1, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Society for the Advancement of Education. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The arrival of autumn does not lessen the threat from West Nile virus or other zoonotic illnesses--diseases that can affect people and animals--but scientists from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., say most are avoidable and treatable.
"Zoonotic diseases run the whole gamut of types of organisms," points out Larry Glickman, professor of epidemiology and environmental health. "Some of these organisms don't appear to cause disease in the animal that harbors them, while others are as toxic to the animal host as they are to the human or animal to which the illness is passed."
Viruses, bacteria, parasites, and a protein form, called prions, also can ...