Wildlife

Aeromonas is a type of bacteria that is commonly found in fresh and brackish water. This germ can cause disease in stressed fish and amphibians. Aeromonas spp. can cause discoloration of the limbs of amphibians and the fins of fish and can cause internal bleeding in these aquatic animals.

Though it very rarely happens, people can become infected when they handle infected fish or accidentally swallow contaminated food or water. If these germs are swallowed, Aeromonas infections can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Skin infections can happen if the bacteria get into open wounds or scrapes. More severe disease can happen in children or people with weakened immune systems.

Practicing healthy habits, including hand washing, will reduce the risk of Aeromonas infection.

Baylisascaris infection is caused by roundworm eggs found in raccoon, bear, and skunk droppings. The disease is passed to people and animals if they accidentally ingest contaminated food or soil.

If a person or dog ingests the eggs, the worm larvae then hatch inside them and can migrate through the body. Human infections are rare but can be severe if the parasites invade the eye (ocular larva migrans), organs (visceral larva migrans), or brain (neural larva migrans).

Raccoon roundworm can be prevented by avoiding areas frequented by raccoons. If you need to clean raccoon droppings up, wear gloves and use caution so as not to kick up dust. Always wash your hands after working or playing in dirt.

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that affects the ability of animals to reproduce. The disease can be spread to humans through contact with the birthing tissues from infected animals or through drinking unpasteurized (raw) milk. Among wildlife; bison; elk; caribou; moose; feral pigs; and some marine mammals can be infected with Brucella. Infected animals may have decreased appetite, weight loss, behavioral changes, and lack of energy, but most animals infected with brucellosis show no signs of illness. Brucellosis affects the reproductive organs and can cause miscarriage in animals and occasionally people.

People who hunt or eat fresh game meat are at highest risk for contracting brucellosis. They may be exposed through skin wounds while dressing a carcass or by eating undercooked meat. People who are infected with brucellosis will usually become sick within 6-8 weeks of exposure. Sick people will have flu-like symptoms that last 2-4 weeks. Sometimes brucellosis can become a chronic illness that can be difficult to treat.

Prevent brucellosis by wearing gloves while handling fresh carcasses and thoroughly cooking any meat that will be eaten.

Dermatophilosis is a disease caused by a type of bacteria that can infect the skin and hair of both people and animals. The disease is spread from animals to people through touching an infected animal. Deer are the most common wildlife infected. Affected animals may have a “paintbrush” appearance of matted hair. The matted spots will often have scabs or crusts with pus. Other infected animals may show no symptoms at all.

This disease is most common among people who raise deer or who have contact with fawns. People who handle an infected animal may get pus-filled blisters on their hands and arms. These sores are usually not painful but can develop into shallow, red ulcers that scar.

Wear gloves and protective clothing when working with any animals, especially those with the classic “paintbrush” matted hair appearance, to reduce the risk of getting this disease.

Edwardsiella tarda is a type of bacteria associated with fresh and saltwater animals, such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. E. tarda is known to cause serious illness in fish. Affected fish may show abnormal swimming behavior, discoloration of the fins or skin, bulging or increased opacity of the eyes, and other complications.

People can become infected by accidentally swallowing contaminated water or through handling infected fish. Affected people commonly get nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea. People with weak immune systems may also be at risk for more serious disease.

Wash your hands before and after handling fish to reduce the risk of edwardsiellosis.

Giardia is a parasite that causes diarrheal illness in animals and people. Giardia is transmitted to animals and people through food or water contaminated with stool. Though different types of Giardia affect humans and animals, both the human and animal types are carried by wildlife, including beavers, muskrats, deer, coyotes, and rodents. Pets may become infected after drinking from puddles or ponds or swallowing infected stool from other animals. Affected animals may have diarrhea, greasy stools, and dehydration.

In people, the symptoms of giardiasis may include diarrhea; gas; greasy stools; abdominal pain; nausea; and vomiting. Symptoms can last 1–2 weeks.

To avoid Giardia infection, hikers and backpackers should always treat water before offering it to their pets or drinking it themselves. People should also wash their hands often and use caution when swimming or wading in potentially contaminated ponds or lakes to avoid swallowing the water.

Histoplasmosis is a fungal disease that is spread to people by breathing in dust from pigeon or bat droppings. Fungal spores are found in the environment, especially in areas with bird and bat droppings. Birds do not get sick from exposure to histoplasmosis.

Very few people become infected with histoplasmosis. People who do become sick tend to develop pneumonia-like symptoms (fever, chest pains, and a dry or nonproductive cough) within 1–3 weeks after exposure. Infants, older people, and those with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to the fungus and might develop more serious illness.

People with weak immune systems should avoid activities such as disturbing material where there are bird or bat droppings, cleaning chicken coops, exploring caves, and cleaning, remodeling, or tearing down old buildings.

Lyme disease is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals bitten by the Ixodes species of ticks. Rodents and other wildlife are reservoirs of the disease. Most infections occur from the nymphal-stage ticks, which are tiny and difficult to remove.

Infected people will typically have a red “bull’s eye” rash (erythema migrans) at the site of the tick bite that appears about 7 days after being bitten. Flu-like symptoms quickly follow the rash. If not treated, this disease can spread to other parts of the body and cause symptoms such as arthritis and loss of facial muscle tone (Bell’s palsy).

Lyme disease can be prevented by avoiding exposure to ticks, using a tick repellent, and by finding and removing ticks from your pets and your family as soon as possible after returning from a tick-infested area.

Mycobacterium marinum is a type of bacteria that causes disease in fish, reptiles, and amphibians. It is spread to people and animals through contaminated aquarium water. All fish are susceptible to mycobacterium, but fresh water species seem to be most affected. This disease is slow growing in fish. Affected fish may stop eating, lose their fins or scales, develop sores, or appear deformed.

Though infection in humans is rare, people can become sick with mycobacteriosis after coming into contact with contaminated water through minor cuts and skin abrasions. People with this disease, commonly known as “fish tank granulomas,” develop warm raised, red areas of the skin. Skin lesions can leave long-lasting scars.

Reduce the risk for mycobacterium by washing your hands after handling reptiles, amphibians, and fish.

Rabies, a fatal neurologic disease in animals and humans, is caused by a virus. The rabies virus can infect most mammals, including bats; bears; beavers; deer; wild canids such as fox and coyotes; and felids such as mountain lions and bobcats; raccoons; skunks; opossums; and other small mammals. Animals and people are most commonly infected through bites from rabid animals. Infected animals may have a variety of signs but most often have sudden behavioral changes and progressive paralysis. Rabies can be prevented in some animals by vaccination.

The first symptoms in humans can start days to months after exposure and include generalized weakness, fever, and headache. Within a few days symptoms will progress to confusion, anxiety, behavioral changes, and delirium.

If you have been bitten by a wild animal that wasn’t acting normal, contact your health care provider right away for treatment. Once symptoms appear, it is almost always too late for treatment.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a bacterial disease transmitted to dogs and humans by ticks. Dogs show a variety of symptoms similar to those in humans, including fever, lameness, coughing, vomiting and diarrhea, and swelling of the face or extremities.

People who are infected with RMSF generally start getting sick 2–14 days after exposure. Symptoms may include fever, rash, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and muscle pain. RMSF can develop into a serious illness if not promptly treated.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever disease can be prevented by avoiding exposure to ticks, using a tick repellent, and by finding and removing ticks from your pets and your family as soon as possible after returning from a tick-infested area.

Trichinellosis is a parasitic disease caused by eating the raw or undercooked meat of animals infected with Trichinella. Trichinella infections are common in wild, meat-eating animals such as bears and cougars as well as some other meat and plant-eating animals like wild hogs. People usually become infected by consuming raw or undercooked meat that is infected, especially from bear and wild hogs. Most animals infected with Trichinella do not show any signs of illness.

People infected with Trichinella can have a variety of symptoms depending on the amount of parasite ingested and how strong their immune system is. The first symptoms of trichinellosis include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Infected people may then develop facial swelling and flu-like symptoms such as headache, fever, chills, and muscle pain. In very severe infections, people can lose control of their movements and have heart and breathing problems. Trichinella can cause death if severe infections are left untreated.

Prevent trichinellosis from wildlife by thoroughly cooking game meat.

Tularemia is a bacterial disease that can spread to people through bites from ticks or deer flies, handling or consuming infected animals, accidentally swallowing contaminated water, or inhaling contaminated dust. Though typically a wildlife disease, tularemia has been reported in all U.S. states except Hawaii. Affected animals may have sudden onset of fever, weakness, decreased appetite, and reduced mobility. Within a few hours or days, the animal can become stiff and die.

People exposed to tularemia can have a variety of symptoms ranging from fever, chills, headache, and muscle aches to skin ulcers; swollen and painful lymph nodes; inflamed eyes; sore throat; mouth sores and diarrhea. They may also develop pneumonia.

People exposed to an infected animal should be seen by their doctor immediately because treatment works best when started early.

You can reduce your risk of tularemia by handling dead animals with gloves, cooking game meat thoroughly, wearing insect repellent, and when possible, avoiding mowing over dead animals during outside work.

Vibrio are bacteria that are mostly found in saltwater and cause serious disease in marine fish. People usually get sick with vibriosis after eating raw or undercooked fish or shellfish or after swallowing contaminated water. Fish affected by Vibrio can have symptoms ranging from deep skin ulcers to more wide-spread signs of skin darkening, scale loss, swelling of the abdomen, and loss of appetite.

In people, Vibrio can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Some types of Vibrio can also cause skin infections from contact with contaminated water.

People can prevent vibriosis infections by eating cooked fish and shellfish and by avoiding exposure of open wounds or broken skin to warm salt or brackish water, and avoiding raw shellfish harvested from such waters.