Food- and waterborne diseases and zoonoses

Anthrax is a zoonotic disease (could be transferred from animals to humans) caused by the spore-producing bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Reservoirs are grass-eating animals, and the spores can survive in the environment for decades. The disease is endemic in several regions of the world, including southern and eastern Europe.

Botulism is a serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The disease may occur after eating foods containing the toxin or due to development of the spores within the intestine of young children or within wounds.

Brucellosis is an infection caused by Brucella bacteria. The common reservoirs for Brucella bacteria that may infect humans are cattle, dogs, sheep, goats, and pigs.

Campylobacteriosis is a diarrhoeal disease caused by Campylobacter bacteria, found in animals such as poultry, cattle, pigs, wild birds and wild mammals

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholera of serogroups O1 or O139. Humans are the only relevant reservoir, even though Vibrios can survive for a long time in coastal waters contaminated by human excreta.

Cryptosporidia are intestinal parasites infecting a variety of animals (e.g. cattle, sheep, rodents, cats and dogs, but also birds, fish and reptiles). Human infections occur due to Cryptosporidium parvum, a species that also affects domestic animals.

Echinococcosis is a zoonotic disease (transmitted from animals to humans) caused by the larval stage (hydatid cyst) of tapeworms.

Escherichia coli (E.coli) are very common bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, and part of the normal bacterial flora.

Giardia lamblia (Giardia intestinalis and Giardia duodenalis are synonyms) is a cyst-producing parasite, able to settle in the human and animal bowel.

Hepatitis A is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus, a small, non-enveloped hepatotropic virus classified in the genus Hepatovirus within the family Picornaviridae.

Hepatitis E is an acute or chronic infection with the hepatitis E virus (HEV). In Europe, most of the infections are locally-acquired and asymptomatic

Legionnaires’ disease is a multisystem disease which causes pneumonia due to gram-negative bacteria (Legionella spp.) found in freshwater environments around the world.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Leptospira bacteria.

Listeriosis is a disease caused by Listeria monocytogenes. The disease primarily causes problems in pregnant women, newborns, and adults with a weakened immune system.

Norovirus cause gastrointestinal illness to humans. Norovirus infection can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach pain.

Enteric infections due to Salmonella bacteria are generally referred to by the term ‘salmonellosis’ when they are due to Salmonella species other than Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi.

Shigellosis is caused by Shigella bacteria, which includes several species pathogenic to man, with humans as the main reservoir.

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Cats are the reservoir of the parasite.

Trichinellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Trichinella parasites. The disease occurs worldwide.

Tularaemia is a zoonosis (infection that could transmit from animals to humans), caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, capable of surviving for weeks at low temperatures in water, moist soil, hay, straw or animal carcasses.

Typhoid and paratyphoid fevers are systemic diseases caused by the bacteria Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi, respectively.

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a relatively new and rare neurological disease, classified as a Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE).

Besides Yersinia pestis (see plague) the Yersinia group of bacteria also includes two species frequently causing illness (mainly enteritis) in humans; Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.