A zoonotic disease (or zoonosis) is any disease or infection that is transmissible from animals to humans. Zoonoses may be caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. Example of zoonoses are Avian Influenza, Swine Influenza, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Ebola, Rift Valley Fever, SARS, Salmonellosis, Anthrax, Brucellosis, leptospirosis, plague, toxoplasmosis...

Zoonoses are very common. Scientists estimate that more than 60% of human infectious diseases are spread from animals.

This should not be a surprise as humans interact with animals in their daily lives : we keep animals as pets and raise them for food, we can encounter wildlife when walking in the wood, in the countryside, when gardening…

Emerging infectious diseases are occurring at an increasing frequency in Europe and other regions of the world, with the potential to profoundly impact public and animal health and highly disrupt local and international economies. The predominantly zoonotic nature of emerging pathogens, predominantly viruses, calls for a “One Health approach” uniting the human medical and veterinary fields, dedicated to controlling emerging pathogens both at the animal source and in the human population. Such an approach requires a strategically designed capacity for delivering in the shortest time efficient responses to disease outbreaks. To this end, the main objective of the ZAPI project is to develop a universal tool for the rapid characterization of pathogens, and the design and surge production of vaccines and neutralizing reagents against emerging pathogens, in particular viruses.

More information on Zoonoses on the Useful links page (lien) and on the One Health Website.