Zoonotic diseases are infectious diseases that are naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and humans, encompassing a wide range of etiologic agents including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi. They arise through direct contact, vectors, ingestion of contaminated food or water, or inhalation of infectious aerosols, and often involve complex reservoir and amplifier host dynamics. Zoonoses are central to One Health research, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health to study spillover mechanisms, host-pathogen interactions, ecological drivers, and evolutionary processes that enable cross-species transmission, adaptation, and, in some cases, sustained human-to-human spread.
It's fairly common for members of the public to ask bug experts if ticks that hitchhike into a house on people or dogs can actually survive indoors for any length of time. A new study provides the first scientific evidence ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 27, 2026
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A new paper in Genome Biology and Evolution, indicates that while the COVID-19 virus has developed rapidly since 2019, it has done so within limited genetic channels. These genetic limits have remained unchanged. Despite ...
Evolution
Mar 25, 2026
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Sudden drop in milk production, thickened milk, and cows under movement restrictions. Since 2024, American farmers have had bitter experiences with the feared bird flu (H5N1), which in several cases has been introduced to ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 19, 2026
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Bats are reservoirs for several zoonotic viruses, such as Ebola and coronaviruses. These pathogens can spread to humans through direct contact with the flying mammals or their bodily fluids, or indirectly through contaminated ...
Orthohantaviruses, such as the Puumala virus, are widespread in Europe, causing flu-like illnesses and severe kidney damage in those infected. It is increasingly considered a zoonotic threat. Researchers from the Medical ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 9, 2026
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A new University of California San Diego study published in Cell challenges a long-standing assumption about how animal viruses become capable of sparking human epidemics and pandemics. Using a phylogenetic, genome-wide analysis ...
Evolution
Mar 9, 2026
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Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School have found that viruses circulating in live poultry markets can be detected more effectively by sampling the surrounding environment than by testing individual birds. The study, published ...
Veterinary medicine
Mar 5, 2026
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More than four out of every five dead black vultures examined by University of Georgia researchers tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, according to a new study published in Scientific Reports. The actual ...
Ecology
Mar 2, 2026
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Hundreds of millions of animals are killed on our roads each year. Now, scientists have revealed how these deaths could play an unexpected role advancing wildlife science and conservation.
Ecology
Feb 28, 2026
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Hantaviruses, transmitted from rodents to people, have a death rate approaching 40%. They're found around the world, and because there are no approved vaccines or treatments, they're among the pathogens of highest concern ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 27, 2026
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