zoonotic diseases

People who eat kangaroos and wallabies are at risk of all kinds of parasites that are not normally studied

The simplest definition of a zoonosis is a disease that can be transmitted from other vertebrate animals to humans. A slightly more technical definition is a disease that normally infects other animals, but can also infect humans. The majority of pathogen species causing disease in humans are zoonotic - estimated at 75% of all human diseases in Australia. Wildlife species can also serve as natural hosts for certain diseases that affect humans (zoonoses).