Congress on Zoonoses

Half of all discovered pathogens are common between humans and animals, said Faham Khamesipour, scientific secretary of the first National Congress on Zoonoses. “About 1,800 pathogens have been discovered so far, while 150 diseases are caused by unknown pathogens,” he was quoted as saying by ISNA. Brucellosis (or Malta fever), leishmaniasis (also known as oriental sore or Aleppo boil), Hydatid cyst disease, and anthrax are among the most common of shared diseases between humans and animals. Highlighting the role of veterinarians in detecting, diagnosing, and treating such diseases, he said the conference discussed the latest findings in the field in 27 main topics including bacterial, microbial, viral, parasite-borne, and fungi-borne diseases. The two-day conference concluded on Friday in Isfahan.