Disease or Parasite 

Animal

Transmission Route to Humans

Geographical Region

Aspergillosis

Pigeon            

(spores in airborne dust) Inhalation of spores 

All

Botulism

Birds, mammals

Ingestion of contaminated substances

All

Colorado tick fever

Rodents (esp. ground squirrels) 

Rocky Mountain wood tick

Western North
 America

Cryptococcosis 

Pigeons (feces) 

Inhalation/ingestion of spores 

All

Encephalitis 

Bats, birds, squirrels 

Mosquitoes

All

Histoplasmosis 

Feces of especially birds and bats 

Inhalation or ingestion of spores

All

Leptospirosis

Rodents

Contact w/urine contaminated materials 

All

Lyme disease 

Mammals, birds, reptiles (especially white-footed mice) 

Deer tick Ixodes dammini and other Ixodes species 

Northeast, Great Lakes states, and west coast

Lymphocytic-

chloriomeningitis

Mice and rats

Ingestion or inhalation of substances contaminated by urine, feces or saliva

All

New Castle's disease

Birds 

Contact w/ infected birds, feces, eggs

All

Plague 

Rodents 

Fleas and handling infected rodents

Southwest US

Q (Query) Fever

Mammals, birds

Parasitic arthropods; inhalation or ingestion of contaminated substances

All

Rabies

Mammals (skunks, bats, raccoons, foxes are frequent hosts) 

Animal bite or contact w/infected saliva or central nervous system tissue 

All, most common host varies geographically

Raccoon roundworm

Raccoon 

Contact with infected raccoon feces

Range of raccoon

Rickettsial pox

Mice

Mites

North America (esp.east)

Salmonellosis 

Rodents, birds 

Ingestion of fecal contaminates 

All

Toxoplasmosis 

Mammals, birds; main host cats 

Ingestion of contaminated substances 

All

Typhus

Rodents (including rats, mice, squirrels)

Flea bites; inhaling flea feces; direct contact with infected rodents

All (squirrels:

  eastern US)