• Question: Do animals get the same illnesses as humans?

    Asked by Afaf to Carolyn, Peter, Richard, Sara, Siana on 18 Nov 2015.
    • Photo: Richard Unwin

      Richard Unwin answered on 18 Nov 2015:

      Hi Afaf,

      No. In fact, there are lots of diseases that animals can get which humans can’t, and vice versa. Mostly these are infections, where the bacteria/virus can live in one type of animal but not another.

    • Photo: Sara Falcone

      Sara Falcone answered on 18 Nov 2015:

      Hello Afaf 🙂

      Mostly yes, some no. Let’s classify the diseases in 3 groups:
      1) The diseases that are similar/the same because they are genetic diseases (like some kidney diseases), because they just look the same but they are not caused by a bug (so diseases like diabetes or other hormonal dysfunction) or diseases that are caused by a bug that has a form for the humans and a form for animals (like some influence virus).
      2) We have those diseases that can be passed from animals to humans (or vice versa) and those are called zoonosis. Are usually infections (so virus or bacteria or parasites)
      3) we have the diseases that only humans or only animals can have and this is because the bugs are specie-specific (they can only be in one specie) or because they are only known in humans.

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