The true nature of zoonoses: the identity of transmissible diseases in man and in other vertebrates

ABSTRACT

This paper argues the nature and identity of diseases as they affect man and other vertebrates, and its importance when selecting animal models for experimental laboratory research (Russell et al., 2017). Here I stress the notion that in the case of the zoonoses, what is transmitted are parasites/microorganisms and not diseases, as the same microorganism may cause distinct clinical symptoms and signs in different hosts.