Trends of Bacterial Zoonoses in Humans in Korea

ABSTRACT

Out of 60 national communicable diseases in Korea, 23 are zoonoses, diseases transmissible from animals to humans. Among the bacterial zoonoses, plague, brucellosis, anthrax, Q fever, tularemia, glanders, and melioidosis are categorized as a high-level threat of bioterrorism and biowarfare in the world. In this paper, the trends of notifiable bacterial zoonoses recently occurring or recurring in Korea and other potential pathogens for bioterrorism or biowarfare are reviewed. Notifiable bacterial zoonoses recently occurring in Korea are enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infection, tetanus, tuberculosis, scrub typhus, leptospirosis, brucellosis, and anthrax. Other bacterial diseases recently emerging are tularemia, ehrlichiosis, and Q fever. However, no human case of plague, glanders, and melioidosis has been reported yet.