Zoonotic diseases

During the summer months bat activity levels peak and veterinary professionals may find themselves presented with injured or unwell bats. With the recent report of a bat detected with European Bat Lyssavirus-1 (EBLV-1) on the Isle of Wight, BSAVA has collated relevant resources as a reminder about the public health risks and the precautions which should be taken when handling bats, particularly with regard to the potential for rabies transmission.

• Insight into the work of UKHSA and Health Protection Teams (HPTs) regarding small animal zoonoses.
• How UKHSA HPTs and NHS colleagues manage potentially zoonotic cases involving small animals, veterinary staff and owners, and how all involved parties can best collaborate and communicate.
• How small animal vets in practice can contribute to the work of UKHSA as part of national zoonoses surveillance - they are the ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground.

  DogsTrust Veterinary Director, Paula Boyden, provides an overview of the importation of rescue dogs and focuses on the non-endemic disease element of importation.

Classical presentations of Leishmania

• Recognise clinical signs of Leishmania
• List key risk factors for Leishmania
• Explore prognostic factors related to Leishmania infection

Diagnostic options and therapeutic challenges for Leishmania

• List diagnostic tests available for screening for Leishmania
• Recognise chronic nature and their are different stages of Leishmania infection
• Explore the nature of leishmania treatment (when to start, duration, availability)

Canine brucellosis is an infectious and zoonotic disease caused by a bacterium called Brucella canis which is highly contagious between dogs. This disease is uncommonly encountered in the UK and is a reportable disease. Due to the increase in numbers of dogs being imported into the UK from Eastern Europe, where the infection is endemic, the risk of this disease in the UK is increasing, and the first reported case of dog to human transmission has now been reported. Brucellosis in dogs can cause reproductive signs including abortion and infertility, but many animals may be asymptomatic. The greatest risk of exposure is contact with aborted tissue or reproductive fluids. This short webinar discusses the clinical presentation, available diagnostic tests and treatment options for this emerging infectious disease. This webinar is provided by BSAVA Education Partner IDEXX. A collection of IDEXX ‘topic of the month’ webinars is available here.

Canine brucellosis is an emerging infectious disease in Europe, it is of particular concern in the UK where increasing numbers of dogs are imported from the EU. Alongside increased awareness of the disease, there has been an increase in the number of dogs diagnosed with clinical or subclinical infection as well as a well-publicized case of human infection. BSAVA has produced key information for the veterinary profession covering the distribution, transmission, presentation, diagnosis and management of this disease, together with public health and legal implications. First published February 2023; last updated October 2025.

Lyme disease is a chronic, multi-systemic, inflammatory disorder of humans and animals associated with infection by the tick-borne spirochaete, Borrelia burgdorferi. There are a number of subspecies of B. burgdorferi, each adapted to a different type of wildlife. The principal vector in the UK is the tick Ixodes ricinus and animals become infected following a bite from an infected nymph or adult. Tick-borne disease poses an ongoing and growing risk to dogs and their owners in the UK. Last reviewed 2016. The information in this SID is still valid as far as BSAVA Scientific Committee is aware but is not under active review at this time. The Committee will review this content if any new information comes to light.

A case history that illustrates how the manual can help with challenging recurrent skin diseases.

Ferrets are subject to a number of important viral diseases. This chapter deals with the three important systemic viral diseases of ferrets; distemper, parvovirus (Aleutian disease) and rabies. Canine distemper virus (CDV) is an RNA virus of the genus Morbillivirus (family Paramyxoviridae), closely related to human measles virus. Aleutian disease virus (ADV) is a parvovirus that affects both mink and ferrets. It is so called because when discovered in the 1940s in the USA it affected the Aleutian genotype most severely. Rabies is an acute fatal encephalomyelitis caused by viruses of the genus Lyssavirus (family Rhabdoviridae). Ferrets are susceptible to rabies but in the USA fewer than 30 cases have been reported since 1958. The chapter details transmission, pathogenesis, clinical signs, treatment and prevention and control for Distemper, Aleutian disease and Rabies.