Many types of animals, lemmings come to mind, follow a leader that can and does lead them into a potential suicide or harms way. This is a disease that humans have also, its called STUPIDITIS or NOBRAINITIS. :runaway:
that's it? a cold? if a man with VD raped an animal, would the animal get it? if a person with rabies bit their pet, would the pet get it?
Sure. There's nothing unique about humans in that regard. Not every disease can successfully cross every species boundary, but many can cross many. Still, most humans, especially city dwellers in the First World, have extremely pampered immune systems. So, for example, many of the bacteria and other microorganisms that make us sick would just be so much additional protein in the digestive tract of an animal that has adapted to feed off our garbage like a coyote or a raccoon. But there are plenty that would affect them. This phenomenon is not often observed, because the animal we have the most contact with is the dog and dogs have spent the last fifteen thousand years (up until the last century anyway) adapting away from the diet of a hunter and treating our garbage as their primary food source. Dogs and humans have significantly different body chemistry so we're not vulnerable to the same microorganisms. Their saliva is extremely acidic, for example, which is why the old wives' tale of dog saliva being an antiseptic is not entirely false, so long as he didn't just come in from eating stool. Birds are incredibly sensitive. Like their hollow bones and everything else about them, their immune system is stripped down for lightness so they can fly. It's really easy to transmit an illness to a pet bird and they're very difficult to treat. Chlamydia is a scourge of birds. To love birds is to sign up for a life of constant grieving. Oh yeah. But humans express the instincts of fear and anger differently than most pets, so I don't know that a rabid human would bite no matter how deranged he became. He'd probably use a gun or a knife.
how would a bird get chlamydia from a person? What if the human with rabies is a child and bit its dog? has it ever been known to happen?
Lemmings don't actually do that. It's a myth. Though they do jump over cliffs in search of new habitat when population density is too high.
Anything that is a vector can get the disease, ie fleas and flies biting a human will get it and ingesting infected blood. However some don't develop the disease and its harmless (eg malaria doesn't harm mosquitoes) or it can kill the vector too (bubonic plague, blockage of the fleas stomach -> starvation). Also some vectors will bite both humans and animals ie bubonic plague again, both rats and humans are bitten by the flea.
but if a human has the plague and coughs on their pet, will the pet get it? Same as with TB? Are there human diseases that animals can get directly from humans?
TB transmitted differently to plague (droplet infection). Don't know if it affects animals. I think late stage plague the buboes burst into your blood and can be spread by coughing? I guess you can share a plague infected needle with your pet black rat. I guess rapid humans can bite other mammals. Can't see no reason why not.
