Disease Detectives: Investigating the Mysteries of Zoonotic Diseases

Zoonotic diseases are those that are spread between wildlife and humans, and are an increasing health threat in the U.S. and throughout the world. As such diseases emerge, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and other wildlife health agencies must embark upon complex investigative work to determine what these diseases are, where they come from, and how they’re transferred across species. Jonathan Sleeman, director of the USGS National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin, Discusses the critical role science plays in unraveling the mysteries of these zoonotic diseases.