L'alchimista moderno

As every year, during the last days, in Italy, several cases of bird flu in chickens were notified by Ministry of Health. Although it affects mainly poultry and other avian species, this disease is described as a zoonosis, in other words a disease that can be transmitted, occasionally and under specific conditions, from animals to humans. The transmission of the disease can occur directly, via biological infected material of animal origin (skin, eggs, blood, mucus), or indirectly, through ingestion of contaminated food or transmission of the pathogen through a vector. From this first description, it is evident that the risk is highest for people who work directly in contact with animals (veterinarians and farmers, for example). Even pets, and of course the wild animals, can be a source of infection for humans. Zoonoses transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food are also very common, such as the famous salmonellosis. Outbreaks of zoonotic diseases involving animals des