Zoonotic diseases of primates.

A zoonotic disease is transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans. This article focuses on pertinent zoonotic diseases that have to be taken into consideration when working with nonhuman primate (NHP) species. Many factors may influence the occurrence of these diseases. Human and NHPs share many similarities, not only anatomically but also physiologically. NHP are valuable models for many human infectious diseases; therefore, staff can be exposed to many potential pathogens. In general, the disease state of a primate can range from asymptomatic carrier to death from infection.