Doenças infecciosas emergentes e reemergentes na medicina humana: panorama atual, desafios e perspectivas

Abstract

An Emergent Infectious Disease is an infectious disease considered new or that has been suffering an increase in incidence or could present a potential raise in the near future. It can be caused by virus, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and helminthes. The diseases that occur on wild or domestic animals and that can be transmitted to humans are named as Zoonoses. Human activities and behaviors, like creating pets, air travelling and dietary preferences can lead to the appearance of infectious diseases from animals to humans. Most zoonotic diseases are viral, being the two great examples the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and Dengue. They are transmitted among populations through situations of war, natural disasters, human invasion of the wild environments, transit of persons and biological material, alive or not, between territories that can carry microorganisms. Such diseases generate great concern because of the possibility of pandemics spread, due to the high mobility of the world population, the lack of new antimicrobial drugs to contain the resistant microorganisms, the difficulties of discovering new drugs, the absence of epidemiological control especially on non developed countries and in situations of conflict. Zoonotic diseases can be proliferated by livestock and their derivative products, by the transition between species, caused by the interaction of human beings with animals in breeding. An expressive number of infections diseases are emerging or reemerging in Brazil in the last two decades. Due to the relevance of the subject, the present review is proposed, aiming to evaluate the global landscape and advances in the area.