682 The Veterinary Record, November 26, 2005 ZOONOTIC DISEASE RESEARCH: A NEED FOR INTEGRATION

Of the 1415 microbes known to cause infectious disease in humans, over 60 per cent are zoonotic (capable of being transmitted from animals). Zoonoses are also often responsible for emerging or re-emerging diseases in humans. Many of these infections occur by the consumption of contaminated food products or from contact with food-producing animals. In 2002, the European Commission identified zoonotic diseases as an important research area, particularly in the context of food safety. In the past, research on zoonotic diseases in Europe has been notoriously frag-mented, with a major division between researchers in human and veterinary medicine, and with separate education, training, research institutes and fund-ing. Often, lack of collaboration – and sometimes even competition – occurred between different scientific disciplines, sectors in food production, and groups of workers studying differ-ent aspects of the same disease agents. Clearly, there was a need for research integration to bridge the knowledge gaps. The risk of zoonotic disease is increasing, as is the potential for serious international consequences. Increasing international trade in food, global travel, changes in livestock production and trade, growing contact between man and exotic animals, as well as shifts in human eating and food preparation habits, mean that we now live in a global village. At a time when, human populations are becoming more vul-nerable, the organisms themselves are adapting to exploit new ecological niches. Fuelled by media attention, public awareness of food safety has also increased. The general public is now familiar with the consequences of Salmonella in eggs, Escherichia coli O157 in hamburgers, Campylobacter in poultry meat and Cryptosporidium in water, and consumer responses to such scares have a significant impact both on statutory regulations and the food industry. Consequently, scientific collabora-tion must be increasingly international. All these issues generate a unique chal-lenge for sharing scientific knowledge and building cross-disciplinary teams with common goals