title: Client knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding zoonoses: a metropolitan experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess knowledge, attitudes and practices in relation to zoonoses among pet owners.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaire completed by 81 clients attending a small animal practice in Sydney, Australia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most (64.5%) clients reported that they were not concerned about contracting a disease from their pet, but 7.9% and 3.9% of clients were a little or very concerned, respectively; 23.7% of clients stated that they had not considered the possibility. Although respondents indicated that they had heard of a number of zoonoses, knowledge of animal sources and exposure pathways was generally low, particularly for the more important zoonoses in Australia such as toxoplasmosis, psittacosis and Q fever. Only 37.0%, 12.3% and 11.1%, respectively, of clients had heard of these diseases. Most respondents (84.1%) indicated that they viewed veterinarians as having the primary responsibility for providing information about zoonoses, yet less than half (48.1%) recalled ever getting information from their veterinarian. Likewise, many respondents (48.1%) indicated that medical professionals played a role in providing information about zoonoses, yet less than one-quarter (23.5%) recalled ever getting information from their doctor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The low level of knowledge among pet owners about sources and exposure pathways indicates a need to strengthen communication between veterinarians, doctors and their clients around the possible risks of zoonoses and appropriate prevention strategies.
authors.affiliation: Earlwood Animal Hospital, Earlwood, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Steele
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. siobhan.mor@sydney.edu.au.|Marie Bashir Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia. siobhan.mor@sydney.edu.au.|Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. siobhan.mor@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000635:transmission; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D057805:Pets; D010820:Physicians; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D018634:Veterinarians; D055815:Young Adult; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology* / Q000635:transmission
keywords: Q fever; companion animals; pets; psittacosis; toxoplasmosis; zoonoses