Human Cases 2020-2025

Zoonotic Diseases*

Zoonoses are diseases transmissible from animals to humans. Although there are over 150 recognized zoonoses, those of significance to Texas include:

Human Cases of Reportable Zoonotic Diseases in Texas
2020-2025
 Disease 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024*2025*2026202720282029
Anaplasmosis 1  3 2 2 64    
Anthrax 1     1     
 Babesiosis 3  1  4 3 33    
Brucellosis 17 13 19 192921    
California Encephalitis1 1   1     
Chagas Disease 19 26 22 22 192    
Chikungunya 3   2 241    
Cysticercosis 6 4 10 21 147    
Dengue 62 18 57 7924122    
Eastern Equine Encephalitis           
Echinococcosis  2   69     
Ehrlichiosis 8 6 10 14 133    
Ehrlichiosis/Anaplasmosis2          
Hantavirus Infection           
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome  1        
Japanese Encephalitis          
Leishmaniasis 1 9 11 10 42    
Lyme Disease 11 32 23 27 213    
Malaria 47 112 166 250 21475    
 Melioidosis NR NR NR 1 1     
Plague          
Q-Fever 5 12 5 11 126    
Rabies in Humans   1        
 Rickettsiosis, unspecified3 5 6 4 10 109    
Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis4 12 10 19 15 186    
 St. Louis Encephalitis 3  1 1     
Taenia infection    2  2 3      
Tick-borne Relapsing Fever5 1 1  3     
Trichinosis          
Tularemia  1 1  1     
Typhus 526 663 580 835847550    
West Nile Virus Disease 122 143 46 16345410    
West Nile Neuroinvasive  101 130 39 1223615    
West Nile Fever 21 13 7 41935    
Yellow Fever          
Zika Virus Disease  1    1     

*Provisional data as of 7/31/25. 
NOTE: These data reflect only those cases reported to the Department of State Health Services. The actual incidence of these diseases in the state may be higher.
1California encephalitis/meningitis refers to all California serogroup viruses. California serogroup includes California encephalitis, Jamestown Canyon, Keystone, La Crosse, snowshoe hare, and trivittatus virus. 
2Denotes “Ehrlichiosis/Anaplasmosis – undetermined,” used when a case has compatible clinical criteria with laboratory evidence to support infection, but without sufficient clarity to identify the causative organism as E. chaffeensis, A. phagocytophilum, or E. ewingii.
3Rickettsiosis, unspecified replaced "dual reporting" in typhus/spotted fever cases in 2015.
4The case definition for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever was changed to Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis in 2010 to capture cases due to other spotted fever Group Rickettsia species, such as Rickettsia parkeri. Commonly available serologic tests are unable to differentiate between spotted fever group Rickettsia species.
5Tick-borne Relapsing Fever was not a reportable condition from 2016-2020; cases were reported during these years in the reporting category of "outbreak, exotic disease, or unusual group expression of disease that may be of public health concern."
 NR = Not Reportable.
 

Zoonotic Diseases*

More information about zoonotic diseases in Texas can be found in the alphabetized list below.

*The purpose of surveillance is to try to detect where disease organisms, such as bacteria and viruses, occur in Texas. Rabies surveillance for example is basically an observation or watch for the virus that causes rabies. When an animal is exhibiting the signs of rabies, the brain may be submitted to an approved laboratory for testing. Animals that have bitten or otherwise may have exposed a person or a domestic animal to the virus should also be tested. If an animal is positive, it means that the virus was found during testing. If an animal is negative, it means that the virus was not found during testing. Similar surveillance is conducted on samples from animals for a variety of diseases. The amount of testing in the surveillance process will vary for different counties statewide. If a report indicates that an area does not have any positive test results for a particular disease, it does not necessarily mean that the disease organisms are not in that area. It just reflects the fact that either there were no samples submitted from that area or that submitted samples were negative.