Leprosy is transmitted by direct, person-to-person contact, usually repetitive, over a prolonged period of time.

The bacterium which causes Legionnaire's disease is normally present at low levels in potable water supplies. Under the right conditions (particularly moderately hot water temperatures, from about 90 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, and in the presence of nutrients), its population may greatly increase. If droplets of contaminated water get into the air and are inhaled by a susceptible individual, he may contract the disease.

Leprosy is a chronic, infectious disease caused by a germ, Mycobacterium leprae. It usually involves the nerves, skin and eyes.

STDs can be transmitted through oral, anal or vaginal sex. They can be transmitted from partner to partner with or without visible signs or symptoms. Many people can pass an STD to a sex partner without knowing it. Some STDs can be passed without having intercourse; they can be passed through skin-to-skin contact in the genital area.

Anthrax is not known to spread from one person to another person. B. anthracis spores can live in the soil for many years, and humans can become infected with anthrax by handling products from infected animals or by inhaling anthrax spores from contaminated animal products. Anthrax can also be spread by eating undercooked meat from infected animals. It is rare to find infected animals in the United States.

MRSA is usually transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact or contact with shared items or surfaces that have come into contact with someone else's infection (e.g., towels, used bandages).

Blood contains the highest concentration of the virus, followed by semen, followed by vaginal fluids, followed by breast milk. Infections due to blood transfusions, accidents in health care settings or certain blood products are possible, although they are extremely rare nowadays in the United States.

Contact with small animals such as rabbits, hares, rodents, birds, and their ticks transmit tularemia. Handling carcasses of infected animals (hunters while skinning) transmits it, ingesting undercooked infected meat, drinking contaminated water and inhalation of dust from contaminated soil, grain or hay. It is also transmitted by tick bites and rarely through bites of an infected coyote, squirrel, skunk, hog, cat, or dog.

The mode of transmission between deer is not completely understood. It is thought that the disease is passed from animals in close contact with one another, and perhaps from mother to offspring. The prion which causes the disease is an abnormal version of a protein that normally occurs in the animal’s cells. This protein is not easily killed by environmental factors, heat, or disinfection, so transmission from a contaminated environment may also be possible.

Yes, when untreated. However, even the most contagious patient becomes non-infectious within a few days or weeks of treatment. In addition, very few persons exposed to untreated patients contract the disease because only about five percent of the world's population is even susceptible to it.

In 2000, 738,284 cases of leprosy were identified worldwide; 91 in the United States. Between 1 million and 2 million people are believed permanently disabled by the disease. Ten countries account for 90 percent of cases: Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo,Guinea, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal and Tanzania.

Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by a bacillus, mycobacterium leprae. Mycobacterium leprae multiplies very slowly. The incubation period is about three to five years but signs and symptoms can take as long as 20 years to appear. Leprosy is not highly infectious. It is transmitted via droplets from the nose and mouth or via the skin during close and frequent contact with untreated, infected persons.