Common Infections That Pets Carry
Dogs and Cats
Dogs and cats are popular pets among families with children but they may carry infections such as:
Campylobacter infection: Transmitted by household pets carrying Campylobacter jejuni bacteria, which cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever in people. The campylobacter bacteria may exist in the intestinal tract of an infected domestic or wild animal, and a person can become infected through contact with contaminated water, feces, or unpasteurized milk. More than 2 million cases of campylobacter infection occur each year in the United States, and C. jejuni is now the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis. Campylobacter infections are contagious, especially among members of the same family and children in day care or preschools. Children with campylobacter infection are generally treated with antibiotics.
Cat scratch disease: Can infect a person who is bitten or scratched by a feline with Bartonella henselae bacteria. Symptoms include swollen and tender lymph nodes, fever, headaches, and fatigue, which usually resolve without treatment. However, a doctor may prescribe antibiotics if the infection is severe. Cat scratch disease rarely causes any long-term complications.
Rabies: A serious illness caused by a virus that enters a person's body through a bite or wound contaminated by the saliva from an infected animal. Animals that may carry the rabies virus include dogs, cats, raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes. Widespread immunization of dogs and cats has decreased the transmission of rabies in these animals and in people. Human rabies is rare in the United States, and a vaccine is available for treatment following a bite with a potentially rabid animal.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF): Carried by infected ticks that attach themselves to animal skin, particularly dogs. The ticks are infected by the Rickettsia bacteria, which can cause high fever, chills, muscle aches, and headaches, as well as a rash that may spread across the wrists, ankles, palms, soles, and trunk of the body. RMSF is not contagious and can be treated with antibiotics. RMSF is most common in the south central and the mid-south Atlantic regions of the United States.
Ringworm: Also called tinea; a skin infection caused by several types of fungi found in the soil and on the skin of humans and pets. Children can get ringworm from touching infected animals such as dogs and cats. Ringworm of the skin, or tinea corporis, usually is a dry, scaly round area with a raised red bumpy border and a clear center. When the scalp is affected, the area may be flaky, red, or swollen. Often there are bald patches. Ringworm is treated with antifungal medications including shampoo, cream, or oral medicine.
Toxocariasis: An illness caused by the parasitic roundworm Toxocara, which lives in the intestines of dogs and cats. The eggs from the worms are passed in the stools of dogs and cats, often contaminating soil where children play. When a child ingests the contaminated soil, the eggs hatch in the intestine and the larvae spread to other organs, an infection known as visceral larva migrans. Symptoms include fever, cough or wheezing, enlarged liver, rash, or swollen lymph nodes. Symptoms may resolve on their own, or a doctor may prescribe drugs to kill the larvae. When the larvae in the intestine make their way through the bloodstream to the eye, it is known as ocular toxocariasis, or ocular larva migrans, which may lead to a permanent loss of vision.
Toxoplasmosis: Contracted after contact with a parasite found in cat feces. In most healthy people, toxoplasmosis infection produces no symptoms. When symptoms do occur they may include swollen glands, fatigue, muscle pain, fever, sore throat, and a rash. In pregnant women, toxoplasmosis can cause miscarriage, premature births, and severe illness and blindness in newborns. Pregnant women should avoid contact with litter boxes. People whose immune systems have been weakened by illnesses such as HIV or cancer are at risk for severe complications from toxoplasmosis infection.
2006-08-01 13:03:08
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answer #7
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answered by confusedbuthappy 3
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You can do whatever you want, but keep in mind that his lips have touched the ground, trash, his nether regions, etc.
2006-08-01 12:58:00
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answer #8
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answered by Sirena 5
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