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Zoonotic diseases are those that animals can transmit to humans. Some examples are Rabies, Ringworm, Intestinal Worms and Salmonella.
Rabies, a virus, is preventable in humans but not treatable. There are vaccines available for our pet dogs and cats and for several species of farm animals including horses. An unprotected mammal infected with this virus will die. If the infected animal bites or somehow gets its saliva into a wound on a human then that human will become infected unless immediately treated with special injections. The best course of action is PREVENTION. We have laws requiring that all dogs and cats be vaccinated for Rabies with penalties and fines for lack of compliance with these life-saving laws. Contact your local animal control or veterinarian should you have questions about your pet being in compliance with the laws
Ringworm is NOT a worm. It is a fungal infection spread from either pets or soil to humans and other mammals. Being a fungus, it is somewhat similar to Athletes Foot in that it can be very contagious from animal to animal and from animals to humans. It affects the skin of humans and causes a variety of signs on our pets. These symptoms can appear to be like many other skin infections; there may be hair loss, crusting, scaling, redness, and secondary infection. Some animals, primarily cats, can be carriers. This means any cat you may come in contact with may have the ringworm spores on its fur and spread them to you without the cat ever looking sick or showing any signs. If you or your pet has skin lesions then you need to see a dermatologist and your pet needs to see your veterinarian.
Intestinal Worms, specifically Roundworms and Hookworms have the potential to be spread from our pets to humans, most often seen in children. Roundworms can be spread from fecal-oral contamination. This means that if you or your child has contact with an infected pet's stool and hands are not washed prior to touching the mouth then the risk of spread has occurred.
Roundworms can grow inside the human and move through the body to infect organs, including entering the eyes and brain. Hookworms can be spread by mere skin contact with fecal material from an infected animal. The worm larvae crawl around in the skin and cause Cutaneous Larval Migrans. Because children are at so much higher risk of becoming infected the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has recommended that your dog and cat be dewormed or checked for intestinal worms every 3-4 months as the best form of PREVENTION. Please call your veterinarian to arrange recommended treatments.
A recent veterinary newsletter contained an interesting article. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) found that there were cases of Salmonella poisonings in humans from contact with pet treats made from the dried ears, hooves, and bones of pigs and cows. A quote from the article was that "Salmonella can cause vomiting, diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps in otherwise healthy individuals and can be fatal in young children, the elderly, or people with weakened immune systems". It was stated that healthy pets rarely become ill but can be carriers and infect humans if they lick you after chewing a contaminated product. The news brief recommended that humans should wash hands with soap and hot water after handling these dog treats, avoid putting the treats on countertops and don't allow children to touch their mouths after touching them until they've washed their hands. Even though the cases requiring hospitalization occurred in Canada not in the United States, the FDA still would recommend that PREVENTION is the best course of action.
If you would like more information on any of these disease please see your veterinarian.
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