Our pets make us so sick

class=”sc-3778e872-0 cKDKQr”>

Pets can transmit many different pathogens to their owners. Scientists from Canada and the USA report that young children, the elderly and sick, and pregnant women are particularly at risk from viral, bacterial, fungal or parasitic infections.

For healthy people, the risk is low if the animals are adequately cared for and hygiene rules are followed. According to research, pets can also have positive effects on health: Young children living with a dog at home, for example, are assumed to be protected against allergies and respiratory infections.

It is also known that children who have been in contact with animals on the farm from an early age are less likely to develop allergies. There are also positive effects on the psyche and more exercise when walking the family dog.

Studies reviewed

However, many pet owners aren’t sufficiently aware that their animal companions can also transmit disease, write scientists working with Jason Stull of Ohio State University in Columbus in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. They searched the available scientific literature for studies that addressed the problem. Most of these were isolated case reports, systematic studies were rare.

Children and the elderly at risk

Children under the age of five, adults over the age of 65, immunocompromised patients and pregnant women are therefore at greatest risk for a zoonotic disease, i.e. an infection in which the pathogen is transmitted between animals and humans. After the researchers evaluated the studies, these groups of people may have worsened illness, longer symptoms, or complications.

Literally all pets are likely to be infected: dogs, cats, birds, rodents such as mice or hamsters, reptiles and amphibians. Pathogens can be transmitted through bites and scratches, as well as contact with feces when cleaning cages and aquariums or when owners allow their animals to lick their faces.

diarrhea and fever

Dogs and cats transmit, for example, the diarrheal pathogen Campylobacter jejuni, cats also transmit various Bartonella bacteria which can cause fever and severe inflammation. Resistant pathogens such as ESBL (extended-spectrum ss-lactamase-producing Escherischia coli), MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) or Clostridium difficile can be transmitted between humans and their pets – in both directions.

Amphibians and reptiles appear to be responsible for a variety of sporadic Salmonella infections among pet owners. According to one study, about 11 percent of these infections in patients under the age of 21 were caused by such animals. The study’s authors calculated that reptiles and amphibians cause about 74,000 salmonella infections annually in the United States alone.

Parasites such as worms are mainly transmitted by dogs and cats. Cats in particular spread the pathogen Toxoplasma gondii. Toxoplasmosis primarily endanger unborn children and can cause serious malformations or miscarriages in them.

Follow the hygiene rules

To protect themselves, the authors recommend that pet owners follow common hygiene rules and wash their hands after contact with animals. Gloves should be worn when cleaning cages, aquariums or litter boxes and animals should also be regularly examined by a veterinarian.

Scientists write that in the case of a serious illness such as cancer, it is necessary to wait for the body and immune system to recover before acquiring an animal. Physicians should make patients more aware of the risks of keeping pets, especially those who are very sick.

According to estimates by the Federal Statistical Office, more than 1.3 million cats and about 500,000 dogs are kept as pets in Switzerland. (SDA)

Source : Blick