Pets are our adorable companions, but sometimes they can transmit certain illness that can seriously affect our health. Here we present some of these ailments that can be contracted if we do not learn to adequately handle our pets.
Ringworm
This is a skin infection caused by various types of fungi present in the soil and on the skin of humans and pets. Children can get it from touching infected animals, such as cats and dogs. Ringworm (or tineacorporis) usually consists of a round, dry, scaly area of the skin, surrounded by a red, bulging outline that protrudes from the surface of the skin.
When it affects the scalp, the area, apart from being scaly and red in color, can be inflamed. It usually can leave bald areas. Ringworm is treated with antifungal medication, in the form of an topically administered shampoo, cream, or medication.
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is contracted after coming into contact with a parasite present in cat feces. In most healthy people, toxoplasmosis infection is asymptomatic. When you have symptoms, these may include: swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, muscle aches, fever, sore throat, and rash.
In pregnant women, toxoplasmosis can cause abortions and premature deliveries, as well as blindness and serious illness in the newborn. Therefore, pregnant women should avoid coming into contact with cat feces.
People whose immune systems are weakened by illnesses like HIV infection or cancer are at increased risk of serious complications if they get a toxoplasmosis infection.
Toxicariais
It is a disease caused by the parasitic worm Toxocara, which lives in the intestines of dogs and cats.
The eggs of these worms are eliminated through the feces of dogs and cats, which often contaminate the soil where children sit. When a child ingests contaminated soil, the eggs open in the intestine and the larvae spread to other bodily organs, an infection called visceral larva migrans.
Its symptoms include: fever, cough or wheezing, an enlarged liver, a rash, and swollen lymph nodes. Symptoms may subside without treatment or the doctor may prescribe medications to kill the larvae. When the larvae of the intestine make their way through the bloodstream to the eye, this condition is called ocular Toxocariasis, or ocular larva migrans, and can lead to permanent loss of vision.
Birds can also affect our health
Birds that live at home as pets can transmit the following diseases even if they are in cages:
Cryptococcosis
It is triggered by a fungus that is contracted when a person inhales organisms present in the droppings of birds (especially those of pigeons), and causing pneumonia.
People whose immune systems are weakened by diseases like HIV infection or cancer are more likely to get this disease and develop serious complications, such as meningitis.
In short, acquiring a pet has its pros and cons, it all depends on knowing how to adequately care for the pet, including administering vaccines and dewormers by a specialized veterinarian.
