Sunday, September 16, 2012

14 Diseases Transmitted by Pets

Caring for pets provide benefits for a person's psychological condition, but you also need to be aware of the health risks that may be transmitted by your pet.

As MNN reported on Tuesday (11.09.12) there is a lot of risk of disease that can be transmitted through a bite or contact with pet feces, including the following:

1. Lyme disease
Lyme disease is an infection that attacks malignant immune system and can cause paralysis, encephalitis and meningitis. This condition is caused by a tick bite that normally live on animals such as mice, birds and deer.

Diseases Transmitted by Pets
Flea bite small red rash on the skin and does not hurt so many people do not realize it. The rash can be reduced or disappear within 1-2 weeks, and sometimes accompanied by high fever, muscle pain and swollen joints.

2. Psittacosis (Fever Bird)
Psittacosis is an infection caused by Chlamydia psittaci, a type of bacteria found in the droppings of birds that spread to humans. Infection in birds often have no symptoms.

In humans, psittacosis infection symptoms include cough with bloody sputum, dry cough, fatigue, fever and chills, headache, joint pain, muscle pain, and shortness of breath.

3. Cat Fever
The disease is caused by a mild infection in the wound cat scratches or bites by bacteria Bartonella henselae. Symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, fever, headache, decreased appetite and fatigue.

4. Pestilence
Bubonic plague is caused by the bite of ticks that are found in cats, house mice and other rodents. Symptoms of this disease are fever, anorexia, lethargy and swollen lymph nodes.

5. Q fever
Q fever bacterium Coxiella burnetii is caused by, the organism is found in the urine, milk and feces of infected animals, which usually occurs in cattle, goats, sheep or other house pets.

Bekteri is very strong and resistant to heat and disinfectants are common, so that they can survive for long periods in the environment. Infection occurs in humans when inhaled bekteri, biting fleas from pets or consuming unpasteurized dairy products.



6. Hydrophobia (rabies)
Rabies is a viral disease transmitted through the bite of infected animals. Most of the reported cases of rabies caused by dog ​​bites, raccoons, bats, and foxes.

The rabies virus attacks the central nervous system and cause disease in the brain and even death. Early symptoms of rabies in humans are similar to many other illnesses, including fever, headache, and general weakness or discomfort.

After some time, the symptoms will develop such as insomnia, anxiety, confusion, mild paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, abundant salivation, difficulty swallowing, and seizures. Make sure your pets get rabies vaccine to prevent transmission of the virus through a bite.

7. Campylobacteriosis
The disease is caused by the bacteria Campylobacter which usually occurs by eating poultry meat is still raw or undercooked or cross-contamination of other foods.

Campylobacteriosis is characterized by diarrhea that will heal quickly, but if there is an infection, the conditions will be more severe. Humans can also suffer from this disease if it made contact with the feces of a sick dog or cat.

8. Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a disease that can be transmitted by a pet because of contact or drinking water contaminated with bacteria. In humans, leptospirosis symptoms are high fever, headache, chills, aches, vomiting, jaundice, abdominal pain, diarrhea and rash.

If left untreated, leptospirosis can cause kidney damage, liver failure, meningitis, respiratory distress and death.

9. Salmonellosis
Parasites not only Salmonella can infect humans through contamination outbreaks and eat raw eggs, but can also be transmitted when in contact with an infected pet.

Most people infected with Salmonella will develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps within 12 to 72 hours after infection. Animals that transmit the disease to humans eg chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, birds and horses are also reptiles such as lizards, snakes, and turtles.

10. Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan that most commonly infect cats, but can also be found in other warm-blooded animals. Humans can be infected with bacteria through contact with cat feces or by eating undercooked meat or unwashed vegetables.

Once ingested, T. gondii can invade the brain and muscle tissue, and are in cysts that are resistant to attack by the immune system. The infection can also be transmitted from an infected mother to her baby through the placenta and can create serious complications.

11. Ringworm
Ringworm is a fungal infection that forms a ring-like rash on the skin or balding scalp. It is easily transmitted from pets to people, and from person to person due to direct contact with infected animals.

12. Roundworm infection
Roundworms spread by pet droppings in the form of eggs (oocysts) that can survive in the soil for years. If people do not accidentally eat oocysts, tiny worms will hatch in the intestine and moves through the body

Larvae can also be directly entered through the skin. Symptoms of roundworm infection is include fever, cough, asthma, or pneumonia. Unfortunately, roundworms can also get into the eyes and cause blindness due to ocular disease toxocariasis.

13. Tapeworm Infection
Most people who suffer from tapeworm infection is due to eating raw or undercooked meat from infected animals, especially pork and beef. Tapeworms from cats and dogs can also cause infection if accidentally swallow an infected flea tapeworm larvae.

In the human intestine, the larvae to develop into adult tapeworms. A tapeworm can grow to over 12 feet and can live for years in the human body.

14. Hookworm infection
Hookworm is an intestinal parasite commonly found in dogs and cats. Eggs or larvae of hookworms can be transmitted by pets through feces. Humans can become infected when in direct contact with the feces of infected animals when walking barefoot on contaminated soil.

Hookworm infection can cause painful skin infections and itching or symptoms of abdominal pain.

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