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What people say makes us excited::
I have received many questions regarding the possibility of humans getting parasites from their pets, and this seems to be a topic that concerns many parents and owners of pets. It is virtually impossible to eliminate completely the risk of getting a parasite from a pet (or other animal), even if you do not own a pet. However, compared to your chances of getting other diseases (or infections), the chances that you will get a parasite from your pet are very low, and there are several steps that you can take to decrease this risk. Thus, the purposes of this section are to (1) describe some of the common parasites of pets that can be transmitted to humans, (2) explain those circumstances that might put you at risk for getting a parasite from your pet, and (3) explain some ways in which you can decrease this risk.
The first indication that a dog or cat is infected with some type of parasite is, very often, the presence of "something" in the dog's or cat's feces. If your dog or cat (or other pet) passes anything unusual in its feces, SAVE IT! Your veterinarian will usually find it more helpful to "see" what was in your pet's feces than to listen to your description of it. The best way to save such specimens is to pick them out of your pet's feces and put them into a container containing some alcohol (rubbing alcohol works fine). The alcohol will kill and preserve the specimen.
In preparing this section, I have answered questions that I believe will interest most owners of dogs and cats, and I have tried to do this in a way that a layperson can understand.
Can I get parasites from my pet? Yes.
What kinds of parasites can I get from my pet? That depends on what animal you have as a pet and the parasites with which your pet is infected. Different species of pets have different species of parasites, and not all of these parasites can infect humans. People seem to be most concerned about the possibility of getting parasites from their dogs or cats, and particularly the possibility of getting a tapeworm ( cestode) or roundworm ( nematode). Thus, most of the questions below concern dogs and cats, and tapeworms and roundworms.
Can I get a tapeworm from my dog or cat? Yes. Dogs and cats can be infected with several species of tapeworms, and the species that pet owners are most likely to encounter, and which can also infect humans, is Dipylidium caninum (the "cucumber tapeworm"). This tapeworm ( diagram of life cycle) has been reported from humans, with most infections occurring in very young children.
How do I get infected with a tapeworm from my dog or cat? If your pet has Dipylidium caninum ( diagram of life cycle), the tapeworm's eggs (or the tapeworm's proglottids which contain eggs) will be passed in the pet's feces. When the eggs (or proglottids) are eaten by fleas, the tapeworm's eggs develop into a larval (metacestode) stage within the flea. When the flea is eaten by a dog or cat, the larval tapeworm grows into an adult tapeworm in the dog's or cat's intestine. Humans are infected in the same way, by ingesting fleas that are infected with the larval tapeworm. The eggs of this tapeworm are not infective to dogs, cats, or humans. If a dog, cat or human accidentally ingested eggs (or proglottids) of this tapeworm, the eggs would just pass through the digestive tract and be eliminated in the feces.
How do I decrease the risk of getting a tapeworm from my dog or cat? To be infected with Dipylidium caninum (the "cucumber tapeworm"), a human must ingest a flea, and the flea must be infected with a larval tapeworm (metacestode) ( view life cycle). Thus, keeping your dog or cat "tapeworm-free" and keeping the numbers of fleas at very low levels will decrease your risk of getting this tapeworm. Maintaining a situation of low risk, however, requires some diligence, as a dog or cat that is free of tapeworms can be reinfected if it is carrying infected fleas or if infected fleas from another animal jump onto it. Many humans, particularly when they are around dogs, display behaviors that increase their chances of getting infected with this tapeworm. If you minimize the amount of "intimate contact" between you and your dog (or cat), you will decrease the chances that you will get this tapeworm.
How do I tell if my dog or cat has tapeworms? There is only one way to determine if your pet is infected with a tapeworm, and that is to find the tapeworm's eggs or proglottids ("segments") in the pet's fecal material. When tapeworm proglottids are passed in your pet's feces, they are white, large enough to be seen with the naked eye, and they may actually crawl around in the feces. The proglottids of Dipylidium caninum resemble typically grains of rice. The proglottids may stick to your pet's fur and drop off later, so it is possible to find proglottids on the floor or furniture. The absence of proglottids in your pet's feces does not mean that you pet is not infected with tapeworms. Some tapeworms (including Dipylidium caninum) pass eggs in the feces, and these eggs can be seen only with a microscope. Thus, to insure that your pet is free of tapeworms, a fecal sample must be examined microscopically, and such examinations should be done periodically.
If I get a tapeworm from my dog or cat, will it make me sick? Fortunately, humans do not appear to be very good hosts for Dipylidium caninum. Infections in humans are uncommon, humans usually have but a single tapeworm in their small intestine, and there are usually no symptoms of the infection (other than the appearance of proglottids in the feces, which might go unnoticed). Drugs are available that will kill the tapeworms in humans. Thus, although the presence of this parasite in you or your child might be disconcerting and not a topic for polite conversation, it is clearly not a threat to one's health.
Other than tapeworms, are there other "worms" that I can get from my dog or cat? Yes. Dogs and cats are infected with roundworms ( nematodes) that can also infect humans. From the standpoint of human infections, the two most important types of types of roundworms in dogs and cats are the " intestinal roundworms" and " hookworms."
Are roundworms and hookworms the same thing? Yes and no. "Roundworm" is a generic term used to describe any nematode (phylum Nematoda). Hookworms are nematodes, so hookworms are roundworms, and dogs and cats can be infected with hookworms. However, dogs and cats can be infected with roundworms that are not hookworms, and, unfortunately, these other roundworms are often lumped into the single category of "worms." As these other "worms" live in the small intestine of your dog or cat and they are not hookworms, a better term to describe them in "intestinal roundworms." If you are concerned about getting a parasite from your dog or cat, the distinction between "intestinal roundworms" and hookworms is very important for two reasons: (1) The ways in which humans are infected with "intestinal roundworms" and hookworms from their pets are very different; (2) infections with "intestinal roundworms" and hookworms from your pet cause very different types of pathology.
So, what are the differences between hookworms and other "worms" (intestinal roundworms)? Intestinal roundworms and hookworms live in the small intestines of dogs and cats. Hookworms attach themselves to lining of your pet's small intestine and suck blood, while the intestinal roundworms just feed on the "food" that is in your pet's small intestine. Dogs and cats are infected with hookworms when immature hookworms (called larvae or juveniles), which are found in the soil, penetrate through their skin and into their bodies ( view life cycle). Dogs and cats are infected with intestinal roundworms when they ingest the eggs of these roundworms. Humans are infected with dog and cat hookworms and intestinal roundworms in the same ways as are dogs and cats. Thus, from the standpoint of human infections, this is another important difference between hookworms and intestinal roundworms.
How does my dog or cat get "worms" (intestinal roundworms)? Intestinal roundworms live in the small intestine. The female worms produce eggs (each female can produce thousands of eggs each day), and the eggs are passed in the feces. Dogs and cats are infected when they ingest the eggs of the appropriate species of roundworm. Other methods of transmission also occur, including transplacental infections of Toxocara canis (see below), and transmammary (via mother's milk) of Toxocara cati.
How do I prevent my dog or cat from getting these parasites (Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati, respectively)? There is virtually no way to guarantee that your pets will not get infected with intestinal roundworms - these parasites are insidious! The eggs of these parasites, once passed in the feces, are extremely resistant to adverse environmental conditions, and they may remain infective for years. Thus, it is quite possible for a park, your garden, or your back yard, to be contaminated with infective eggs even when there is no visible evidence of dog or cat feces. If your dog or cat is a permanent resident of your house, the risk of infection decreases, but it is not eliminated. Stray dogs or cats can defecate in your yard, you can track this fecal material (and any eggs in it) into your home, and your dog or cat could ingest the eggs. Toxocara canis has an additional method of transmission that is particularly difficult to control. Once a bitch is infected with Toxocara canis, she can pass the infection transplacentally to her puppies; this can occur even if she has been treated and no longer has roundworms in her intestine. Thus, it is common for puppies to be infected with this roundworm when they are born, and in some areas 95% of puppies are infected at birth. Considering these potential sources of infection (and a few others that are not mentioned), pet owners must be diligent if they hope to prevent their pets from getting "worms" (intestinal roundworms).
How do I tell if my pet has "worms" (intestinal roundworms)? Dogs and cats infected with intestinal roundworms will often pass roundworms in their feces. The roundworms are long (several inches) and very slender and off-white or light brown color in color. Dogs and cats that pass roundworms in their feces are obviously infected and should be treated. Even if a dog or cat does not pass roundworms in its feces, it may be infected, and the only way to diagnose such an infection is to examine the feces microscopically for the presence of the parasite's eggs. Your veterinarian will generally do these examinations for a small fee.
My dog or cat has "worms" (intestinal roundworms) Will these "worms" infect humans? The most common intestinal roundworm of dogs, and probably the most common parasite of dogs, is Toxocara canis. It takes approximately two weeks after being passed in a dog's feces for the eggs of this parasite to become infective. If humans accidentally ingest infective eggs of this parasite, the eggs hatch in the human's intestinal tract, and the immature roundworms (called larvae or juveniles) contained within the eggs migrate into the tissues of the body (they do not mature into adult worms as they would in a dog). Such an infection is called visceral larval migrans (or VLM). Once in the body, the larvae (juveniles) can migrate almost anywhere, including the eye and the brain, and the infection is difficult to diagnose and treat. Thus, visceral larval migrans (VLM) is a potentially serious infection. A vast majority of the cases of VLM in humans are probably caused by the larvae (juveniles) of the common canine intestinal roundworm (Toxocara canis). Cats can harbor a related species of intestinal roundworm, Toxocara cati. This parasite can also cause VLM in humans, but this species is probably responsible for only a small percentage of the cases of VLM in humans.
How do I guard myself against getting infected with Toxocara canis (VLM)? There is no way to guarantee that you will not somehow ingest Toxocara canis eggs, as the eggs can survive in the soil for extended periods of time. There are, however, some obvious things that you can do to decrease your chances of getting infected. If you have a dog, keep it wormed and clean up its feces on a regular basis. (The eggs of Toxocara canis in fresh feces are not infective to humans or dogs and require about 10-14 days to become infective.) If a stray dog defecates in your yard (as they do in mine), clean it up immediately. Do not permit your children to play in areas in which dogs are allowed to roam freely and/or defecate indiscriminately. Because of the threat of dog parasites infecting humans, many cities have passed laws requiring that pet (dog) owners "clean up" after their pets while walking them.
Can intestinal roundworms from animals other than dogs and cats infect humans and cause VLM? Yes. A common intestinal roundworm of raccoons, Baylisascaris procyonis, also infect humans, and several cases of fatal VLM in humans have been attributed to this parasite. It is understandable why some people want to attract these "cute" animals into their backyards. However, once in your yard, raccoons will defecate indiscriminately, possibly contaminating your yard with the biological equivalent of a "land mine," namely Baylisascaris eggs. Thus, it is incomprehensible why people, once knowing this, would want to have raccoons anywhere near their yard or house.
Can I get hookworms from my dog or cat? Hookworms are roundworms (nematodes) that live in and attached to the surface of the small intestine where they suck blood from the host. The eggs of hookworms are passed in the dog's or cat's feces, and, several weeks after being passed, each egg hatches liberating a larva (or juvenile worm). A dog or cat is infected with hookworms when these larvae (juveniles) penetrate the dog's or cat's skin and migrate to the small intestine (click here to view the life cycle). The larvae (juveniles) of dog and cat hookworms can also penetrate the skin of a human, and when this happens the larvae cause an intense inflammatory response. Such an infection is known as cutaneous (or dermal) larval migrans (CLM). The larvae will eventually die in the skin (dog and cat hookworms are not found in the intestinal tract of humans), but in the meantime the inflammatory response can result in extreme discomfort. Cats prefer to defecate in loose, sandy soil such as gardens and sand boxes so they can bury their fecal material, so humans are likely to come in contact with hookworm larvae from cats. Thus, it is not surprising that cat hookworms appear to be the primary cause of CLM in humans.
How can I prevent being infected with dog and cat hookworm larvae (CLM)? There's no way to guarantee that you or someone close to you will not get infected with larvae from cat or dog hookworms, but there are some things you can do to decrease the chances of such an infection. If you own a dog or cat, make sure to have it checked for hookworms, and treat your pet if it is infected. The only way to determine if you pet has hookworms is to have a fecal sample examined microscopically. Keep stray dogs and cats out of your yard, and if you find any fecal material from stray animals clean it up immediately. If you have a sandbox in your backyard, keep it covered if possible. An uncovered sandbox makes a perfect "litter box" for stray cats, and the sand provides an environment that is ideal for the development and survival of hookworm larvae.
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Recommended Links:
Ingrid Naiman; For better understanding of Parasites
Dr. Hulda Clark's website on Parasites
Dr. Hulda Clarks' Parasite cleansing formulas
Artemisia; AN HERBAL MIRACLE DRUG?
Cloves (1) -- (Cloves Second Source)
Walnut (1) -- (Walnut Second Source)
Wormwood or Artemisia Annua (1) -- (Wormwood Second Source)
Artemisia annua L.: A Promising Aromatic and Medicinal
Distribution of Artemisinin in Artemisia annua*
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