TIMENEWS.co.id – Have you ever gone for a walk and as you took your next step, you felt slippery dirt beneath your feet? This isn’t just disgusting. Apart from the mess and smell, diseases also have the potential to spread from here. That’s why signs reminding pet owners to confine dogs and dispose of their waste have in some places posted warnings that pet waste can spread disease.
As a small animal primary care veterinarian, Julia Wuerz, Clinical Assistant Professor of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Florida deals with dog and cat fecal diseases every day. Feces are a potential zoonotic hazard, meaning they can transmit diseases from animals to humans.
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The reality is that waste left in the ground, whether in the neighborhood, footpath or park, can spread life-threatening parasites not only to dogs and cats, but also to wild animals and humans of all ages.
A 2020 study found intestinal parasites in 85% of off-leash dog parks across the United States. Although human diseases caused by soil-borne parasites are thought to be rare in the world, they are estimated to infect up to billions of people worldwide.
Signs reminding you to pick up your pet aren’t just trying to keep public spaces clean, they’re urging us to help keep our communities healthy. Common dog fecal parasites include hookworms, roundworms, coccidia, and whipworms. Hookworms and roundworms can reproduce in various species, including humans.
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Their microscopic larvae can enter our bodies through small scratches on the skin after contact with contaminated soil or through accidental oral ingestion. Remember that next time you’re outside and wiping the sweat off your face with dirty hands and then licking your lips or taking a drink, it’s as simple as that.
After a hose or rainwater rinses contaminated feces into the soil, these parasite eggs can survive and infect for months or years to come. Once inside the human body, hookworm and roundworm larvae can mature and migrate through the bloodstream to the lungs. From there, coughing helps them gain access to their host’s digestive tract, where they release nutrients by attaching to the intestinal walls.
People with a healthy immune system may not show clinical signs of infection, but in sufficient numbers these parasites can cause anemia and malnutrition. It can even cause intestinal obstruction that may require surgical intervention, especially in young children. Additionally, the larval stage of roundworms can migrate to human eyes and, in rare cases, cause permanent blindness.
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Hookworms can cause a severe itching condition called cutaneous larva migrans because the worm larvae move just under their host’s skin. Once the parasite’s life cycle is complete, it can exit the host’s body as a whole adult worm, which looks like a small piece of cooked spaghetti.
Dogs and cats can also experience the same symptoms as humans experience due to parasitic infections. In addition to the risk of hookworms and roundworms, pets are also susceptible to whipworms, giardia and coccidia.
In addition to parasites, unattended feces can also be contaminated with dog or cat viruses, such as parvovirus, distemper virus, and canine coronavirus, which can cause life-threatening illnesses in other dogs and cats, especially in unvaccinated adult animals as well as puppies and kitten.
2024-02-17 04:51:00
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