Pets are part of the family for most people, but it should be noted that they can be a source of disease, warn German experts.
To avoid unnecessary health risks, one should not overdo expressions of affection towards four-legged pets, especially concerning children and people with weakened immune systems. Animals should not be kissed, and after petting them, hands should be washed regularly and thoroughly.
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The health risks posed by pets are primarily injuries – especially bites, allergies, and infectious diseases known as zoonoses.
Although some countries, like Germany, have programs for reporting infectious diseases, the source of infection is not always found.
– It is usually unclear whether the patient was infected by another person, an animal, or food, says Hendrik Wilking, a veterinarian researching zoonoses at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), which is responsible for disease control and prevention.
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– In Germany, the most dangerous infection that can be acquired from pets is the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, says Wilking, adding that the infection can lead to very serious complications in people with weakened immune systems.
The resulting disease, toxoplasmosis, manifests with flu-like symptoms in some people. Cats are hosts to the parasite, and humans can become directly infected from cats or by eating meat contaminated with the parasite. Women who become infected before or at the beginning of pregnancy can transmit the infection to the baby.
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According to research from the institute, every year more than 4,000 pregnant women in Germany become infected with the parasite, and more than 300 children are born with clinical symptoms of toxoplasmosis.
– These symptoms include neurological damage, emphasizes Wilking. Pregnant women must adhere to hygiene measures around cats.
Another study from the institute found that having a cat in the house increases the risk of Lyme borreliosis, a disease transmitted by ticks.
– A cat picks up a tick outside and transfers it during petting, says Wilking.
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Does this mean that people should not keep pets to be safe? “Certainly not,” says Wilking, citing numerous studies showing that pets are beneficial for the health of owners who are more satisfied with their lives than those without pets, exercise more by walking them, and have more social contacts.
While cohabitation with dogs and cats is a tradition that has lasted for thousands of years, keeping exotic reptiles has only become common in the last few decades. As a result, there has been an increase in salmonella infections in children because most snakes and lizards shed these bacteria in their feces. Salmonella infection can cause severe diarrhea.
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– Reptiles should not be kept in children’s rooms, bathrooms, and especially not in kitchens, says Frank Mutschmann, a veterinarian from Berlin.
Rodents do not pose a serious health risk, says Maximilian Reuschel, a scientist from the University of Hanover.
However, rabbits can transmit upper respiratory infections caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida. Hamsters are often infected with tropical rat mites, whose bites can cause reddish pus-filled nodules in humans.
