Disease caught from animals - toxoplasmosis and viral infections

Pediatrics for Parents, May, 1991 by Rosemary Iconis

A virus which can occur and spread in any warm-blooded animals such as foxes, bats, dogs, cats, skunks, and humans is rabies. The incidence has been increasing over the last several years. Typically, rabies is transmitted from animals to humans from a bite. The wound is contaminated with the virus which is found in the saliva of the infected animal.

Cats and dogs are not common carriers of rabies. They are usually infected by accidentally roaming outside and coming into contact with a skunk, fox, raccoon, or bat. Symptoms of rabies will generally appear in domestic animals within ten days. There are two forms of rabies - the dumb form and the furious form. Both forms occur about equally in dogs, while the furious form of rabies is more common in cats. In the dumb form, the animal will be lethargic and depressed. There will be spasms and paralysis of the muscles of the throad and lower jaw. The disease soon spreads to vital organs and death results. In the furious form, the animal becomes very aggressive and will bite with little or no provocation. Often, the animal will wander away from home, possibly infecting other animals and people with the virus. The animal will usually go home to die.

If a person is bitten by an animal known to be rabid, he or she must undergo the series of injections to prevent the development of the illness which, invariably, results in death. If the bite was provoked, and particularly if it's a pet, the animal can be quarantined under the supervision of a veterinarian. If they show no symptoms at the end of ten days, the animal can be vaccinated and anti-rabies treatment for the human will not be necessary. This procedure applies to dogs and cats only, not to wild animals.

Many people who receive an animal bite ask the veterinarian to give the animal a blood test. The problem is that to determine if an animal is infected with the rabies virus, by means other than ten day veterinarian supervision, the animal must be destroyed and the entire head and neck submitted to a lab for testing.

Animals and AIDS

Many of the diseases which are transmissible from animals to humans are self-limiting, requiring little or no treatment. That's because a healthy person has an immune system which acts as a protector against disease by fighting off many of the infectious organisms that invade the body. Anyone whose immune system is weakened, such as an adult or child with AIDS, loses much of this protection. They become extremely vulnerable to attack by infecting organisms like those transmitted by their family pet. As a result, an infection which may produce only slight discomfort to a healthy person, may produce serious illness in a person whose immune system is suppressed.

It's important that pets of individuals with AIDS stay indoors to lessen the likelihood the pet is exposed to infectious organisms which they could bring home. It is also essential for the animal to receive all necessary immunizations and to have regular check-ups.