Zoonotic diseases are diseases
shared with people and animals.
Veterinarians, pet owners and physicians should work together to
reduce the risks associated with zoonotic transmission of parasitic
diseases. Important preventive measures include:
1. Practicing good personal hygiene;
2. Controlling pet parasite infections through internal and
external parasite treatment and control;
3. Minimizing exposure of children to potentially contaminated
environments;
4. Cleaning up pet feces regularly to reduce environmental
contamination with infective parasite stages; and
5. Discussing pet ownership with your family physician or
pediatrician.
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I. Consideration of pet health and
lifestyle factors
Pets require care tailored to their
individual needs. We consider:
Environment of the pet:
Origin of the pet; Lifestyle (climate, hunting and predation, dog
parks, wild animal contact, previous infection in the household ,
exposure to other pets in the household or neighborhood); and
Travel (vacation trips, boarding and day care facilities, dog
and cat shows and field trials);
The pet's nutrition including the potential for parasite exposure
through food or water; and Age (puppies, kittens and
geriatric animals are at greater risk than healthy
adults).
II. Lifelong prevention of common internal
and external parasites
Ascarids, hookworms and tapeworms are a
significant cause of zoonotic disease. Fleas and ticks
produce disease through blood loss, and transmission of infectious
agents.
Recommended protocol for common worm and
flea/tick control:
The CAPC recommends year-round treatment with broad-spectrum
heartworm wormers that have activity against parasites with
zoonotic potential because:
Although experts agree heartworm transmission does not occur
year-round in all areas, a significant portion of the United States
experiences transmission during most of the year. Presence of
mosquitoes and their ability to transmit heartworm is
unpredictable.
Dogs and cats may be exposed to and become
infected with roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms and other parasites
throughout the year through travel.
Many broad-spectrum products eliminate
these potentially zoonotic parasites. Dogs and cats should be
placed on year-round preventive flea and/or tick products as soon
after birth as possible for the life of the pet.
A thorough physical examination and complete history are important
for diagnosis, treatment and control of most parasites and should
be performed at least annually by a qualified veterinarian.
Pets should be fed cooked or prepared food (they should not be fed
raw meat) and provided fresh water.
Dogs should be tested for heartworm annually or biannually.
Periodic retesting for feline heartworm infection should be
considered.
Appropriately conducted fecal examinations should be
performed: Two to four times during the first year of life (may be
associated with vaccine schedule), and one to two times per year in
adult pets.
Puppies and kittens require more frequent worming than adult dogs
and cats, because (1) they often are reinfected via nursing and
from the environment, and (2) they often harbor parasite larvae in
migration that later mature and commence egg laying. Intestinal
parasite infections in puppies and kittens may cause serious
illness or even death before a diagnosis is possible by fecal
examination. Puppies and their mothers should be treated with
appropriate anthelmintics when puppies are 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of
age, then put on a monthly preventive. Because prenatal infection
does not occur in kittens, bi-weekly treatment can begin at 3 weeks
of age, and at 8 or 9 weeks of age they can be put on a monthly
preventive. Nursing dogs and cats should be treated along with with
their offspring since they often develop patent infections along
with their young.
Not using year-round heartworm
preventive/intestinal parasite combination products increases the
risks of parasitism in pets and zoonotic parasite
transmission.
III. Environmental control of parasite
transmission
Parasite transmission stages are
long-lived in the environment and responsible for infection of pets
as well as zoonotic transmission. Parasitized animals should
be aggressively treated to prevent environmental contamination and
monitored by fecal exam to confirm treatment success.
At least weekly (preferably daily), conduct fecal cleanup/removal
with proper disposal and sanitation. Feces can be bagged and put in
the trash, burned or flushed down a toilet. Following treatments,
any worms passed should be similarly disposed of.
Leash laws and fecal cleanup (“pooper-scooper”) laws should be
enforced.
Ascarid and whipworm eggs are highly resistant to environmental
conditions and may persist in the soil for years. Extreme measures
are needed for decontamination, including:
Heat (boiling water, steam, propane gun, burning straw, etc.) to
kill the eggs; Removal of contaminated substrate (e.G., 5 to 6
inches of soil properly disposed of); and/or
Entombment of eggs under concrete or asphalt.
Children’s sandboxes should be covered when not in use.
To remove hookworm larvae, metal or concrete surfaces should be
decontaminated with bleach or ammonia, while soil and gravel should
be decontaminated with heat or a desiccant such as sodium borate or
lime. Note that sodium borate will kill vegetation.
Where appropriate, EPA-approved pesticides and/or growth
regulators should be applied to the premises to kill environmental
stages of fleas and ticks.
For brown dog tick indoor infestations, local pest management
specialists should be contacted.
IV. Owner considerations in preventing
zoonotic disease
Some people are uniquely susceptible to
certain vector-borne infections and parasites.
People with HIV infection;
People undergoing immunosuppressive therapy (e.g., chemotherapy
patients, organ transplant patients, patients undergoing treatment
for autoimmune disease);
People with advanced liver disease;
Diabetics;
Pregnant women;
Infants and young children;
Elderly individuals;
Individuals who are mentally disabled; and
Individuals with occupational risk.
If you have concerns about these disorders, we can counsel you
without breaching your privacy and recommend you discuss this with
your physicians. For additional information, refer to the CDC
at www.cdc.gov/healthypets and www.capcvet.org
