How are worms transmitted from dogs to humans, their types
Many people have pets that are very loved and taken care of. The owners of these pets often ask veterinarians whether worms from dogs, cats and other pets can be transmitted to people, especially children.
Dogs can have different types of worms, some of which can be transmitted to humans, but not all. Therefore, to protect themselves, the owners of pets should carefully monitor the health of their pets.
Can a person get a worm from a dog?
The question of whether it is possible to catch worms from a dog, often sounds in the vet's office. The answer is usually sought by young parents who are worried about their child.
Pets can be infected with various types of helminths, but not all dog worms cause disease in humans. Moreover, there are only a few species of helminths that can be transmitted directly from the dog to humans, some of which are very rare.
Method of distribution of helminths
Almost all worms from dog to person are transmitted by fecal-oral route. A mature helminth female is in the intestine of a pet and emits eggs that go outside with feces. A person, especially a child who does not observe the rules of personal hygiene, can contact dog feces( for example, on objects or wool) and swallow the eggs of the worms.
Of course, there are more "exotic" ways of transferring worms. For example, with an extremely rare parasitic disease, telasiosis( recorded slightly more than 250 cases in humans), worms from the eyes of dogs can be carried by a fly in the eyes of a person. However, these are isolated cases that do not represent almost no epidemiological significance. Therefore, the fecal-oral route is almost the only possible mechanism of how the worms are transmitted from the dog directly to the person.
What is the danger of infection?
The risk of infection depends on the species of helminths. Therefore it is important to know what worms can get infected from a dog.
Alveococcosis
Alveococcosis( alveolar echinococcosis) can develop in people who accidentally swallowed larvae of the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis.
These helminths are found all over the world, cases of disease have been observed in Europe, Russia. China, Central Asia, Japan, North America. Their adult forms can live in the intestines of dogs that secrete their eggs with feces. A child or adult can become infected with alveococcosis, cleaning up animals or touching objects or wool contaminated with their feces.
The larva of this worm, entering the human intestine, penetrates into the bloodstream and is injected into various organs. The liver is most often affected, but lungs, the brain, kidneys, spleen and other organs can also suffer.
A cyst is formed in the tissues around the larva, which slowly grows, reaching sometimes 30 cm in diameter. When the cyst is located in the patient's liver, pain in the right upper quadrant, general weakness, weight loss are disturbed. In the absence of treatment, abscesses of the liver, inflammation of the bile ducts, cirrhosis and hepatic insufficiency may develop. From these complications, patients often die.
Echinococcosis
Echinococcus granulosus helminths live in the small intestine of the dog and excrete larvae with its feces. These worms in dogs are transmitted to a person by the fecal-oral route, when the latter accidentally swallows the larvae.
Direct contact with infected animals can lead to infection, especially close contact between children and their pets. In addition, infection can occur when you use contaminated with dog feces products or water. Echinococcosis occurs in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central and South America.
After entering the body, the larvae most often enter the liver or lungs, although it can affect other organs. In tissues, it forms a slowly growing cyst, which does not cause for many years no symptoms. When you reach significant sizes, there is pain in the abdomen or chest, nausea, vomiting, coughing.
A ruptured cyst may lead to an allergic reaction to the liquid contained in it, which can cause death.
Toxocarosis
Disease that develops in humans when infected with Toxocara canis helminth. These worms can live in the intestines of dogs. Larvae of toxocar are released into the environment with faeces of animals.
When entering the human body, the larvae enter the bloodstream and are transported to various parts of the body. Most infected people do not have any symptoms. However, in some patients, toxocarcosis can damage some tissues and organs.
There are two types of disease - visceral and ocular toxocariasis. With visceral form, helminths penetrate the liver, lungs, central nervous system and cause fever, cough, enlargement of the liver, pneumonia. With ocular toxocarosis, the eyes are affected, which can cause inflammation and scarring of the retina, irreversible loss of vision.
Dipylidiosis
This is a common parasitic disease of dogs and cats caused by the tapeworm Dipylidium caninum. People get infected with it if they accidentally swallow canine fleas or lice infected by the larvae of these worms. The risk of such transfer of dipilidia from dogs is very low, most cases occur in children.
After penetration of the larva into the intestine, an adult form develops from it. Although most people have this disease asymptomatically, children with dipilidiosis may experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, impaired appetite, skin rash or itching, and increased irritability. Sometimes with massive dipheliadiasis, children may develop intestinal obstruction.
Cenurosis
The human price is a helminthic invasion caused by the larvae of one of the four species of tapeworms( Taenia multiceps, Taenia serialis, Taenia brauni, Taenia glomerata), which are common in dogs. People become infected by accidentally swallowing larvae with food or water that are contaminated with canine faeces.
Larvae after entering the intestine penetrate into the tissues of the body and form large, fluid-filled cysts( prices) there. The clinical picture of the disease depends on the location of these cysts.
Cenosis of the brain is manifested by headache, vomiting, general weakness, apathy, hyperkinesis can be observed, disorientation in space and time, loss of consciousness, convulsions. When the spinal cord is affected, paralysis of the lower extremities, impaired functions of the pelvic organs may develop. With the localization of valuables in the eyes may be observed exophthalmos( protrusion of the eye outward), deterioration or loss of vision. If the brain is damaged, the forecast is unfavorable.
How to prevent infection with worms from dogs?
Since most of the worms that can be infected by a dog are transmitted to the person by a fecal-oral route, the main method of preventing this transmission is strict adherence to the rules of personal hygiene and hygiene of domestic animals.
It is necessary to listen to the following tips:
- It is very important to visit the dog regularly with a veterinarian.
- In the presence of worms in dogs, it is necessary to conduct their treatment.
- It is necessary to clean the dog's residence place at least once a week. Feces need to either bury, or put in a plastic bag and throw it into the garbage container. After cleaning, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
- Children should not be allowed to play in places contaminated with feces of dogs and other animals. Sandboxes should be covered with a lid.
- After any game with the dog, you should thoroughly wash your hands with soap. This should be done after walking and before eating.
Pets are not only a joy for the whole family, but also a great responsibility. They can be a source of various diseases, including worms. Careful observance of preventive recommendations can reduce the risk of infection of people by any kind of helminths transmitted by the fecal-oral route.
Author: Taras Nevelichuk, doctor,
specially for Moizhivot.ru
