Beware of the dog … he may give you salmonella

AS a nation of pet lovers, we share our homes with everything from dogs and cats to rats and salamanders.

But experts warn that we should be made more aware that the animals that give us so much pleasure can also be our worst enemies.

Infections from pets are a threat to the vulnerable including newborn babies, children with leukaemia, cancer patients and anyone with a weak immune system, they say.

A review of animal-to-human infection suggests many of us – including doctors – do not take the risk sufficiently seriously or take precautions to limit harm.

Dogs, cats, rodents, reptiles and amphibians are all capable of transmitting salmonella, Clostridium difficile, Campylobacter jejuni and other sickness-inducing bugs. Pets can also spread parasites such as hookworm and roundworm.

Last year Public Health England had to warn cat owners they were at risk of TB after it was passed by cats to humans for the first time – in an outbreak feared to have been caused by badgers.

Two people needed treatment for bovine tuberculosis after they caught the disease from their kitten, while two other cat owners were thought to have been infected with a dormant form of TB.

All pets can potentially transmit diseases to people. Infections could be acquired from bites, scratches, saliva or contact with faeces, said the Ohio State University researchers writing in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Reptiles and amphibians were said to present a special risk because they could transmit disease indirectly via contaminated surfaces.

They are estimated to be responsible for 11 per cent of all sporadic salmonella i nfections among patients less than 21 years of age. Despite the danger, of those households who bought a pet after a family cancer diagnosis, 77 per cent chose a high risk one, said the report’s authors.

They said the health benefits of animal ownership meant experts should highlight the importance of following specific precautions.

These include wearing protective gloves to clean aquariums and cages, handwashing after pet contact, discouraging face-licking by pets and avoiding contact with exotic animals.