Thursday, April 05, 2012

Pet, danger message

Here is a short version: Yes, your puppy or kitten is a soft-eyed, big-pawed, soft ball of adorability. 
.
Nevertheless, do not let them share your pillow. 
.
And no matter how tempted you are, do not kiss them.
.
No, really, don’t. 
.
Here’s a sample of why:
.
A 2008 matched case–control study surveyed 9 plague survivors, 12 household members of these survivors, and 30 age- and neighbourhood-matched controls about household and individual exposures. 
.
Four (44%) survivors … reported sleeping in the same bed with a pet dog.
.
Two cases of meningitis in newborn children (less than 1 month of age) have been reported; one was associated with a pet cat stealing a baby’s pacifier and using it as a toy.
.
The other was associated with a pet dog that often licked the baby’s face.
.
B. henselae (cat scratch) infection was suspected and confirmed by serologic testing of a 50-year-old man from Japan, who had left cervical lymphadenopathy and owned a dog that often licked his face.
.
A case of meningitis caused by P. multocida in a 60-year-old housewife living in the United Kingdom was reported. 
.
She admitted to regularly kissing the family dog.
.
A 48-year-old man with diabetes and his wife had recurrent MRSA infections. 
.
Culture of nares samples from the family dog grew mupirocin-resistant MRSA that had a PFGE chromosomal pattern identical to the MRSA isolated from the patient’s nares and his wife’s wound. 
.
The couple reported that the dog routinely slept in their bed and frequently licked their faces.
.
In Australia, septicemia and multi-organ failure developed in a 48-year-old woman after her fox terrier puppy licked a minor burn wound on the top of her left foot.
.
A 60-year-old patient with chronic eczema died of septic shock and renal failure and disseminated intravascular coagulation caused by C. canimorsus
.
The ulcerous chronic eczema of his legs was the most probable port of entry for the organism because his dog used to lick his legs.
.
With the resigned tone of researchers who know in advance they won’t be listened to, the two authors make a public health recommendation:
.
Persons, especially young children or immuno compromised persons, should be discouraged from sharing their bed with their pets or regularly kissing their pets.
.
Although uncommon with healthy pets, the risk for transmission of zoonotic agents by close contact between pets and their owners through bed sharing, kissing or licking is real and has even been documented for life-threatening infections.
.
I would have more to say about this, but it sounds like I am trying to scare people.
.
Yes that's right I am.
.
Pets are pets.
.
Animals from another species.
.
Treating them like humans is not smart.

No comments: