Peters, Mo. In addition to private practice, Wolff is also the program director of a veterinary technology program at nearby Sanford-Brown College. One of the techs asked if I de wormed myself, and that got us wondering if others do the same.
She stopped because she now teaches four out of five work days. To satisfy her staff's curiosity, Wolff posed the question to colleagues on the Veterinary Information Network VIN , an online community for the profession. Some veterinarians said their physicians treat them for worms on a regular basis.
Others said they consider deworming after traveling to exotic locales and having gastrointestinal GI problems. Dogs and cats can carry infestations, and those worms are trundled into the clinic.
Exposure to parasites increases when litter boxes are cleaned and dogs are taken out for elimination. Does this mean veterinarians and their staff need to be dewormed as a precautionary measure?
There is no evidence that I'm aware of that vets are at any higher risk for GI parasitism than the general public. There's no evidence that routine deworming of people in the general public is indicated, so that would extend to vets. Good common sense and hygiene greatly reduces the risk, Weese said. You have to ingest old feces where eggs have had a chance to become infective. The incidence of clinically relevant roundworm infection in adults seems to be very low, again with no indication vets are at higher risk.
Echinococcus is a less common genus of tapeworm with two zoonotic species: E. Dogs, cats and humans can contract Echinococcus by ingesting parasite eggs via the fecal-oral route or while consuming vegetation or water contaminated with infected feces.
Human cases are rare and can lead to serious medical complications. Dipylidium caninum , however, is the most common tapeworms of dogs and cats. To contract this parasite, the host must swallow an infected adult flea containing a cysticercoid , or larval tapeworm.
Kenton Flaig, of Portville, N. Most of these worms settle in a host's intestines and cause GI problems. Transmission often occurs when a person handles soil or sand that contains aged, contaminated feces, and there's hand-to-mouth contact.
Children are most susceptible to worm infestations because they are more likely to put soiled hands in their mouths or eat before washing. Veterinary professionals need to wear gloves when handling feces and wash their hands regularly, public health experts advise. Roundworm can also cause disease in humans if we unknowingly eat the microscopic eggs that infected dogs and cats shed in their poo. An untreated bitch and her puppies are estimated to produce around 15 million roundworm eggs daily, so people should be particularly careful with hygiene when handling puppies and kittens.
Young children are also at risk of infection; playing outside in the dirt and not washing their hands well enough makes them prime targets for coming into contact with roundworm eggs. If we do end up accidentally swallowing roundworm eggs, our immune system may step in and tackle the problem. However in some cases the larvae of this parasite migrate within our bodies where they can cause severe symptoms.
If the larvae end up in the eye a condition called ocular larva migrans , it can result in blindness. Dogs and cats can become infected with tapeworm by swallowing infected fleas, from hunting or from scavenging for example by eating uncooked meat. Tapeworms are long segmented worms that live in the intestine. Hookworm can be picked up by pets that eat hookworm larvae from the soil. Hookworm can also affect people; if we walk across a contaminated area in bare feet the larvae can burrow into our skin and cause irritation and itching.
Lungworm A ngiostrongylus vasorum is thankfully not a threat to people, but it is particularly bad news for dogs: it can cause serious health problems, and can even be fatal. Dogs ingest lungworm larvae when they accidentally or deliberately eat snails and slugs or even their slime or frogs. Once ingested, the larvae make their way to the heart, where they grow into adult worms and produce eggs.
These eggs travel to the lungs and hatch into larvae that the dog will cough up, swallow, and then pass out in its poo — ready to infect more snails and slugs and repeat the cycle. Contact with contaminated soil or dog feces can result in human ingestion and infection. Roundworm eggs may accumulate in significant numbers in the soil where pets deposit feces. Once infected, the worms can cause eye, lung, heart and neurologic signs in people.
Children should not be allowed to play where animals have passed feces. Individuals who have direct contact with soil that may have been contaminated by cat or dog feces should wear gloves or wash their hands immediately.
It may not be obvious even if your puppy or dog has roundworms, and yet people can be infected by them. For this reason, it is a good idea to have a regular program of preventative treatment starting with puppies at two weeks of age. Dogs should have fecal stool exams 2 to 4 times in their first year of life and once or twice a year thereafter.
The best way to control roundworms is to be sure to use a parasite control product recommended by your veterinarian every month.
How will roundworms affect my dog? How do I prevent my dog from getting roundworms? Can humans be harmed by roundworms?
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