What pathogens can dogs and cats carry?

Dr. Le Thi Gam, Northern Medical Manager, VNVC vaccination system said that dogs and cats are often raised indoors, living, eating and sleeping with their owners. Therefore, when carrying pathogens, these animals are the source closest to humans.

Campylobacter and Salmonella

Campylobacter and Salmonellathing bacteria reside in the intestinal tract of dogs and cats, discharged through the stool. Outdoor dogs are easy to stick to pathogens on claws and fur. From here, bacteria can stick to the hands, clothes and penetrate the body through the mouth, causing abdominal pain, diarrhea, stomach spasm, vomiting and fever.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Campylobacter is one of the four main causes of diarrhea, which is the most common reason for gastritis. Young children, the elderly and immunodeficiency may die if this infection.

Nhiễm khuẩn Capnocytophaga canimorsus

And Capnocytophaga Canimorsus is found in dog saliva, which can cause fever or blood infection. People with weak immune systems such as cancer patients, new surgery or newly sick people are more likely to experience serious complications due to this bacteria.

Capnocytophaga Canimorsus resides in the saliva of healthy dogs and cats, transmitted to people through bite, licking, or living close to animals for a long time. Bacteria can penetrate through the skin without wounds.

Worms infection, tapeworm

Dog coser (Toxocara Canis) or cat roundworm (Toxocara Cati) infect the body through dogs and cats. Eggs spread when the animal licks the anus then licks on the body, objects or human faces.

When the eggs enter the human body, they move to the intestines, escape the shell into larvae, then penetrate the intestinal wall and along the bloodstream to the organs. Parasites can cause damage to the lungs, eyes, liver, brain, forming tumors in organs or platelet dysfunction leading to hemorrhage, encephalitis.

Toxoplasmosis

This is a disease caused by toxoplasma Gondii (T. Gondii) infection in cats, or eating unprocessed meats. Healthy people can prevent this parasitic.

However, parasites can cause serious complications in pregnancy such as eye infections, brain, fetal malformations, and miscarriage. Babies born may have brain, eye, epilepsy, growth slowly or blood disorders.

Rabies

Rabies virus causes rabies from pets to people through bite, scratching, licking. Pets that have been vaccinated can still get rabies when exposed to the source. When the disease is developed, both people and pets have nearly 100%mortality.

Children are a group that is prone to bite, scratching because they do not know how to interact with pets, accidentally invading the animal’s own space, or trampling, jerking hair, ears, tail … Million people bitten to be treated with rabies vaccine, about 60,000 people died from rabies. In Vietnam, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Health, rabies are infectious diseases with the highest number of deaths in 2024 with 84 deaths. Each year, about 500,000 people have to vaccine and rabies serum, cost about VND 800 billion.

Ways to prevent

Dr. Giang recommends that some dogs and cats seem healthy but carrying viruses, pathogenic bacteria, easily spread when living with people. For oral -spread diseases, people need to clean, remove the stool of the pet. After exposure to pets and before eating, people need to wash their hands with soap, make sure to cook, drink boiling. Children’s play area also needs clean hygiene.

In order to prevent rabies spread, the family needs to proactively vaccinate the disease to prevent cats and dogs. Parents should also supervise when children play, avoid causing animals to attack children, should take their children to the medical facility immediately for treatment guidance when bitten or scratched.

People should inject the vaccine as soon as they are bitten, scratched, licked into the open wound. The regimen for people who have never been vaccinated includes 5 stitches on 0-3-7-14-28 (for intramuscularly) or 8 stitches on 0-3-7-28 days (for injection routes In the skin), it is possible to use more serum and serum, tetanus vaccine. The doctor may stop the injection based on the wound condition and monitor the animal after 10 days.

The vaccine can also be spare with a 3-point regimen on July 7-28, 2 more injections and do not use rabies serum if dogs and cats are scratched.