If the dog is the best friend of a man, it can also carry diseases that are transmissible to humans. This is called zoonosis. This term, which concerns not only dogs but all animals, refers to the diseases and ailments transmitted to man by the dog, but also the reverse, from man to the dog, through bacteria or viruses.

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The modes of contamination can be direct contact (bite, caress, etc.), ingestion (eating a portion of food contaminated by the animal), inhalation, or transmission by a third-party vector, often an insect. Children and the elderly, who have a more fragile immune system, are the people most at risk of being affected by these dog-borne diseases. Although this animal poses a risk to humans in terms of disease transmission, the latter remains minimal in our country. Examples of three diseases that dogs can transmit to humans.

1.Leptospirosis:

Leptospirosis is a little-known disease, yet it is widespread and even increasing in France. It is an infectious disease due to a bacterium (leptospire) studied by the Institut Pasteur in France. This bacterium occurs in wet places where animals such as rats, ragondins, hedgehogs, wild boars, or farmed animals have deposited it by urinating. These animals are indeed carriers of these bacteria but without being sick. It is the dogs, frequenting puddles, ditches, or ponds contaminated by these bacteria that are then contaminated. Bacteria enter the dog's body through their skin, babies, or pads.

For a week after its contamination, the dog does not have any special symptoms. Fatigue, lack of appetite, and sometimes vomiting can occur afterward. As soon as the first symptoms appear, it is advisable to consult a veterinarian quickly because leptospires attack the liver and kidneys and can quickly lead to the death of the dog.

In humans, leptospirosis is a mild disease but it can lead to kidney failure or even death in rare cases. Incubation of the disease is in the range of 4-14 days. Symptoms are those of a flu condition for moderate forms of leptospirosis and can progress to renal, hepatic, meningeal, or pulmonary damage. Severe forms of this disease in humans combine acute renal failure, neurological damage, and more or less severe hemorrhages. The administration of antibiotics is the main treatment for leptospirosis. If the healing time is often long, the disease does not leave sequelae.

2.Toxocariasis:

Toxocariasis is a parasitic infection transmitted to humans not only by dogs but also by cats. It is a widespread disease in industrialized countries. Dogs are infected by this parasite, which is a roundworm called "Toxocara Canis", by ingesting it directly or by their mother, in utero, already affected by toxocariasis. In animals, the adult form of the parasite lives in its small intestine but goes from one organ to another while causing damage to them and their tissues. This worm lays thousands of eggs every day that the dog rejects with its feces.

It is by eating poorly washed vegetables or by the contact of his hands with materials soiled by these parasites that the man is contaminated if he then carries them to his mouth. Given the specific mode of transmission of toxocariasis, children are most affected. They are more likely to play with their hands in an environment contaminated with worms, such as sandboxes, for example, and carry them to the mouth without prior washing. Most often, toxocariasis does not cause Special symptoms in humans except for mild fatigue, minimal breathing disorders, or digestive disorders. However, there are more severe, but rare, cases of this parasitic disease, which causes inflammation of the retina of the eye.

The best way to protect yourself from toxicosis is to regularly deworm your dog and apply hygiene rules by washing your hands often for example.

3.Salmonella:

Salmonellosis is a disease caused by the bacteria" Salmonella " in dogs. This infection causes fever, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, skin problems, or increased heart rate. Sometimes no symptoms occur. Salmonellosis particularly affects dogs that have a lack of immune protection and those who have received antibiotic treatment. Dogs can be contaminated by already infected feces or by eating raw meat itself contaminated.

In humans, salmonellosis leads to gastroenteritis. It manifests itself in fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The transmission of the disease from dogs to humans can be done by the mere touch of an object that has been in contact with the infected animal. Antibiotic treatment, combined with the isolation for a few days of the person infected with salmonellosis, help to effectively treat this disease.