HEALTH
You might want to think twice the next time you bend down to give Fido a big smooth.
THAT'S DISGUSTING
Pets can also transmit a parasite known as Giardia to humans by going to the bathroom in water, say in a stream. Then, if a human ingests that water they get really sick and suffer some nasty symptoms like throwing up and diarrhea.
Kayse Aschenbrenner, operations manager at the Lawrence Humane Society, says pets can transmit infections like hookworm, ringworm and scabies to their loving owners.
kissing your pet
Ringworm isn't actually a worm, but looks like a worm and a ring on the skin. Roundworms can also be transmitted from dogs to humans. If roundworm eggs are ingested by humans they can go into the eyes and into the brain.
Aschenbrenner says the staff members at the Lawrence Humane Society rarely get infected by the animals there. The most common affliction the workers catch is ringworm, because it is airborne.
—Realle Roth
Philip Tierno, associate professor of microbiology at the New York University School of Medicine, says that every night, we shed one and a half million clusters of skin cells per hour. Multiply that by seven or eight hours, and you'll find yourself waking up in 12 million particles of your own body.
dirty sheets
Whether they're too lazy, too cheap or too forgetful, most college students don't wash their sheets regularly. But fail to wash your sheets enough, and your sweet sanctuary of sleep could turn into a haven for germs, filth and microscopic creatures.
Aschenbrenner says to regularly take your pets to the vet to help prevent the spread of diseases. She also says to keep an eye on your pet and watch for signs like throwing up or blood in their feces, which are indications of parasite infections. Also watch their skin for scabs, flakiness and hair loss, which could indicate ringworm. As always, washing your hands often will help prevent catching an infection.
And your body's discarded particles make a delicious meal for dust mites. These tiny creatures crawl into bedding and eat dead skin. They leave behind feces, and when they die, they leave their bodies, too.
Although getting serious infections from your pet is fairly rare, it never hurts to take precaution.
Photo illustration by Ryan McGeeney
Skin cells aren't the only thing you're leaving behind each morning. Tierno
Tierno says to wash your sheets every seven days—yes, once a week—in hot water (150° to 160° F) and to dry them in a hot cycle. This ensures you're killing any living creatures that might be lurking in the folds of your sheets.
says our beds are full of bodily fluids. Sweat, tears, saliva and snot can seep into your sheets. Our beds also hold traces of urine, feces and other bodily discharge.
The dust and debris accumulate over time. Tiero says that at the end of five years, dust mites make up 10 percent of your pillow, and after 10 years, your mattress doubles in weight from the debris.
So sleep tight. And don't let any bed bugs bite.
—Susan Melgren
Photo illustration by Becky Sullivan
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September 25,2008