Zoonotic hookworms in humans
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When a human ingests roundworm eggs, the eggs hatch in the intestines and start to burrow through the body, stopping somewhere throughout to form a cyst. The burrowing can cause fever, muscle soreness and generalized achiness. Sun and freezing weather will not kill these microscopic eggs. Roundworm eggs can contaminate produce as well as unwashed hands. When an infected animal has a bowel movement, thousands of eggs are passed into the soil, where they can live for many years. Roundworms live in the intestines of dogs and cats. Humans can also be exposed to toxoplasma oocysts in their gardens, so it is recommended that gloves are worn when doing gardening activities. To reduce the risk of contracting the parasite, pregnant women should not clean out a cat’s litter box, should eat meat cooked well-done and should always wash their hands before and after handling raw meat.
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If a pregnant woman gets the toxoplasmosis parasite, the parasite can travel through her body and pass into the baby’s brain, causing brain damage. In non-pregnant humans, toxoplasmosis parasites may not cause any symptoms or may cause sore muscles and flu-like symptoms. Humans can get toxoplasmosis by petting a cat and then eating food, by inhaling the oocyst while cleaning the litter box or from eating rare meat that contains cysts. The oocysts then hatch in the animal, travel through the intestine and migrate into the muscle where the parasite forms cysts. Animals may ingest oocysts if they eat the grass where a cat has had an infected bowel movement. Oocysts may spread to the air when the litter box is cleaned.
![zoonotic hookworms in humans zoonotic hookworms in humans](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/08e5c5f7-b02a-4d03-83b3-388d236192ae/ijd_3469_f1.gif)
When the cat grooms itself, these parasites may spread to other areas on the body. The toxoplasma reproduce by creating microscopic oocysts that are passed in the bowel movement. Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the toxoplasma, a zoonotic parasite that lives in the intestines of cats. Some of the zoonotic parasites that can be found in dogs and cats are discussed below. Zoonotic parasites cause health problems in humans that range from those that are minor to the very serious. Humans are not the primary host, so the zoonotic parasite will act differently in humans. A zoonotic parasite is a parasite that can be transmitted between animals and people.