Dog droppings in streets, parks, and urban environments can pose a potential health risk to people and other pets because they can contain a questionable mixture of disease-causing microorganisms ranging from Salmonella to Campylobacter and E. coli.
Feces can also contain parasites that can be transmitted or even settle in humans.
One is the highly contagious single-celled parasite Giardia, which is shed in eggs in dog feces. If the parasite is transmitted to humans, it can infect the intestines, leading to diarrhea.
Transmission can occur through the faeces themselves to the mouth – for example if you do not wash your hands after touching dog faeces – or through contaminated water, a contaminated food bowl or a contaminated area, where the parasite is said to be able to survive for months in some cases. Environments.
This is why the parasite can easily jump in if a dog smells poop left by another dog, or if a dog licks its backside and then licks another dog or human around the mouth.
Potential source of resistant bacteria
Another potential health risk from dog feces, according to researchers, is that it can be a source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which dogs can transmit to humans.
In a study published in 2016 in the magazine Science Direct An international research team is concerned about the rapid spread of resistant bacteria, such as MRSA, among pets.
The researchers also point out that the spread of resistant bacteria may pose a risk of transmission to humans and that genetic analyzes have shown that bacterial strains in infected people and animals are very similar.
in a report As of September 2020, researchers from the University of Technology Sydney have identified dog feces washed away by rainwater as the cause of water pollution in a Sydney suburb.
However, the researchers behind the report did not determine whether dog feces also played a role in water pollution elsewhere.
