Animal Diseases That Can Be Given to Humans

Most people probably do not realize just how many different diseases you can potentially pick up from animals. There are some of the common ones that we know that have been incorporated in our food like mad cow disease, for example, that could affect the beef we eat.
Most of the culprits that are found in the animals that create problems for humans are in the form of bacteria parasites or viruses. There are actually over 200 that have been identified and most of them are preventable. How we end up being infected could be through infected meat or by handling infected animals or even handling the feed that contains infected animal products.
Some diseases will cause a chronic wasting disease in deer. Other diseases that appear in adult cattle could be mad cow disease and it is a brain wasting disease. Then of course, there is the flu is that we have heard about caused from various animals such as the bird flu.

Then one should not forget about the beef tapeworm, which can live in humans and parasites that live in the cows for example as their host. People will consume parasites by eating beef that has not been cooked properly that contains cysts from the tapeworm that was in the beef. Then there is another worm parasite that can be found in pork that can be transmitted if the meat is not cooked correctly or has not been cooked long enough.
Even our household pets are not exempt from being able to pass on some diseases to us. A parasite goes after warm-blooded animals and birds. The cats are the only species that will pass this on to humans. This is done through the feces if the parasite is present there. Some of the other causes can be from eating meat that has not been cooked properly or drinking unpasteurized milk and it can also be from cured meats such as salami and ham.
As frightening, as these diseases may seem and perhaps make one want to become vegetarian. Several things must be kept in mind. First washing the meat and cooking it well eliminates many of the potential problems. Secondly, there are strict government regulations when it comes to diseases in animals that are to be consumed by humans. Therefore, to be affected by one of these diseases causing agents is not very common.

Thomas B. Chuong is currently writing about topics related to home improvement & decor, personal fitness, and home & garden. Find out more by visiting these sites Futon, and Trampoline.

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