The natural environment that is home to all kinds of plants and animals has its own balance.
Animals, especially those closest to humans, which have become “domesticated” over time , due to continuous daily life contacts, expose neighboring people and themselves to infection or contamination by infectious agents carried by their respective bodies.
There are in particular some diseases, termed “zoonoses” , which target both animals and humans. These include the disease caused by a bacterium carried and transmitted by ticks, that of Lyme borreliosis.
Ticks, in addition to usually settling on pets often also manage to reach human skin, causing Lyme disease.
Borrelia, the spiral-shaped bacterium that causes Lyme disease, is an anaerobic microorganism capable of attacking both animals and humans.Animals such as rodents, mice, foxes, hares, and birds such as blackbirds can be the carriers of the infectious ticks, which could pass from animal to human.
Specifically, the bacteria called “Borrelia burgdorferi“, while not seeming harmful to wild animals, can be harmful to dogs, horses and cattle to which it can cause a type of Lyme infection with more significant consequences for the animal’s health, while certainly, when it affects humans, it can result in serious diseases of the central nervous system such as meningitis, encephalitis, and of the osteoarticular system such as consistent inflammation of the joints and to theLyme arthritis.
While it is now well established that pets, especially dogs and cats do not generally pose a real risk of infection, it still pays to be vigilant that they themselves are not attacked by parasites or ticks.
Therefore, it is advisable to get advice from your veterinarian and to use cleaning and antiparasitic products that will prevent unwelcome guests hiding in the fur from taking root, and also by checking the animal periodically to be sure of its health status.
Protecting your pet friend is a sign of affection but also a prudent measure to protect your own health.
