Parasitic Diseases of Companion Animals / 한양의대학술지

ABSTRACT

Approximately 60% of U.S. and 22% of Korean households have at least one or more pet animals, and a considerably large percentage of which are considered family members. Although these companion animals can offer substantial physical and psychological benefits to humans, zoonotic diseases can be transmitted from them especially when animals are taken directly from the wild to serve as pets. Although zoonoses of traditional pets such as dogs and cats are relatively well recognized compared to those from wild animals by veterinary practitioners, their prevention and treatment are generally poorly understood by physicians. This review covers commonly recognized parasitic agents that can potentially cause illness to both human and animal household members in Korea. Ectoparasites such as fleas, ticks and sarcoptic mites can transmit vector-borne diseases and also directly cause illness, while endoparasites such as Toxocara spp., Ancylostoma spp., Dipylidum caninum. Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium parvum can cause zoonotic infections in humans. Toxoplasma gondii which is one of the most important zoonotic infections from cat is covered in depth at the end of this article since Koreans, especially young household members, have recently been increasingly recognizing pedigree cats as their family members.