Diseases Transmitted by Less Common House Pets
- Author: Bruno B. Chomel1
- Editor: David Schlossberg2
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VIEW AFFILIATIONS HIDE AFFILIATIONSAffiliations: 1: Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616; 2: Philadelphia Health Department, Philadelphia, PA
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Received 11 March 2015 Accepted 31 July 2015 Published 06 November 2015
- Correspondence: Bruno B. Chomel, [email protected]

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Abstract:
Beside dogs and cats, the most common pets worldwide, an increasing number of pocket pets and exotic pets are making their way to more and more households, especially in North America and Europe. Although many of these animals make appropriate pets, they also can be a source of many zoonotic diseases, especially in young children and immunocompromised individuals. Some of these diseases can be life threatening, such as rabies, rat bite fever, and plague. Some others are quite common, because of the frequency of the pathogens harbored by these species, such as salmonellosis in reptiles and amphibians. Appropriate knowledge of the zoonotic agents carried by these “new” pet species is strongly recommended prior to acquiring pocket or exotic pets. Furthermore, adopting wildlife as pets is strongly discouraged, because it is always a risky action that can lead to major health issues.
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Citation: Chomel B. 2015. Diseases Transmitted by Less Common House Pets. Microbiol Spectrum 3(6):IOL5-0012-2015. doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.IOL5-0012-2015.




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Abstract:
Beside dogs and cats, the most common pets worldwide, an increasing number of pocket pets and exotic pets are making their way to more and more households, especially in North America and Europe. Although many of these animals make appropriate pets, they also can be a source of many zoonotic diseases, especially in young children and immunocompromised individuals. Some of these diseases can be life threatening, such as rabies, rat bite fever, and plague. Some others are quite common, because of the frequency of the pathogens harbored by these species, such as salmonellosis in reptiles and amphibians. Appropriate knowledge of the zoonotic agents carried by these “new” pet species is strongly recommended prior to acquiring pocket or exotic pets. Furthermore, adopting wildlife as pets is strongly discouraged, because it is always a risky action that can lead to major health issues.

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Figures

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FIGURE 1
U.S. pet population. Data from 2013–2014 National Pet Owners Survey (American Pet Products Association).

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FIGURE 2
Encephalitozoon cuniculi in a pet rabbit. Courtesy of the Missouri House Rabbit Society (Kansas City, MO).

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FIGURE 3
Rabbit with cheyletiellosis. Reproduced from Mellgren M, Bergvall K. 2008. Acta Vet Scand 2:1, doi:10.1186/1751-0147-50-1, with permission.

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FIGURE 4
Monkeypox in a person during an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1996–1997. Image courtesy of the CDC-PHIL (ID#12779).

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FIGURE 5
Cowpox lesion with necrotic ulcer on the outside of the right arm showing regional solid axillary lymphadenopathy. Reprinted from Favier A-L et al. 2011. Case Rep Dermatol 3:186-194, with permission.

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FIGURE 6
Petechial and purpuric lesions on the foot of a rat bite fever patient. Reproduced from Elliott SP. 2007. Clin Microbiol Rev 20:13-22, with permission.

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FIGURE 7
Young four-toed African pygmy hedgehog. Photo credit: Michal Klimont, Copyright: CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

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FIGURE 8
Bullous tinea manuum after hedgehog exposure. Reproduced from Rosen T. 2000. South Med J 93:936-938, with permission.

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FIGURE 9
Ownership of exotic pets in the United States by household and by individual pet. Courtesy of http://veterinarybusiness.dvm360.com.

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FIGURE 10
Occurrence of “reptile-exotic-pet-associated-salmonellosis” serovars in children less than 3 years-old in the European Union, 2007–2010. Salmonella Arizona includes subspecies IIIa and subspecies IIIb. Arrows indicate where REPAS cases have increased in 2010 compared to previous years. Reproduced from Pees M, Rabsch W, Plenz B, Fruth A, Prager R, Simon S, Schmidt V, Münch S, Braun PG. Evidence for the transmission of Salmonella from reptiles to children in Germany, July 2010 to October 2011. Euro Surveill. 2013;18:(46):pii:20634. Article DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2013.18.46.20634, with permission.
Tables

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TABLE 1
Zoonoses potentially transmitted by pet rabbits and rodents

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TABLE 2
Major zoonoses potentially transmitted by reptiles and aquarium fish
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