 | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | Science: Infection risk of stroking dogs">Archive of stories pre April 2007 | | | | | | | 
Archive of stories pre April 2007 | News submitted by: MIB
Stroking a dog could infect a child with a parasitic worm that causes blindness.
New research suggests eggs of the Toxocara canis worm are found in large amounts in the animal's fur.
Till now it had been thought the only real way to become infected was through dog faeces.
Ian Wright, a vet practising in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, and colleague Alan Wolfe found that of 60 dogs they examined, a quarter had Toxocara eggs in their fur.
Up to 180 eggs were discovered in a gram of dog hair - a much higher density than found in the soil.
A quarter of the 71 eggs analysed contained developing embryos, and three were mature enough to infect humans.
Mr Wright told New Scientist magazine: "It has probably got very little to do with dogs fouling public places."
His advice to anyone handling dogs was "wash your hands before meals, and after a good cuddle".
Owners should regularly wash and worm their dogs, especially puppies, which can acquire Toxocara infection from their mothers.
Mr Wright, whose findings were reported in the Veterinary Record, said the risk of picking up Toxocara was still low. Fewer than 20 people were infected each year in Britain.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_773541.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery
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