It now appears that doctors without border collies are safer for you, the patient, than doctors with dachshunds. If your doctor cuddles his/her dog/cat then he/she might well be the cause of your untimely demise. A recent study has indicated that MRSA, the so-called superbug resistant to most antibiotics, can be passed from pets to people (i.e., doctors) and then on to other people (i.e., patients). MRSA is a lovely mutant form of staph. aureus that usually does nothing more than etch out a small spider-bite-like lesions on your skin. But on occasion it can get downright nasty and spread into your body, causing other adverse effects, like zits and death. (See also, Superbug breaks out in B.C., by Pamela Fayerman April 6/06 in the Times Colonist).

Zoonosis is the transmission of diseases from animals to humans and doctors. Children are particularly susceptible, given their propensity to want to taste what the dog tasted, lick toys that the dog licked, and fling their filthy festering fingers freely into their mouths. … Thousands of kids in North America are infected annually with roundworm parasites, the commonest zoonotic infection passed on by dogs. While most will show no evidence of this infestation, 10,000 kids will develop a weird rash and 750 per year will have their vision hurt as the worm crawls into the retina. … from toxocara to toxoplasmosis, courtesy of those cute but toxic kitties. Toxoplasmosis may cause no symptoms either, but on occasion it can lead to brain and eye hurt. It is especially vital for pregnant women not to clean cat litter boxes, as toxoplasmosis can cause birth defects. … the greater risk of contracting this disease comes from gardening (particularly if a cat was gardening there before you) or eating undercooked meat, like pork, lamb or rack of kitty. And cats don’t get off simple with just parasites. Of concern of late is the dreaded avian flu (H5N1 if you speak droid). Cats tend to snack on avians and have now been found to contract avian flu, shedding the virus in their feces and nasal droplets.

More on this http://bccondos.ca/forums/viewtopic.php?p=817#817

Here, essentially, is what crazy urban chicken enthusiasts want to inflict on the innocent, thinking population (in addition to the smell, feathers and feces in close quarters):

(From the brilliant CDC site):

Avian influenza in birds
Avian influenza is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These influenza viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. But, avian influenza is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them.

Infected birds shed influenza virus in their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces. Susceptible birds become infected when they have contact with contaminated secretions or excretions or with surfaces that are contaminated with secretions or excretions from infected birds. Domesticated birds may become infected with avian influenza virus through direct contact with infected waterfowl or other infected poultry, or through contact with surfaces (such as dirt or cages) or materials (such as water or feed) that have been contaminated with the virus.

Infection with avian influenza viruses in domestic poultry causes two main forms of disease that are distinguished by low and high extremes of virulence. The “low pathogenic” form may go undetected and usually causes only mild symptoms (such as ruffled feathers and a drop in egg production). But, the highly pathogenic form spreads more rapidly through flocks of poultry. This form may cause disease that affects multiple internal organs and has a mortality rate that can reach 90-100% often within 48 hours.

Human infection with avian influenza viruses
There are many different subtypes of type A influenza viruses. These subtypes differ because of changes in certain proteins on the surface of the influenza A virus (hemagglutinin [HA] and neuraminidase [NA] proteins). There are 16 known HA subtypes and 9 known NA subtypes of influenza A viruses. Many different combinations of HA and NA proteins are possible. Each combination represents a different subtype. All known subtypes of influenza A viruses can be found in birds.

Usually, “avian influenza virus” refers to influenza A viruses found chiefly in birds, but infections with these viruses can occur in humans. The risk from avian influenza is generally low to most people, because the viruses do not usually infect humans. But, confirmed cases of human infection from several subtypes of avian influenza infection have been reported since 1997. Most cases of avian influenza infection in humans have resul