Flea Diseases That Infect Humans and Pets

​Fleas transmit many diseases to humans and their pets when they bite or when pets ingest them while grooming themselves.

Flea Diseases That Infect Humans and Pets
By Pierre Mouchette | Real Property Experts LLC

Fleas transmit many diseases to humans and their pets when they bite or when pets ingest them while grooming themselves.  Some conditions that you should be aware of are:

​Murine Typhus
Although rats are the recognized carrier of the fleas that transmits murine typhus, cats that encounter infected fleas can bring this disease home to you. 

• Transmission - when the fleas bite, they usually defecate simultaneously, and bacteria found in the feces (Rickettsia typhi) enters the body through the bite wound or from scratching the bite area.
• Symptoms - include headache, fever, nausea, and body aches.  Then, five or six days after the initial symptoms, a rash will mushroom across the body. 

If you think you have murine typhus, see a doctor as soon as possible!  If treated immediately, the disease can be treated with antibiotics, but you may need to be hospitalized if you wait too long.  Other conditions, such as diabetes, kidney disease, and a history of alcohol abuse, are associated with more severe cases.
 
Mycoplasma Haemofelis
A parasitic, bacterial disease that is transmitted to cats and that can also affect humans.  M. haemofelis attaches to the infected cat’s red blood cells, making the cat's immune system treat the red blood cells as a foreign substance, marking them for destruction.  An infected flea can transmit the parasite to both your pet and you.

• Transmission – from flea, tick, and mosquito bites
• Symptoms - can cause fever and anemia in cats

Veterinarians frequently prescribe antibiotics to treat the affected animal.  In severe cases, cats may require a blood transfusion followed by antibiotics.  Some cats may need steroid medications to prevent the immune system from attacking its’ red blood cells, and treatment can take four to six weeks.
 
Tapeworms
These parasites make their homes in the intestines of dogs, cats, and humans.  While unusual in adults, children may get infected by accidentally swallowing an infected flea.  Children and pets pass segments of tapeworms (proglottids) during bowel movements.

• Transmission – pets can get tapeworms by swallowing infected adult fleas, which can occur when animals groom themselves or other animals.  Cats can also get the disease by eating infected mice.

Treating tapeworms in pets and humans is easy.  A drug called praziquantel is given either orally or, for pets only, by injection.  The medication causes the tapeworm to dissolve within the intestine.
 
Cat Scratch Disease
The bacteria Bartonella Henselae that causes cat scratch fever is common in felines.  According to the CDC, about 40 percent of cats, especially kittens, have it at some time in their lives.  A human might get cat scratch fever even if the cat does not present symptoms.

• Transmission - cats pass the disease on to humans by biting or scratching, thereby breaking the skin or licking on or near wounds or scabs
  
  
• Symptoms - typically, fever for two or three days and then complete recovery, or show the following signs: vomiting, appearing lethargic, have red eyes, swollen lymph nodes, or a decreased appetite

Always take your cat to a veterinarian if you believe your cat is infected with ‘cat scratch disease.’  In rare cases of human infection, the disease can affect the brain, eyes, heart, or other internal organs.  However, these complications are more likely to occur in children under five and people with compromised or weakened immune systems.