| Organism |
Common name |
Survival |
Human Disease |
|
Toxocara canis |
Roundworms, Toxocariasis |
4 years in soil. |
VLM (visceral larva migrans) leading to hepatomegaly, myocarditis, nephritis, pulmonary inflammation, and blindness, usually in children.
|
| Baylisascaris procyonis |
Roundworms |
Eggs can survive on moist soil for years. |
Severe neurological form of VLM, especially in young children (see Toxocara) |
| Ancylostoma spp. |
Hookworms |
Several days. No known effective chemical or pesticide. Prompt removal of dog and cat feces greatly reduces risk of infection. |
Spreading lesions and severe pruritis. In rare instances can cause symptoms like VLM (see Toxocara). Puppies are a significant source of infection.
|
| Cryptosporidium parvum |
|
At least 6 months. Susceptible to drying. |
Self-limiting gastroenteritis, protracted in susceptible individuals. CDC reports 300,000 cases annually, 90% of waterborne origin. |
| Campylobacter spp. |
|
Rapidly killed by heat, drying, and freezing. |
Mild to severe, bloody diarrhea. |
| Escherichia coli |
E. coli, Fecal coliform bacteria |
Up to 4 months in ruminant feces. Extended exposure (i.e., 3 days) at 140˚F required to kill organism. |
Bloody diarrhea, severe cramps, HUS (leading to kidney failure), and TPC. |
Giardia duodenalis
a.k.a. Giardia lamblia
a.k.a. Giardia intestinalis |
Giardia, Giardiasis |
Resistant to drying, chlorination, and temperature extremes. Can survive for months in water and are relatively persistent during wastewater treatment. |
Diarrhea, cramps, flatulence, nausea, steatorrhea. Can be protracted and debilitating. CDC estimates 2 million cases in U.S., 90% of waterborne origin.
|
| Salmonella spp. |
|
Up to 6 months in cattle feces. Extended exposure at 140˚F required to kill organism. |
Usually mild gastroenteritis within 6-48 hours.
|
| Brucella spp. |
Brucellosis |
2½ months in moist soil. Rapidly killed by exposure to direct sunlight. |
Brucellosis symptoms appear in days to months. Can be protracted and extremely debilitating. Uncommon in U.S. |
| Yersinia enterocolitica |
|
Unknown. |
Gastroenteritis. |
| Leptospira interrogans |
Leptospirosis |
Weeks to months in soil or water. |
Usually mild fever but complications can be serious, including hepatitis, jaundice, meningitis, and kidney failure. Life threatening, but uncommon. There has been a recent increase in the numbers of dogs with Leptospires. |