# Zoophilia and your Health

> This faq has been slightly reformatted by Valadan. All information is still present, I have merely cleaned it up a little for web viewing. Enjoy!

Alt.sex.bestiality P.I.P.s, Version 1.01 , Revised 12 August, 1995

## Introduction

Herpes, gonorrhea, genital warts, and syphiliis, four of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world, are all diseases which are limited to contraction and transmission by humans. However, it has been theorized that if a man with a venereal disease were to have sex with an animal, without the use of a condom, and then another man were to have sex with that same animal immediately or soon after, that if semen or blood from the first man were absorbed into the blood stream of the second man, he may contract a venereal disease.

The same goes for women. If an animals' genitalia were exposed to the disease by a carrier, it is possible that it can survive long enough to be transmitted from the animals' penis to someone else through vaginal or anal intercourse if the animal were to engage the second party directly after the first.

## Contagious animal health diseases

1. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, (AIDS)

   Presently, it is not known for sure if AIDS can be passed between a human and a non-human animal through sexual intercourse. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, FIV, the alleged pre-cursor to Feline AIDS and equivalent to Human Infectious Virus, (HIV), is not transmittable between felines and non-feline animals.

2. Lyme Disease

   This section written by MegaDog

   Lyme is a disease of humans, dogs, cows, cats, horses, deer and goats, caused by a Spirochete bacterium, Borrelia bergdorferi. It was first recognised in the mid-1970's and has been recorded in the USA, Europe, Central/South America, Japan, the CIS [ex-USSR] and Africa.

   Normally, the disease is spread by bites from ticks [Deer tick, Black-legged tick and Lone-star tick], though fleas have also been implicated, as have Dog-ticks.

   Hunters who handle or come into contact with the blood or hides of infected deer can become infected; the Borrelia spirochete has been identified in semen and urine of animals, and there are indications that it may also be present in saliva. Infection of the fetus via the placenta has been recorded in both humans and animals.

   Sexual transmission of the disease between humans, or between humans and animals, has not as yet been conclusively proved, or disproved! However Borrelia is a Spirochete bacterium, as is Treponema pallidum, the causative organism of syphilis.

   You are left to draw your own conclusions as to the possibility that Lyme may be transmitted sexually.

   - Symptoms: Humans

     These vary. In the case of infection by tick bites, around half the cases show a rash [called erythema migrans] at the point of bite; this can be confused with other allergies, rashes, chemical or biological burns etc, or may go unnoticed if it is on one of the less visible parts of the body. When the infection is contracted in other ways, the characteristic bite-site signs may be absent.

     Other symptoms resemble flu, and may include:- headache, sore throat, fever, muscle ache or tenderness, tiredness, insomnia and joint soreness. Left untreated, these symptoms generally disappear; chronic Borrelosis may take months or years to develop, and may result in meningitis, muscle pain, arthritis, numbness, tingling and burning sensations in the limbs, testicular discomfort, facial paralysis [Bell's Palsy], fatigue, lassitude and depression. The heart, eye, reproductive, respiratory system and gastrointestinal tract may become involved. In this form, the disease may persist for many years, with periods of remission.

   - Symptoms: Animals

     The rash is rarely seen, being concealed by fur. Symptoms include fever, arthritis, lameness, soreness, listlessness, loss of appetite [with consequent weight loss and loss of condition], and swollen joints. The involvement of major organs or systems is the same as for humans. The disease may impair reproduction, resulting in sterility, abortion or stillbirth. In some cases the pain experienced may result in irritability or behavioural changes, such as a reduction in tractability of horses. Again, as for humans, the symptoms may be persistent, or show periods of remission of varying lengths.

   - Diagnosis

     The diagnosis of Lyme borrelosis is problematic; as of July 1994, there is no definitively accurate test for the disease; Repeated tests of blood from the same individual may show alternating positive and negative Lyme status. Diagnosis is largely based on the clinical symptoms, the patient's history, and by eliminating other possible causes of the symptoms.

   - Treatment

     Antibiotics such as amoxycillin generally provide successful treatment in humans; success depends on how soon after infection the treatment begins. Once the later stages of the disease are seen, persistent repeated courses of medication may be necessary, with no guarantee of success; once treatment is apparently complete, relapses may occur.

     CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN/VETERINARIAN FOR ADVICE IF YOU SUSPECT YOU OR YOUR ANIMALS MAY HAVE CONTRACTED LYME. DO NOT ATTEMPT SELF-MEDICATION!

     At present, there have been no reports of the evolution of antibiotic- resistant strains of Lyme.

   - Risk Reduction

     Try to avoid yourself, or your animals, getting bitten by ticks. If you have visited areas where ticks are present, you should check yourself and your animals. This may take some time, but the longer an infected tick remains attached, the greater the chance of Lyme infection being passed.

     Check daily for ticks; favorite sites are round the eyes and ears, between the toes, on the back of the neck, and in the groin/armpit regions. Ticks may wander around the body for some time [hours, days] before settling on a bite site, they may also remain hidden on clothing, in animal bedding etc.

     If you find ticks, the best way to remove them is using a pair of tick forceps; these can be bought for a few $ at most pet/animal stores, and are designed to pull the whole tick out, including the mouthparts. Trying to pull a tick out using your fingers is not recommended; you will squeeze the body of the tick, which can inject infected blood from the tick back into the bloodstream. Other ways of removing ticks, involving alcohol, cigarettes, salt water etc. are not recommended.

     Record the location of bite sites, and examine them periodically for some days, in order to spot any signs of the characteristic Lyme-disease rash. Keep the ticks for identification. If Lyme symptoms develop, it may be necessary to identify the species of tick involved. Either place them in a small container with some alcohol, or trap them between two layers of clear adhesive tape.

     Understand, and be able to recognise, the symptoms of first-stage infection both in humans and animals. If your animals show symptoms, as well as consulting a veterinarian, you should consult a physician. The reverse also applies; if you show symptoms, inform your vet and get your animals checked.

     Avoid, as far as possible, contact with or exchange of body fluids [urine, blood, semen, saliva] between animals or humans that are, or may be, infected. This is particularly important if you have any cuts, grazes or other injuries to parts of your body that may come into contact with the other person/animal's body fluids.

     Adopt "safer sex" practises; Remember there may also be invisible internal damage to mucous membranes of the mouth, anus, vagina or penis/urethra, all of which can provide possible paths for infection by a wide range of sexually transmissible diseases.

   - More Information

     If you have access to an Internet 'Gopher' you can access further information by searching on 'lyme', 'borrelosis' or 'borrelia'.

     Additional information can be obtained from state health departments, veterinarians, physicians, or the Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc. [P.O. Box 462, Tolland, Connecticut 06084].

   - Summary

     There is little if any authoritative information on whether Lyme can be transmitted by sex. Conflicting opinions abound, definitive answers are few! Understand the nature of the disease, and the possibilities for transmission, then make an informed decision for yourself, and take risk-reducing steps where you think necessary.

3. Toxoplasma

   This section compiled by Equuinox

   From Foundations of Parasitology (Schmidt/Roberts 1989)

   Toxoplasma is an intracellular parasite of many kinds of tissues, including muscle and intestinal epithelium...Oocysts appear in the cats feces from 3 to 5 days after infection by cysts. The most common symptoms of acute toxoplasmosis is painful, swollen lymph glands in the cervical, supraclavicular, and inguinal regions. This symptom may be associated with fever, headache, muscle pain, anemia, and sometimes lung complications. This syndrome can be mistaken easily for the flu. Acute infection can, although rarely does, cause death...In the immunocompetent person T. gondii ordinarily is kept at bay by cell-mediated immunity...Presently T. gondii is a serious opportunistic infection in AIDS.

   The most tragic form of this disease is congenital toxoplasmosis. If a mother contracts acute toxoplasmosis at the time of her child's conception or during pregnancy, the organisms will often infect her developing fetus. Fortunately, most neonatal infections are asymptomatic, but a significant number cause death or disability to newborns...The transmission rate to the fetus from a maternal infection is about 45%. Of those infected, about 60% will be subclinical, 9% may die, and 30% may suffer severe damage such as hydrocephalus, intracerebral calcification, retinochoroiditis, and mental retardation.

   Feral and domestic cats will continue to be a source of infections in humans...Any cat, no matter how well fed and protected, may be passing oocysts of Toxoplasma, although for only a few days after infection. The possibilities are particularly alarming if someone in the house becomes pregnant. Certainly, a woman who knows she is pregnant should never empty the litterbox or clean up after the cat's occasional indiscretion. Also, because children's sandboxes become a haven for neighborhood cats, they should have tightly-fitting covers. This will also protect children from larva migrans from hookworm and ascaridoid juveniles...Pyrimethamine and sulfonamides given together are widely used drugs against Toxoplasma.

4. Feline Infectious Peritonitis, (FIP)

   Feline Infection Peritonitis, a viral infection common in street cats may be passed on in the blood or saliva of an infected cat. Infected animals will seem lethargic, have a poor appetite and, later in the illness, will exhibit etreme vomiting and diarrhea. Humans who come in contact with the blood or saliva or an infected cat may develop a high fever and suffer convulsive vomitting.

5. Urinary Tract Infections, (UTIs)

   Urinary Tract Infections are caused by gram negative bacteria which may be found in the vagina of female animals. GN Bacteria are known to cause yeast infections, metritis, and pyometria in female animals and can lead to cystitis, urethritis, or pyelonephritis in human males. Symptoms of a UTI include frequent urination, pain when urinating, and blood and/or pus in ones' urine. UTIs may be contracted when having sex with a female animal in or out of season though they are more likely to cause a UTI when in season because of the hospitability of the female reproductive system to bacteria during this time. UTIs are easily cured with antibiotics.

6. Canine Brucellosis

   Canine Brucellosis, caused by the bacteria brucella canis, can be trans- mitted to male humans by female carriers during sex. Female canines with CB show a loss of vigor, enlargement of the lymph nodes and, occasionally, the spleen. Commonly, CB will only cause a human male to experience fever symptoms though one case has been documented where CB has caused sterility. Signs of severe infection in human males may include a UTI, scrotal dermatitis, or diminution of the testicles; testicular atrophy. Those showing severe symptoms should consult a physician immediately.

7. Parasites

   Parasites such as tapeworms, hookworms, ringworms and coccidia may be contracted through sexual contact with an animal. The most common way of contracting parasites from an animal is from oral/anal and genital/anal contact. Ringworm, however, can be contracted through simple contact with an infected animal though. They look like round welts beneath the animals' skin. If you suspect your animal has ringworm, bring the animal and a sample of it's stool to a veterinarian as soon as possible. If you contract it, ringworm is no fun to treat.

   Animals which do have parasites may suffer from nausea, listlessness, and increased appetite or thirst. A simple test of the animals' stool done at your local veterinarians will show whether or not the animal has worms. Treatment for both humans and animals is often simple and only involves the taking of medication in most cases.

8. Sarcoptic Mange and Other Skin Conditions

   Sarcoptic Mange is a fungal infection on the surface of an animals' skin. It causes the hair to fall out and for the skin to become irritated. Severe cases lead to the sores caused by the animals' biting becoming infected. This infection can be passed on to people and have a similiar effect. If you suspect your animal has sarcoptic mange, bring him or her to a veterinarian immediately, avoiding direct skin to skin contact. There is another type of mange which is not transmittable, but it is difficult to tell the difference between the two.

   Dogs and cats can develop 'hot spots'--patches of red, flaky, hairless skin --on their bodies caused by the animals biting and/or scratching because of the presence of fleas, lice, ticks, a skin infection, or itchy skin from an allergic reaction. Although they do not present a major health menace, people can contract fleas and lice from animals which will cause itching. This is simply treatable with other the counter debuggers. Ticks, however, are a common carrier of lyme disease. You should check yourself, and your pet, for ticks whenever you return home from a wooded area. Skin infections and allergies are not communicable.