# Is Coccidia Contagious to Other Pets? Humans?



## MyBoyHarper (Apr 9, 2007)

Willow was diagnosed with Coccidia. He's housed alone so I'm not concerned about the other rabbits getting it. I wash my hands well, and change my clothes, ect.

I've read the 101 section and I've been looking on the net, but I am getting a little confused.

One or two sites say that rabbit coccidia MAY be contagious to other non-rabbit pets. Is this true?

Is it contagious to humans? (Let's just say I forgot to wash my hands earlier and I grabbed a sandwich). Only one site I found said that the DOG AND CAT strain isn't contagious to humans. But I can't find anything on the rabbit strain.

Anyone know?


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## Haley (Apr 9, 2007)

If I remember correctly, itscan be contaigiousto someone with a severely weakened immune system,but even then the chances are very low. Or am I thinking of EC? 

Not much time for research, hopefully someone else will know


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## MyBoyHarper (Apr 9, 2007)

EC may be contagious to humans? :shock:


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## binkies (Apr 9, 2007)

If it is contagious, Chance is in some major danger. I would definately use intense precautions to not transfer anything to him.


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## MyBoyHarper (Apr 9, 2007)

Chance is in another room and Coccidia is only passed through the eating of the feces. Chance is nowhere near Willow,not even in the same room.


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## Haley (Apr 9, 2007)

From what I could find real quick, I think EC can be contagious to humans in very rare cases if the person has a severely weakened immune system, but for EC, its only contagious when its in the kidneys. Dont know if youve seen this from the HRS:
E. cuniculi are shed only in the urine.
Infectious period lasts only a few days to a few weeks.
The infected animal is not contagious after the E. cuniculi leave the kidneys.
E. cuniculi are carried in the blood to other parts of the body, particularly neural tissue.
Spores from infected urine can remain in the environment for a month.
The parasites can infect and be shed by many other animals but seldom cause clinical disease in other animals.
On Coccidia, from* VeterinaryPartner.com*

*Can People or Other Pets Become Infected?* 
While there are species of coccidia that can infect people(_Toxoplasma_ and _Cryptosporidium_, for example), the_ Isospora_ species of dogs and cats are not infective to people.Other pets may become infected from exposure to infected fecal matter but it is important to note that this is usually an infection of the young (i.e. the immature immune system tends to let the coccidia infection reach large numbers where the mature immune system probably will not.) In most cases, the infected new puppy or kitten does not infect the resident adult animal. 

So Coccidea can be transfered to other pets, but not to humans. I assume the dog and cat strain is the same as the rabbit strain.


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## MyBoyHarper (Apr 9, 2007)

Thanks Haley, we just found that as well, about the EC. We found a case study that said in extremely rare freak cases,EC is contagious to humans. My friend found one study that said only 12 humans have contracted it and all 12 were in the end stages of AIDS with no immune system left.


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