** From Susan Bulla to Debbie Shanker on 03 Aug 96  08:27:01
 ** Summer reading
 DS>  >  stuff scares the bejesus out of me!  Even the increase in
 DS>  >  drug-resistant strains of known, common maladies is frightening.
 DS>
 DS>  Was it a disease that was "catchable" to humans?
 SB> "Supposedly" not.
 
 DS> Our vet swears that the common cold and viruses are not transferable
 SB> between DS> dogs and humans. But everytime our kids were sick when
 SB> they were little, the DS> dog wound up throwing up at the same time.
 SB> If I had one kid sick in bed, I DS> knew I would have a sick dog as
 SB> well! 
 SB> There's always that "first reported case."  I think this is an area
 SB> wherein the past is not a perfect predictor of the future.  Not to be
 SB> an alarmist, but I just don't think we know enough about biochemistry
 SB> to rely on the past.
 
 We know enough about biology and biochemistry to have a good idea of 
 what is and isn't transmissable between humans and animals.  For it to 
 happen at all, the species in question have to have *very* similar 
 biochemistries, so that a minor mutation in the bug can enable it to 
 thrive in the new environment.  Humans and apes are both primates, so 
 there may be some reason for concern.  Humans and dogs are way too far 
 apart to worry about germs/viruses being transmissible.
 There are other things that can cause the sort of effects Debbie 
 mentioned.  I knew of one family with a toddler in diapers and a dog.  
 They would regularly find the kid wandering around sans diaper.  It 
 turned out that whenever the kid soiled his diaper, the dog would smell 
 it, tug off the diaper, clean the kid (guess how!), and try to bury the 
 dirty diaper.  No report on whether the dog tended to throw up a lot or 
 have the runs, but it wouldn't be a big surprise if it did...
    
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