Do you love your pets so much that they sleep in your bed? Well, being close with your animals may feel good, but being too close may kill you:
Although they are not common, documented cases show people contracting infections by getting too cozy with their animals, according to work by researchers in California.
These so-called zoonoses include contracting plague from flea-infested pets, a MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infection, a bacterial infection resistant to multiple strains of antibiotics originating from the canine family, and various parasitic worms.
Bruno Chomel, a professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, said the research was prompted by stories he heard from his students when they described their relationships with their pets, and also from pet owners in general.
Sure (wink wink nudge nudge) it's the dog.