A comprehensive national survey of the parasites of cats and dogs has revealed a new type of hookworm and other diseases potentially capable of infecting humans.

More than 2400 cats and dogs took part in the Murdoch University survey, conducted over four years across veterinary clinics and refuges throughout Australia.

Professor Andrew Thompson from Murdoch's School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences said it was the first major survey of cats, dogs and their owners.

“The survey provides a fascinating insight into the health of the nation’s pets but also raises awareness about the dangers of pet parasites infecting people,” Professor Thompson said.

“What we have found is that worms are not as common in pets as they used to be and that’s probably because more owners were administering worming tablets.

“However we’ve also identified a new type of hookworm that is potentially capable of infecting people, and other single cell protozoan organisms like Giardia which are more common than previously thought and can be transferred to humans.”

The survey was spearheaded by Murdoch’s Dr Carly Palmer and assisted by Bayer representatives who travelled to 59 veterinary clinics and 26 refuges across the country collecting samples from 1400 dogs and 1063 cats.

Pet owners were also asked to fill out detailed questionnaires about their animals.

“The results are significant because there is no other information of this type available in the country,” Professor Thompson said.

“The survey clearly shows that education is required on the public health significance of ‘new’ parasites in dogs and cats and their control.”