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What Is ‘Beaver Fever,’ and Why Are Researchers Finding It in Cats?

A study detected Giardia in about 1 in 15 tested cats. Some carried strains capable of infecting humans, raising hygiene concerns.

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Let’s get it out in the open early: Beaver Fever sounds like the title of a 1970s porn flick, but that’s not what it is. Beaver Fever is the extremely porny nickname for Giardiasis, an intestinal illness caused by a parasite called Giardia. According to a study published in PLoS One, 1 in 15 cats are infected and can transmit it to humans.

Researchers analyzed over 150,000 cat poop samples across North........

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