8 diseases you can catch from animals—and some you definitely can't

Sharing your life with a pet has numerous health benefits, including reduced stress and a stronger immune system. Unfortunately, pets may also carry certain illnesses—like rabies, toxoplasmosis and worms—that can be passed on to us pet parents.

Lincoln P. Miller, MD, co-chief Section of Infectious Diseases at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey, and clinical associate professor of Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, explains how your pets contract and spread these maladies, and how you can keep from getting sick.