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Professor John Lewis, emeritus professor of zoology at Royal Holloway, University of London, has added his voice to a national campaign urging pet owners to help stop the spread of parasitic diseases. Disposing of dog mess and performing regular de-worming routines can prevent the spread of toxocariasis, caused by a roundworm whose eggs can be released in the faeces of infected animals and contaminate the soil. Professor Lewis, who appeared on BBC Breakfast News along with a two-year-old girl who had recently lost much of her sight to the disease, noted that "over 60 per cent of human infections and diseases worldwide are linked with domestic and wild animals".