According to some medical experts, pets can be one's partners of love, joy and happiness, but these furry friends can also be a source of some diseases.

In a recent article published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal two veterinarians and a physician from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario elaborated about a variety of diseases that can be caused to people from pets.

In certain combinations the risks to pet owners are low and the benefits of keeping a pet are high. But there are some cases that are odd one out.

These medical experts in their article recommended families to forgo the allure of puppies and kittens if someone in their household has a bad immune system.

They further revealed that young kids and are more likely to catch and spread germs, they added.

Lead author Jason Stull, a veterinarian at Ohio State University in an interview said, "Young dogs and cats can be fantastic pets for the average person. But if there is an individual who is severely immune-compromised, that may not be the best choice".

Mature animals or adults are less likely to carry some of these zoonotic organisms said researchers. As per researchers, zoonoses are diseases that spread to people from animals such as like SARS or bird flu viruses.

There are more than 70 known diseases that pets can transfer to people, said Dr. Stull. A number of small animals that are kept as pets can transmit salmonella, a diarrheal disease that can be severe enough to require hospitalization, he stated.

The author further highlighted that turtles, hedgehogs, baby chicks and frogs can also be a source of salmonella infections.

Campylobacter jejuni, a diarrheal disease, can be spread from dogs and cats, as can a variety of parasitic worms and fungal diseases.