Abstract
A survey study on gastrointestinal parasites in 113 faecal samples from stray cats collected randomly from Kafrelsheikh province, northern region of Nile delta of Egypt; was conducted in the period between January and May 2010. The overall prevalence was 91%. The results of this study reported seven helminth species: Toxocara cati (9%), Ancylostoma tubaeforme (4%), Toxascaris leonina (5%), Dipylidium caninum (5%), Capillaria spp. (3%), Taenia taeniformis (22%) and Heterophyes heterophyes (3%), four protozoal species: Toxoplasma gondii (9%), Sarcocyst spp. (1%), Isospora spp. (2%) and Giardia spp. (2%) and two arthropod species; Linguatula serrata (2%) and mites eggs (13%).The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites may continue to rise due to lack of functional veterinary clinics for cat care in Egypt. Therefore, there is a need to plan adequate control programs to diagnose, treat and control gastrointestinal parasites of companion as well as stray cats in the region.
Highlights
Gastrointestinal parasites are the main causes of morbidity in domestic cats [1]
The aim of this study is to determine the parasites of stray cats inhabiting the Nile Delta region of Lower Egypt
Over the period between January and May 2010, 113 fecal samples of stray cats were collected in a weekly pattern from different sandy spots representing Kafrelsheikh province, defined as the northern part of the Nile Delta region of Egypt
Summary
Gastrointestinal parasites are the main causes of morbidity in domestic cats [1]. In Egypt and other parts of the world these parasites cause great public health problems.Several factors affect the frequency of a species of parasite in a population. Gastrointestinal parasites are the main causes of morbidity in domestic cats [1]. The prevalence of intestinal parasites can vary due to geographical region; presence of veterinary care; habits of the local animal populations; season of the year and the cat population composition. Several epidemiological surveillance studies reported that feral/stray cats present high frequency of parasites [2,3,4,5]. In Egypt, little is known about the parasites of cats. This knowledge allows for improved explanations as to the distribution of parasitism and its significance to the health of humans and animals inhabiting the area under study.
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