Contamination of Semi-Intensive Dog Hair with Eggs of Toxocara canis in Akungba Akoko, Ondo State.

Abstract

Dogs, as companion animals and the close contact with human, represent a potential public health risk, since natural transmission of parasitic infections (toxocariasis) to human may occur directly or indirectly via non-favourable environmental and human behavioural factors. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the hair of semi-intensive dogs from Akungba Akoko were contaminated with eggs of Toxocara canis, a zoonotic parasite. Hair samples from 200 semi-intensive dogs of different ages were collected from the neck, back and anal region. Eggs were recovered from the hair using a previously standardized detention method. Eggs were found on the hair of 133 (67%) dogs. A total of 315 T. canis eggs were recovered from the hair of infected dogs. None of it were embryonated. Those dogs that were positive from hair samples also positive in fecal samples. This study show that semi-intensive dogs harbor considerable numbers of eggs on their hair and this indicate a potential risk factor of transmission of T. canis to human when man comes in direct contact with the egg.