Gastrointestinal parasites of canids, a latent risk to human health in Tunisia

Myriam Oudni-M’Rad,Habib Mezhoud,Raja Chaâbane-Banaoues,Hamouda Babba,Fatma Trifa,Selim M’Rad

doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2208-3

Myriam Oudni-M’Rad, Habib Mezhoud + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-017-2208-3

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Abstract

BackgroundAlthough data on the parasite environmental contamination are crucial to implement strategies for control and treatment, information about zoonotic helminths is very limited in Tunisia. Contamination of areas with canid faeces harboring infective parasite elements represents a relevant health-risk impact for humans. The aim of this study was to assess the environmental contamination with eggs and oocysts of gastrointestinal parasites of dogs and wild canids in Tunisia with special attention to those that can be transmitted to humans.ResultsOne thousand two hundred and seventy faecal samples from stray dogs and 104 from wild canids (red foxes and golden jackals) were collected from different geographical regions throughout Tunisia. The helminth eggs and protozoan oocysts were concentrated by sucrose flotation and identified by microscopic examination. The most frequently observed parasites in dog samples were Toxocara spp. (27.2%), E. granulosus (25.8%), and Coccidia (13.1%). For wild canid faeces, the most commonly encountered parasites were Toxocara spp. (16.3%) followed by Capillaria spp. (9.6%). The parasite contamination of dog faeces varied significantly from one region to another in function of the climate.ConclusionTo our knowledge, the study highlights for the first time in Tunisia a serious environmental contamination by numerous parasitic stages infective to humans. Efforts should be made to increase the awareness of the contamination risk of such parasites in the environment and implement a targeted educational program.

Highlights

Data on the parasite environmental contamination are crucial to implement strategies for control and treatment, information about zoonotic helminths is very limited in Tunisia
The overall contamination index was 55% and 46.1% for dog and wild canid faecal samples respectively
Similar results were obtained for the wild canid (Djerba-Zarzis) samples, and 38.5% of them presented multiple infections versus 61.5% for single infections

Summary

Introduction

Data on the parasite environmental contamination are crucial to implement strategies for control and treatment, information about zoonotic helminths is very limited in Tunisia. Contamination of areas with canid faeces harboring infective parasite elements represents a relevant health-risk impact for humans. The aim of this study was to assess the environmental contamination with eggs and oocysts of gastrointestinal parasites of dogs and wild canids in Tunisia with special attention to those that can be transmitted to humans. Soil-transmitted helminths (Ascaris lumbricoides, whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) and hookworm) causing the “neglected infections of poverty” have a relevant health-risk impact on humans and animals [1,2,3,4,5]. Gastrointestinal parasites of canids constitute another source of human and livestock infection mainly due to environmental contamination with faeces containing infective parasitic forms (eggs, larvae or oocysts) [6,7,8]. Geophagia (eating of earth) and shoeless walking are the most common risk factors of contamination in children [16, 17]

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