Abstract
Background and Aim:Several free-roaming dogs can be easily found in the public areas of Bali. They go out in search of foods and friends and defecate everywhere. In general, these groups of dogs do not receive good healthcare from their owners and are generally threatened by some disease-causing organisms, especially helminths. This study was conducted to identify and measure the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) that cause infection in free-roaming dogs in Bali Province, Indonesia.Materials and Methods:A total of 1611 fresh dog fecal samples were collected from all areas of Bali Province and subjected to qualitative fecal examination using flotation techniques to obtain STH eggs.Results:The incidence of STHs in free-roaming dogs was 38.36%. However, three types of STHs were identified, including Ancylostoma spp., Ascaris spp., and Trichuris spp. Ancylostoma spp. had the highest prevalence of 37.8%, followed by Ascaris spp. and Trichuris spp. at 6.02% and 0.87%, respectively. Multiple infections of these worms were also recorded. The polyparasitism prevalence of Ancylostoma spp. and Ascaris spp. was 3.85%, followed by that of Ancylostoma spp. and Trichuris spp. at 0.5% and that of Ascaris spp. and Trichuris spp. at 0.06%. There were no altitude-wise differences in the prevalence of STH infection.Conclusion:The prevalence of STHs was high in free-roaming dogs. This finding necessitates more serious attention as it affects both animal and public health.
Highlights
Dogs cannot be separated from human life, and they are often referred to as the Best Friend ofMan
This study demonstrated that the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) infection in free-roaming dogs was high
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on free-roaming dogs in Bali, Indonesia, and the obtained data correlated with the report on rural dogs living in farms around the Atlantic forest fragments in Brazil [23]
Summary
Investigations in disease and evolutionary ecology on the impacts of multiple infections on individual hosts or higher parasite species richness on populations [47,49]. The Bali area consists of both highland and lowland, primarily lowland, and highland is found only in Tabanan, Bangli, and Singaraja regencies. Our analysis showed that the differences in altitude had no effect on the prevalence of STH infection in free-roaming dogs in Bali (Table-7). This finding differs from the case of helminthiasis in rodents that were strongly influenced by landscape characteristics [50]
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