Prevalence of canine toxocariasis in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Toxocara canis is one of the most common parasitic helminth worm of dogs and also a causative agent of zoonotic disease in humans. This pilot study was conducted to determine the presence of T. canis infection in dog population in and around Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India. A total of 558 faecal samples both from stray and owned dogs were screened and overall 24.3% dogs were found positive for T. canis. A comparison between owned and stray dogs suggests that the higher prevalence was observed in the latter group. The age of the dogs had a considerable influence on prevalence, with a much higher proportion of younger dogs being infected. Among the stray dogs, the infection rate is much higher (62.79%) in pups, as compared to 7.8% in adult. Similarly, of the owned dogs screened 41.74% pups were infected while the infection rate in adults was only 3.38%. The higher rate of prevalence of this parasite in dogs could be the source of soil contamination for transmission of Toxocariasis which is of public health importance in this region.