Prevalence of Sarcoptes scabiei infection in pet dogs in southern China.

Yi-Zhou Chen,Rui-Qing Lin,Xing-Quan Zhu,Ya-Biao Weng,Hui-Qun Song,Guo-Hua Liu

doi:10.1155/2014/718590

Abstract

Little is known about the prevalence of Sarcoptes scabiei infection in pet dogs in China. In the present study, the prevalence of S. scabiei infection in pet dogs in Guangzhou, southern China, was investigated between January and December, 2009. A total of 3,977 pet dogs admitted to animal hospitals were examined for the presence of S. scabiei using a parasitological approach. The average prevalence of S. scabiei infection in pet dogs is 1.18% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.85–1.52%). The prevalence of S. scabiei was higher in winter (1.42%; 95% CI: 0.29–2.55%), summer (1.39%; 95% CI: 0.83–1.96%), and autumn (1.1%; 95% CI: 0.53–1.68%) than in spring (0.63%; 95% CI: 0.02–1.25%). Furthermore, the prevalence of S. scabiei was the highest in Pekingese (21.88%; 95% CI: 7.55–36.2%), followed by Papillon (5.26%; 95% CI: 0–11.06%) and Bichon Frise (3.19%; 95% CI: 0–6.75%). The results of the present investigation indicate that S. scabiei infection is prevalent in pet dogs in Guangzhou, China, which provides relevant “baseline” data for conducting control strategies and measures against scabies in this region and elsewhere in China. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive report of S. scabiei prevalence in pet dogs in China.

Highlights

Scabies is an emerging or reemerging infectious disease caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei that threatens globally human and animal health [1]
From January to December, 2009, a total of 3,977 pet dogs admitted to animal hospitals in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, southern China, were examined for the presence of S. scabiei (Table 1)
The overall prevalence of S. scabiei in pet dogs in Guangzhou, southern China, was 1.18% (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Scabies is an emerging or reemerging infectious disease caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei that threatens globally human and animal health [1]. S. scabiei can infect animal hosts, including cat [5], giraffe [6], pig [7], raccoon dog [8], rabbit [9], sheep [10], serow [11], and wolf [12], leading to major economic losses [13]. The prevalence of S. scabiei infection in pet dogs has been reported in some countries [16, 17], little is known about the prevalence of S. scabiei infection in pet dogs in China [18,19,20]. The results should provide a foundation for the control of S. scabiei infection in pet dogs in this region and elsewhere in China

Materials and Methods

Results and Discussion

Conclusion