Abstract
Dogs and cats have a close association with humans providing companionship; however, pets are reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens such as Toxocara. Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati are small intestinal nematodes found in canids and felids, respectively. Infected pets shed thousands of eggs resulting in environmental contamination. Toxocara can infect a wide variety of paratenic hosts including humans, rodents, pigs and chickens. Paratenic hosts become infected by ingestion of the infective eggs containing the third stage larvae or ingestion of dormant larvae in animal tissues. Infected humans may develop visceral larval migrans or ocular toxocariasis. Regular anthelmintic treatment and restricted movement of dogs and cats are recommended to control Toxocara environmental contamination. This paper reviews the prevalence and risk factors of Toxocara in dogs and cats in Africa; and pet owners' awareness of canine zoonotic helminths.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
