Abstract
Dogs may act as potential sources of zoonotic parasites, e.g. intestinal helminths like Toxocara spp., Ancylostoma spp., Echinococcus spp. In particular circumstances, the environment contaminated by parasitic elements represents a source of infection for people and animals. The present study has evaluated the presence of zoonotic helminths in house dogs from central and north-eastern Italy. Stool samples from 493 dogs were examined by a qualitative copromicroscopic technique and differences in prevalence of zoonotic parasites were statistically examined in relation to canine individual data. 48/493 (9.7%) were positive for at least one parasite. Helminths recovered were Trichuris vulpis (5.5%), Toxocara canis (4.3%), Ancylostoma spp. (0.6%) and Eucoleus aerophilus (0.4%), while no cestodes were detected. Age and living with other dogs resulted risk factors for T. canis infection. The health risk associated with the occurrence of parasitic nematodes in privately owned dogs, along with the current anthelmintic treatment plans, are discussed.
Highlights
Dogs may act as potential sources of zoonotic parasites, e.g. intestinal helminths like Toxocara spp., Ancylostoma spp., Echinococcus spp
The vast majority (44/48, 91.7%) of the positive animals had a monospecific infection, while four dogs examined in site B had a concurrent infection by T. vulpis and T. canis (3 dogs) and by T. vulpis, T. canis and Ancylostoma spp./Uncinaria spp. (1 dog)
Other recorded intestinal helminths were ancylostomatids (3/493, 0.6%), while no samples were positive for cestodes
Summary
Dogs may act as potential sources of zoonotic parasites, e.g. intestinal helminths like Toxocara spp., Ancylostoma spp., Echinococcus spp. Dogs may be infected by several species of zoonotic helminths, being intestinal nematodes such as ascarids and ancylostomatids, the most globally distributed [1,2]. Besides these nematodes, cestodes inhabiting the gut of dogs, e.g. Echinococcus granulosus or Dipylidium caninum, have the potential to infect people [3]. The worldwide distributed roundworm Toxocara canis induces intestinal and respiratory diseases in dogs, that become infected through vertical transmissions, or ingesting infectious eggs from the environment or tissues of paratenic hosts [2,5]. The frequent involvement of children and toddlers as subjects at risk of VLM and OLM is of major sanitary relevance [13]
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