Abstract
Prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) parasites and the effect of associated factors were evaluated in household dogs from an urban area of Córdoba, Argentina. A total of 493 fecal samples were collected during 2010 and 2013 and processed with Willis` salt, Sheathers sugar flotation, and formol-ether concentration techniques. Overall prevalence of GI parasites was 45.23% (95% CI 40.83-49.62), and Ancylostoma caninum (30.83%) was the most frequent parasite, followed by Trichuris vulpis (9.94%), Cystoisospora spp. (7.71%), Toxocara canis (6.90%), and Giardia spp. (5.88%). Independent variables were presence of at least one parasite element, named "all parasites", and each GI parasite more frequently detected was analyzed as separate outcomes. Logistic regression results showed an increased risk related to age (P = 0.0343) for all parasites and for T. canis, Cystoisospora spp., and Giardia spp. Statistically significant and protective variables were no ingestion of small animals, daily feces removal, and absence of shadow in house yards. Use of anthelmintics and daily feces removal for A. caninum, being female, and absence of shadow for T. canis resulted in protective factors. The role played by veterinarians and owners? commitment as key aspects, effective actions for prevention, control and treatment are required in the research area.
Highlights
Many parasitic, bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens provoke diseases, being transmitted to humans from domestic pets and vice versa
Eight GI parasites were found in the study including A. caninum at 30.83% (152/493), T. vulpis at 9.94% (49/493), Cystoisospora spp. at 7.71% (38/493), T. canis at 6.90% (34/493), Giardia spp. at 5.88% (29/493), Sarcocystis spp. at 2.64% (13/492), Eucoleus boehmi at 1.42% (7/493), and Dipylidium caninum at 0.61% (3/493)
The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites in dogs detected in this study was high (45.23%) considering that all dogs lived in houses with owners
Summary
Bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens provoke diseases, being transmitted to humans from domestic pets and vice versa. The domestic dog (Canis familiaris) maintains close contact with humans, and potential health risk to humans of enteric parasites harbored by pets remains a significant problem worldwide. In this sense, parasitic zoonotic diseases acquire special importance due to the morbidity burden [1]. A wide spectrum of investigations based on dogs’ health, sanitary, and parasitic status have been conducted in the last decades and have been a substantial matter of study especially in endemic areas [2,3]. In Argentina, previous studies determined the overall prevalence of GI parasitism in dogs’ feces in different locations, with values ranging from 36% to 68% [8,9,10,11,12]
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