Sentinel Surveillance for Zoonotic Parasites in Companion Animals in Indigenous Communities of Saskatchewan

Abstract

Indigenous communities may have increased risk of exposure to zoonotic parasites, including Echinococcus granulosus, Toxocara canis, Toxoplasma gondii, Diphyllobothrium spp., and Giardia duodenalis, for which dogs may serve as sentinels for or sources of human infection. Canid fecal samples were collected from dogs and the environment in five indigenous communities across Saskatchewan and Alberta (N = 58, 62, 43, 66, and 25). Parasites in individual fecal samples were quantified using fecal flotation and a commercial immunofluorescent antibody test for Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Overall, the prevalence of canine intestinal parasitic infection was 20-71%, which is 5-16 times higher in indigenous communities than a nearby urban center in Saskatchewan. The overall prevalences of T. canis, Diphyllobothrium, and taeniid eggs in dog feces were, respectively, 11.8%, 4.9%, and 1.2% in our study compared with 0-0.2% in urban dogs. Giardia cysts present in 21% of samples were identified as zoonotic genotype Assemblage A.