Severe infection of adult dogs with helminths in Hunan Province, China poses significant public health concerns

Abstract

The prevalence of helminths in adult dogs was investigated in Hunan Province, the People's Republic of China between June 2006 and December 2007. A total of 438 adult farm dogs slaughtered in local abattoirs from 9 representative administrative regions in Hunan Province were examined for the presence of helminths using a helminthological approach. All collected worms were counted and identified to species according to existing keys and descriptions. A total of 11 helminth species were found in the dogs, and they represented 2 phyla, 3 classes, 6 families and 8 genera. All dogs were infected by more than one helminth species. Clonorchis sinensis (29.4%) was the only trematode species found, Dipylidium caninum (42.3%) was the most common cestode species, and Toxocara canis (45.2%) the most common nematode species. 6 of the 11 dog helminths are also transmissible to humans (i.e., zoonotic), and can cause severe clinical human diseases, posing significant public health threats. The results of the present investigation have implications for the ongoing control of helminth infections in dogs and humans in Hunan Province, China.