Abstract
Echinococcus granulosus sensu latu (s.l.) and Taenia hydatigena are common parasites of ruminant intermediate hosts in the Balkans. Transmission is linked mainly to home slaughtering and the feeding of infected organs to dogs. In Kosovo, many old sheep are slaughtered particularly during Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice). To determine whether this tradition could affect parasite transmission, we compared the probability of 504 dogs to contract taenid infections after deworming during one period before Eid al-Adha and a similar period beginning with this event. Initially, taeniid eggs were detected in 6·2% (CI 4·2-8·6) of the dogs. The prevalence before Eid al-Adha was significantly lower (1·2%, CI 0·4-2·6) as compared with the prevalence after the event (4·3%, CI 2·6-6·3). A comparable trend was apparent at species level for T. hydatigena and E. granulosus. These results indicate that the pronounced increase of taeniid infections, including E. granulosus s.l., after Eid al-Adha is linked to traditional home slaughtering that occurs during this celebration. This particular epidemiological situation provides an opportunity for implementing focussed control activities.
Highlights
Cystic echinococcosis (CE) and cysticercosis are diseases caused by the larval stages of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) and Taenia spp
Epidemiological factors associated with an increased risk of E. granulosus s.l. and Taenia spp. infections in dogs are feeding on raw viscera, home slaughtering of livestock without meat inspection, inadequate systems for the elimination of by-products, free access of dogs to raw carcasses and offal of fallen livestock or wild animals, lack of anthelminthic treatment of dogs and owners’ poor health education (Craig and Larrieu, 2006; Otero-Abad and Torgerson, 2013)
The objective of the present study was to determine the risk of transmission of Taenia spp. and E. granulosus in dogs associated with the high slaughtering activity during Eid al-Adha and to develop a strategy for the monitoring and of controlling taeniid infections in dogs
Summary
Cystic echinococcosis (CE) and cysticercosis are diseases caused by the larval stages of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) and Taenia spp. Epidemiological factors associated with an increased risk of E. granulosus s.l. and Taenia spp. infections in dogs are feeding on raw viscera, home slaughtering of livestock without meat inspection, inadequate systems for the elimination of by-products, free access of dogs to raw carcasses and offal of fallen livestock or wild animals, lack of anthelminthic treatment of dogs and owners’ poor health education (Craig and Larrieu, 2006; Otero-Abad and Torgerson, 2013). Based on the reporting of 163 CE patients from all over Kosovo (75% living in rural and 25% in urban areas) treated at the University Clinical Center of Prishtina between 1999 and 2001, a minimal average annual incidence of 2·7/100 000 inhabitants can be calculated (F.T. Hoxha, personal communication). This incidence probably underestimates the real epidemiological situation
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