Abstract
Simple SummaryAnimal-assisted interventions (AAIs) represent an opportunity for the well-being and health of people, but it is necessary that the animals involved in these interventions are subjected to very thorough health checks in order to avoid the potential risk of zoonoses transmission. Dogs are the main animal species involved in AAIs and may represent a potential reservoir of zoonotic agents (e.g., bacteria, parasites, fungi). Some scientific contributions have been published regarding healthcare checks and related hygiene measures for dogs involved in these interventions, but no attention has been paid to the presence of Toxocara eggs on the fur. Thus, a systematic review was carried out to address this topic. Although the infection of humans through the transmission of Toxocara eggs after direct contact with dogs must be critically challenged, we suggest including the examination of fur during a complete parasitological screening of dogs involved in AAIs in order to exclude hair coat contamination with zoonotic helminth eggs. Moreover, it is important to also monitor the behaviors of dogs that can increase the risk of contamination from the environment (e.g., roll on grass and feces of other dogs or cats) as well as the life habits of dogs (e.g., outdoor or indoor).Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) usually contribute to the well-being and health of users/patients, but it is essential that the animals involved in these activities do not represent a source of zoonoses. This systematic review focused on the evaluation of the potential risk of the transmission of Toxocara by dogs’ fur, considering their involvement as the main animal species in AAIs. Three databases were considered: MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and the PRISMA guidelines were used. Out of 162 articles found, 14 papers were identified as eligible for inclusion in the review. Although the findings were very heterogeneous, they showed that regular parasitological surveillance to plan effective control programs is strongly needed to guarantee the health of pets and consequently the public health, according to the concept of One Health. Since AAIs involve patients and/or users potentially susceptible, it is very important to appropriately treat dogs enrolled in these interventions after an accurate diagnosis of parasitic zoonoses.
Highlights
Animals can contribute to many aspects of human wellbeing, health, and education through their involvement in animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) [1,2,3,4,5] that are defined as “Goal oriented and structured interventions that intentionally include or incorporate animals in health, education and human services for the purpose of therapeutic gains in humans” [6]
Shen et al [8] and Glenk [9], various domestic animal species are involved in AAIs, but dogs are the most widely studied and most widely involved animal, especially in animal-assisted therapy (AAT)
The scientific literature used in this systematic review highlighted the possibility of the transmission of Toxocara spp. to people and other dogs through contact with the fur of dogs contaminated by eggs
Summary
Animals can contribute to many aspects of human wellbeing, health, and education through their involvement in animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) [1,2,3,4,5] that are defined as “Goal oriented and structured interventions that intentionally include or incorporate animals in health, education and human services (e.g., social work) for the purpose of therapeutic gains in humans” [6]. It should be noted that “bodily contact” is one of the main features contributing to AAIs effectiveness, even in different settings [8]. During these activities, the patients (e.g., immunocompromised individuals, elderly, and children) and/or the users continuously come into contact with the dog (and with its fur), being potentially exposed to zoonotic agents such as bacteria, fungi, and parasites [10,11,12,13] even when dogs are asymptomatic [14,15]
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