Prevalence of parasites with zoonotic potential in stray dogs in Ciego de Ávila city

Abstract

Introduction: the canine population that wanders on the streets causes various disorders to the citizenship. Fecal material disseminated in parks or streets creates potential risks of infectious or zoonotic diseases, such as parasitic diseases.

Objective: to determine the prevalence of the main intestinal parasitosis with potential possibilities of zoonotic transmission in stray dogs.

Method: a non-probabilistic sampling was carried out on 67 canines from four residential zones of the city of Ciego de Ávila during the first and second quarters of 2015; the fecal samples were randomly collected by rectal examination. In each sample the eggs were morphologically identified and their number per gram of feces was determined.

Results: all samples were positive to parasites. The helminths identified were Toxocara canis (32 canids), Ancylostoma spp. (26) and Dipylidium caninum (nine). The most prevalent parasites were Toxocara canis (47,76) –practically half of the sampled animals– and Ancylostoma spp. (38,80); Dipylidium caninum was the least frequent (13,30). Significant differences were found (P < 0,05) when comparing the presentation frequencies of Toxocara canis and Dipylidium caninum.

Conclusions: there is a zoonotic potential on the street canine population in Ciego de Ávila, due to the prevalence of multiple parasitism, which represents a risk to human health. The promotion of responsible tenure, coupled with plans to control dog breeding, would have a positive impact on animal welfare and would contribute to a significant reduction in stray dogs sources