Echinococcosis in southern Brazil: efforts toward implementation of a control program in Santana do Livramento, Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

SUMMARYThis investigation aimed to design a strategy for echinococcosis control in Santana do Livramento county, an endemic area in state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). Fecal samples from 65 dogs were obtained from urban, suburban and rural areas. Purging with Arecoline Bromhidrate (AB) was done to visualize Echinococcus granulosus, and Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was performed to detect parasite coproantigen. Samples were obtained at the beginning and at the end of treatment with Praziquantel. A third fecal sampling was also done in rural areas four months after the end of treatment. Each dog was treated immediately after the first purging and every 30 days for eight months. In urban and suburban areas no infected dogs were found. In rural areas, first evaluation showed 11.36% and 27.69% of infected dogs by AB and ELISA, respectively. No infected dogs were diagnosed in the second evaluation and in the third evaluation 36.84% and 47.37% infected dogs were identified by AB and ELISA, respectively. Medication program to combat dog infection resulted in successful interruption of parasite transmission, but the project failed to create awareness of the need for dog prophylaxis among rural populations as well as to establish a permanent control program in this municipality.

Hydatidosis, cysticercosis, and tuberculosis rates in bovine slaughtered under state sanitary inspection in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

“…This scenario is associated with the cultural habit of breeders to slaughter sheep on their property, allowing dogs to access raw viscera (HERNÁNDEZ-RUSSO & CABRERA-STÁBILE, 2010) and further perpetuation of thydatidosis / echinococcosis cycle. The maintenance of this cycle is perpetuated by the resistance of dog owners to performing continuous prophylactic treatment to interrupt the parasite cycle (FARIAS et al, 2004).…”

“…Unfortunately, infection rates returned to about 7% in subsequent years. This wide variation occurred because the municipalities of Santana do Livramento and Quaraí, belonging to this regional and with expansive bovine and ovine herds, adopted a temporary program distributing praziquantel to control and eradicate the parasite E. granulosus in dogs (FARIAS et al, 2004). Unfortunately, this practice was discontinued.…”

Global Distribution of Alveolar and Cystic Echinococcosis

“…Older data also showed a low level of infection in cattle in Minas Gerais (0.18%) between 1990 and 1994 (Sa et al, 1998). The only study of canine echinococcosis reported a prevalence of 27.7% in Santana do Livramento county, an endemic area in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Farias et al, 2004). p0825…”

El proyecto subregional cono sur de control y vigilancia de la hidatidosis

“…Datos provenientes de establecimientos de faena en el período 1980-1988 registraron prevalencias de 33,0% en bovinos y 23,2% en ovinos (10) . En caninos, un estudio realizado en Santana de Livramento resultó en un 27,7% de canes positivos al test de ELISA coproantígeno en áreas rurales, mientras que no se encontró canes positivos en áreas urbanas y suburbanas (17) . En Uruguay, la enfermedad es endémica en todo el país, estando asociada principalmente con los ciclos perro/ovino.…”