A survey of ectoparasite infestation in dogs in Tehran, Iran

Abstract

This survey was conducted to identify and estimate the frequencies of ectoparasites of dogs in Tehran, Iran. A total of 143 dogs attended at the Small Animal Hospital of the Veterinary School, the University of Tehran, were examined for the presence of ectoparasites and dermatological lesions. Ectoparasite specimens and blood samples were sent to parasitology and hematology laboratories, respectively. Ticks were the most frequent ectoparasite (36.4%, 52/143), followed by fleas (29.4%, 42/143), mites (25.9%, 37/143), and lice (8.4%, 12/143). Mixed infestations with two or more ectoparasites were detected in eight dogs. Rhipicephalus bursa was the most frequent ectoparasite in spring and summer. Ectoparasitic infestations were recorded mainly in large breeds and juvenile animals. Eosinophilia was more observed in dogs infested with Sarcoptes scabiei. The most common clinical sign, skin pruritus, was associated with mite and lice infestations. These results indicate that the tick R. bursa was the most prominent species of ectoparasite found in the evaluated group, followed by Ctenocephalides canis and S. scabiei var canis.Keywords: Ectoparasites, Rhipicephalus bursa, dogs, Ctenocephalides canis, Sarcoptes scabiei, Iran. ResumoEsta pesquisa foi realizada para identificar e estimar a frequência de ectoparasitas de cães em Teerã, Irã. Um total de 143 cães, atendidos no Hospital de Pequenos Animais da Faculdade de Veterinária da Universidade de Teerã, foi examinado para a pesquisa de ectoparasitas e lesões cutâneas. Espécimes de ectoparasitos e amostras de sangue coletadas foram enviadas para exame em laboratório de parasitologia e hematologia, respectivamente. Os carrapatos foram os ectoparasitos mais frequentemente encontrados (36,4%, 52/143), seguidos por pulgas (29,4%, 42/143), sarnas (25,9%, 37/143) e piolhos (8,4%, 12/143). Infestações mistas com dois ou mais ectoparasitos foram observadas em oito cães. Rhipicephalus bursa foi o ectoparasito mais frequente na primavera e verão. Infestações de ectoparasitos foram registradas principalmente em raças maiores e animais jovens. Eosinofilia foi mais observado em cães infestados com Sarcoptes scabiei. O sinal clínico mais comum, prurido na pele, esteve associado às infestações por ácaros e piolhos. Estes resultados indicam o carrapato R. bursa como ectoparasito mais comum no grupo avaliado, seguido por Ctenocephalides canis e S. scabiei var canis.

A survey study on gastrointestinal parasites of stray cats in Azarshahr, (East Azerbaijan province, Iran)

“…M. lineatus was the dominant tapeworm reported in our study with a prevalence rate of 79 % which was higher than that reported in Spain (13.8 %) (Calvete et al 1998), Italy (1.2 %) (Riggio et al 2013), Iran (13.4 and 8 %) (Arbabi and Hooshyar 2009;Borji et al 2011). The T. taeniaeformis prevalence (60 %) was relatively similar to that found by Coman (1972) in Australia (78 %), Stoichev et al (1982) in Bulgaria (75.5 %), Abu-Madi et al (2008) in Qatar (74 %) and Borthakur and Mukharjee (2011) in India (70.4 %) but the prevalence rate of this cestode in our study was higher than that recorded in Spain (8.6 and 22 %) (Calvete et al 1998;Millan and Casanova 2009), Nile Delta of Egypt (22 %) (Khalafalla 2011), Christmas Island (7.14 %) (Adams et al 2008), Greece (8.37 %) (Lefkaditis et al 2014), Mexico (4 %) (Canto et al 2013), Nigeria (6.67 %) (Raji et al 2013), Brazil (0.68 %) (Ramos et al 2013) and Iran (2, 9.6, 15, 12.3 and 9.2 %) (Arbabi and Hooshyar 2009;Borji et al 2011;Changizi et al 2007;Jamshidi et al 2012;Zibaei et al 2007). Coman attribute the prevalence of this cestode with the importance of rodent in the diet of these cats (Coman 1972).…”

Flea (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) prevalence and first record of Ctenocephalides canis (Curtis, 1826) in domestic dogs in north-central México

“…The obtained prevalence in this study (2.3%) with respect to C. canis, contrasts with the report of Nuchjangreed and Somprasong, 18 in Pattaya, district of Thailand, where they found this flea species in 11.7% of the examined dogs; while Jafari-Sohoorijeh et al 19 in Shiraz, Iran, reported a prevalence of 13.7%, and Cruz-Vázquez et al 10 in Cuernavaca, Morelos a total of 16.8% of C. canis in infested dogs respectively. However, Bahrami et al 20 and Jamshidi et al 21 described prevalences as high as 28.8 %, in Islam, and 29.4%, in Tehran, Iran; respectively. While Orozco-Murillo et al 17 in Valle de Aburrá, Colombia, reported a highest prevalence for C. canis (53.6%).…”

Prevalence of ectoparasites in dogs of Shimoga, Karnataka

“…6) infection (Table 1). On contrary higher incidence of ectoparasitism of dogs viz., ticks (36.4 %) followed by fleas (29.4 %), mites (25.9 %), and lice (8.4 %) was reported by Jamshidi et al (2012) in a survey of ectoparasite infestation in dogs. In contrast Raut et al (2006) reported an overall low incidence of ectoparasitism of dogs viz., tick (21.5 %), fleas (4.74 %), lice (3.8 %), Sarcoptic mites (3.75 %) and Demodectic mites (2.76 %) in dogs.…”