An epidemiological survey of Echinococcus granulosus and other helminths in animal populations in northern Israel

Abstract

In a survey carried out during the period May 1995 to November 1996, in communities of various ethnic groups in northern Israel, 206 dogs were examined for Echinococcus granulosus and other intestinal helminth parasites by arecoline hydrobromide purges and the coproantigen-ELISA. The arecoline test was performed close to the owners' homes, using plastic sheets secured to the ground. From 56 dogs examined in the Muslim town of Tamra, six (10.7%) were found to be infected with E. granulosus. Four of them also had a mixed infection of Taenia hydatigena and Dipylidium caninum (two dogs), and the remaining two dogs were infected with either D. caninum or Taenia pisiformis. An additional 18 dogs were infected with either T. pisiformis (eight dogs), D. caninum (seven dogs), or T. hydatigena (three dogs). Two of these dogs harboured mixed infections whereas the remaining 32 dogs were free of helminths. In the Jewish villages, none of the 150 dogs examined were infected with E. granulosus, although 26 (17.3%) were infected with D. caninum, four (2.7%) with Ancylostoma spp. and one (0.7%) with Toxocara canis. Only one of the 22 stray dogs and none of the 15 jackals examined were infected with E. granulosus. However, 21 (95.4%) of the dogs and 12 (80%) of the jackals harboured helminth infections, including: D. caninum (16 dogs and seven jackals), Ancylostoma spp. (five jackals), T. hydatigena (three dogs), and T. canis (one dog). Approximately 18% of the dogs and 33% of the jackals showed mixed infections with two or more of the above helminths. In the abattoirs, 52 (5.9%) of the 874 sheep and 33 (5.3%) of the 616 goats from 17 herds slaughtered in the Muslim and Druze villages were found to be infected with E. granulosus, compared with a 0% infection rate observed in 93 sheep from two herds in Jewish villages. *Fax: 972 7 6277 453

Prevalence of intestinal helminths of dogs and foxes from Jordan

“…As the population of Jordan is predominantly Moslem, a major contributing factor in obtaining higher infection rates in Jordan compared to those in Tamra is the method of sampling. In the present series, dogs were necropsied while in the study carried out by Hoida et al (1998), dogs were sampled for intestinal helminthes by purging with arecoline hydrobromide and by coproantigen ELISA for E. granulosus. The latter methods are not as sensitive as the necropsy method particularly when dogs harbor light worm burdens (Deplazes et al 1992;Craig et al 1995).…”

“…The disease is endemic or highly endemic in Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan (see reviews by Matossian et al 1977;Al-Yaman et al 1987;Kamhawi 1995;Abdel-Hafez and Kamhawi 1997). Cestodes, nematodes and acanthocephalans have been identi®ed in the intestines of stray and pet dogs as well as foxes in various countries including Jordan (Ajlouni et al 1984;Al-Tae et al 1988;Abo-Shehada and Ziyadeh 1991;Shastri 1991;Vanparijs et al 1991;Dalimi and Mobedi 1992;Deplazes et al 1992;Jones and Walters 1992a, b;Epe et al 1993;Saeki et al 1997;Hoida et al 1998).…”

Canine echinococcosis in northern Jordan: increased prevalence and dominance of sheep/dog strain

“…Dogs act as the definitive host for several zoonotic diseases, including echinococcosis and toxocariasis (Schantz 1994). Both stray and pet dogs in Jordan and other Middle Eastern countries were found to be infected with cestodes, nematodes and acanthocephalans (Ajlouni et al 1984;Abo-Shehada and Ziyadeh 1991;Hoida et al 1998;El-Shehabi et al 1999. Echinococcus granulosus, the causative agent of cystic echinococcosis (CE), is of high prevalence among dogs in Jordan (El-Shehabi et al 1999 and nearby countries (Molan 1993;Hoida et al 1998;Haridy et al 2000).…”

Global Distribution of Alveolar and Cystic Echinococcosis

“…A recent study from Israel and Palestine reported CE in 9% of sheep slaughtered in abattoirs in Nablus, Jenin and Tubas (El-Ibrahim, 2009). In the northern city of Tamra, 5.9% of 874 sheep and 5.3% of 616 goats were infected (Hoida et al, 1998). In neighbouring Yirka, 75% of sheep and goats were slaughtered at individual households with only 25% at a Yirka abattoir (Nahmias et al, 1991).…”

“…In three independent studies in northern towns of Yirka and Tamra near the Lebanese border, 7.9%, 14.2% and 10.7% of dogs were found infected based on arecoline purgation (Nahmias et al, 1991;Furth et al, 1994;Hoida et al, 1998). In the latter study, despite 10.7% infection in 56 dogs belonging to Muslim and Druze communities, none of the 150 dogs' excrement from Jewish communities was found infected, underlining the significance of sociocultural parameters and animal husbandry systems in transmission of CE.…”