Occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites in dogs from Cuiabá, Mato Grosso

Abstract

Gastrointestinal parasitism by helminths and protozoa poses risks to animal and human health owing to clinical changes and transmission of potentially zoonotic agents. Thus, the present study aimed to verify the occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites in dogs from the municipality of Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil, using coproparasitological tests. From June 2021 to April 2022, faecal samples were collected from domestic dogs at the Veterinary Hospital and Animal Protection Shelters in the Cuiabá municipality. A semi-structured questionnaire was applied to the owners and those responsible for the shelters to analyse the factors associated with gastrointestinal parasitism. A total of 353 faecal samples were collected and subjected to parasitological flotation and sedimentation techniques. Data were analysed using the chi-squared test and exploratory factorial analysis. The occurrence of gastrointestinal parasitism was 22.66% and the parasites found alone or in mixed infections were Ancylostoma spp., Trichuris vulpis, Toxocara spp., Dipylidium caninum, Cystoisospora spp., Giardia duodenalis, and coccidia. It was concluded that the occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites in dogs is frequent, and the variables associated with these infections were source origin, breed, age, coexistence with other animals, and dull fur.

Prevalence of Intestinal Parasites, Risk Factors and Zoonotic Aspects in Dog and Cat Populations from Goiás, Brazil

“…Trichuris vulpis is the most common parasite of the Trichuridae family reported in wild dogs and canids. Infection occurs through the oral route through the ingestion of water or soil contaminated with embryonated parasite eggs, but our prevalence is lower than in Cerrado areas with similar climates [ 40 ]. Eggs deposited in the environment take an average of 9–10 days to embryonate at higher temperatures; therefore, the environment in this municipality is favorable for them to develop and infect other animals [ 51 ].…”

“…Eggs deposited in the environment take an average of 9–10 days to embryonate at higher temperatures; therefore, the environment in this municipality is favorable for them to develop and infect other animals [ 51 ]. A relevant fact is that Souza et al [ 40 ] analyzed shelter animals that live in small and usually overcrowded environments that favor direct cycle parasites like T. vulpis, and in our study, we did not use shelter animals.…”

“…Cestodes and flukes are not the most common parasites in dogs and cats in the Brazilian Cerrado [ 30 , 38 , 39 , 40 ]. The prevalence of D. caninum was 6.13% and 7.27% for dogs and cats, respectively.…”

Zoonotic Parasites in Playgrounds in Southern Spain: A One Health Approach

“…Diarrhoea, vomiting, intestinal obstruction, anorexia and weight loss are the most common clinical signs of parasitic disease in pets. Nevertheless, this could vary depending on the parasitic species and the number of parasites [ 10 ]. Playgrounds represent an important focus of infection for humans, particularly children, and other domestic or wild animals [ 7 , 11 ].…”

Diversity of helminths with zoonotic potential and molecular characterization of Toxocara canis infecting domestic dogs from locations of Amazon and Atlantic Forest Brazilian biomes

“…The gastrointestinal helminths most frequently fund infecting dogs are hookworms, Toxocara canis (Werner, 1782) Stiles in Stiles & Hassall, 1905, Trichuris vulpis (Froelich, 1789) Smith, 1908, Dipylidium caninum (Linnaeus, 1758 and Echinococcus spp. Rudolphi, 1801 (Neves et al, 2017;Oliveira-Arbex et al, 2017;Ramos et al;2020;Silva et al, 2020;Lima et al, 2021;Souza et al, 2023;Ugalde et al, 2023). These parasites are associated with symptoms such as enteritis, diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss and anemia, among others, negatively affecting the development of dogs (Traversa, 2011).…”