Prevalence and distribution of intestinal parasites in stray dogs in the northwest area of Mexico

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Zoonotic parasitic infections are a major global public and veterinary health problem and widespread among stray dogs. The objective of this study was to establish the prevalence of intestinal parasites in stray dogs in the urban, rural and coastal areas of Mexicali County in northwest Mexico. In 2014, from January to December, 380 stray dogs were captured. The entire small intestine, cecum and faeces samples were collected and examined by using simple zinc sulfate flotation and Lugol's solution staining. Data were statistically analysed. Overall, about 21.5% of examined dogs were found positive for intestinal parasites. Toxocara canis was the most frequent detected parasite, with a prevalence of 7.1%, followed by Toxascaris leonina (5.5%), Cystoisospora spp. (5.0%), Taenia spp. (3.9%) and Dipylidium caninum (2.8%). Dogs were more frequently found to be infected with a single genus of intestinal parasite (18.7%) than co-infected (2.8%). Intestinal parasites were more prevalent in samples from the coastal area (25%) than in those from the rural (24.4%) and urban (20.6%) areas, however, only statistical association was found between capture area and specific intestinal parasitic infection. There were significant differences in the prevalence of taeniasis among two age groups (P<0.01). A seasonal peak of prevalence for intestinal parasitic infections was found during spring (P<0.05), corresponding with a seasonal peak of prevalence of T. canis (P<0.05). The wide range of isolated parasites indicated that people residing in this area are at risk of exposure to these potentially hazardous zoonotic pathogens.Key words: toxocariasis, taeniasis, Mexico, public health. RESUMEN.Las infecciones zoonóticas parasitarias son un problema global público y para la medicina veterinaria, siendo diseminadas por perros callejeros. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar la prevalencia de parasitosis intestinales en perros callejeros de la zona urbana, rural y costera del municipio de Mexicali, noroeste de México. En 2014, entre enero y diciembre, se capturaron 380 perros. Se colectó el intestino, ciego y heces y se examinaron utilizando flotación con sulfato de zinc y tinción con la solución de Lugol. Los datos fueron analizados estadísticamente. En general, alrededor del 21,5% de los perros examinados fueron positivos a parásitos intestinales. Toxocara canis fue el parásito más frecuentemente, con una prevalencia del 7,1%, seguido por Toxascaris leonina (5,5%), Cystoisospora spp. (5,0%), Taenia spp. (3,9%) y Dipylidium caninum (2,8%). Los perros fueron más frecuentemente encontrados infectados con un solo género de parásito intestinal (18,7%) que coinfectados (2,8%). Las parasitosis intestinales fueron más prevalentes en muestras de la costa (25%) que del área rural (24,4%) y urbana (20,6%), sin embargo solo se encontró asociación estadística entre el área de captura y las parasitosis intestinales específicas. Hubo diferencias significativas en la prevalencia de taeniasis entre los dos grupos de edad (P<0,01). El pico esta...

Canine intestinal parasites as a potential source of soil contamination in the public areas of Kruševac, Serbia

“…Seasonal distribution of canine parasitic infections is higher in spring than in autumn [31,55], which was confirmed by our research as well. Depending on the climatic conditions of the investigated area, in Spain the rate of canine parasitic infections was slightly higher in autumn [56].…”

Detection of Intestinal Parasites in Stray Dogs from a Farming and Cattle Region of Northwestern Mexico

“…When contaminated plant or animal food products are consumed cause parasitic infections with potentially severe complications [ 4 ]. In the northwest region of Mexico, the infections produced by intestinal parasites have been previously reported in the stray dog population from the city of Mexicali and are considered as an important public health problem [ 5 ]. The aim of the survey was to establish the frequency and geographical distribution of intestinal parasitic infections in stray dogs from a farming and cattle region of the Mexicali Valley and to demonstrate the risk of intestinal parasites to livestock and agriculture activities.…”

FRECUENCIA DE HUEVOS DE Toxocara canis EN PARQUES PÚBLICOS DE MEXICALI, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MÉXICO

“…Sin embargo, se observó durante los muestreos que la gente lleva a sus mascotas a defecar a los parques y los propietarios no recogen las heces, por lo que el problema no se ha resuelto en su totalidad. Asimismo, la gran cantidad de perros callejeros que portan parásitos y los propagan sin ningún control en los suelos contribuyen a esta situación (Trasviña 2017).…”