Prevalence of <i>Giardia duodenalis</i> among dogs seized by the Center for Control of Zoonoses (CCZ) of the city of Lages, Santa Catarina, Brazil

Abstract

The knowledge of the epidemiology of parasitic infections in stray and domestic animals, especially of its incidence and prevalence, is fundamental to adopting effective prophylactic measures. Stray dogs play an important role in environmental contamination favoring the transmission cycle of zoonotic agents. Among the parasitic infections that affect humans, Giardia duodenalis is the most common intestinal protozoa and was designated as a re-emerging infectious disease. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of G. duodenalis in dogs siezed by the Center for Control of Zoonoses (CCZ) of the city of Lages, Santa Catarina, Brazil using two diagnostic techniques. In 357 stool samples analysed, the prevalence of G. duodenalis cysts was 5.3% (19/357) and 4.8% (17/357) detected by floatation and sedimentation techniques, respectively. No correspondence between gender and age was found among the methods used for analyzing the infected dogs in this study. Our data suggested that two diagnostic techniques should be used in a complementary way to ensure that false negatives are not neglected.