Spatial distribution of canine zoonotic enteroparasites in Bahía Blanca, Argentina

Abstract

The objectives of this research were: (1) to determine the occurrence of zoonotic enteroparasites in dog feces from Bahía Blanca, Argentina; (2) to characterize the spatial distribution of the parasites found in association with the quality of life index (QLI) in neighborhoods of Bahía Blanca; and (3) to determine if the presence of a particular parasite genus in a stool sample was facilitated or impeded by the presence of other parasite genera. Samples of dog stools (n=475) were collected between December 2012 and December 2013 in areas with varying QLI. The association between QLI values and the presence of parasites was analyzed using logistic regression. Overall enteroparasite occurrence was 36.6%. Parasitic forms found included nematode larvae, cysts of Blastocystis spp., Giardia spp., and oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp., and eggs of Ancylostoma caninum, Toxocara canis, cestodes and Trichuris spp. For certain enteroparasites, we detected significant associations between their occurrence and QLI. Feces collected in areas with medium and low QLI were 2.46 and 5.43 times more likely, respectively, to contain A. caninum than stools from the high-QLI area. Samples from areas with low QLI were 2.36 times more likely to contain Trichuris spp. than those from the high QLI area. Regarding protozoa, feces from areas with low QLI were 2.4 times more likely to be positive than those from areas with high QLI. We demonstrated that canine zoonotic parasites have a wide distribution in the study area, and that occurrence is higher in neighborhoods with lower QLI.

A cross‐sectional study of intestinal parasitoses in dogs and children of the periurban area of La Plata (Buenos Aires, Argentina): Zoonotic importance and implications in public health

“…The most prevalent species were A. caninum , U. stenocephala , T. vulpis and T. canis . Other studies indicated similar results regarding the presence of these parasites in other countries (Bwalya et al., ; Letra Mateus, Castro, Ribeiro, & Vieira‐Pinto, ) and in other localities of Argentina (La Sala et al., ; Semenas et al., ). It is important to note that these parasite species previously mentioned are widely known as potential agents of zoonosis.…”

“…Several studies were carried out to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites in dogs in other countries, with different results (Amissah‐Reynolds et al., ; Zanzani et al., ). In Argentina, heterogeneous values of prevalence in dogs were reported by different authors (36.6%–69.8%) (Dopchiz et al., ; La Sala et al., ; Soriano et al., ). In this study, high prevalence of enteroparasitosis in dogs (82.1%) gave account of great canine faecal contamination and deficient health care of pets, which can affect both animal and human sanitation.…”

“…Several studies have shown heterogeneity in the prevalence of enteroparasitosis in dogs and children in Argentina due to the complex mosaic of climatic and socioeconomic variability of the country (Dopchiz et al., ; La Sala, Leiboff, Burgos, & Costamagna, ; Navone et al., ; Semenas et al., ; Socías, Fernández, Gil, & Krolewiecki, ; Soriano et al., ). However, only a few approached the problem of parasitic zoonosis in relation to human parasitosis and socio‐environmental characteristics of the population.…”

Molecular Study of Cryptosporidium spp. in Dogs from Southwest of Iran

“…The results were in agreement with other studies in different parts of the world, such as Bahía Blanca of Argentina that indicated 14.7% of dogs were infected with Cryptosporidium spp. (9). The results of the current study showed that the frequency of Cryptosporidium spp.…”

“…Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are generally considered as the first domesticated mammal from very early in human history (about 12,000 years ago) and are the most abundant species of carnivore around the world today, whoch are the definitive or reservoir hosts of more than 60 zoonotic parasites, such as Cryptosporidium spp. (8)(9)(10). Therefore, they are a real problem in public health for humans, particularly in villages and poorly marginalized communities of towns.…”