The hookworm Ancylostoma ceylanicum : An emerging public health risk in Australian tropical rainforests and Indigenous communities

Abstract

Ancylostoma ceylanicum is the common hookworm of domestic dogs and cats throughout Asia, and is an emerging but little understood public health risk in tropical northern Australia. We investigated the prevalence of A. ceylanicum in soil and free-ranging domestic dogs at six rainforest locations in Far North Queensland that are Indigenous Australian communities and popular tourist attractions within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. By combining PCR-based techniques with traditional methods of hookworm species identification, we found the prevalence of hookworm in Indigenous community dogs was high (96.3% and 91.9% from necropsy and faecal samples, respectively). The majority of these infections were A. caninum. We also observed, for the first time, the presence of A. ceylanicum infection in domestic dogs (21.7%) and soil (55.6%) in an Indigenous community. A. ceylanicum was present in soil samples from two out of the three popular tourist locations sampled. Our results contribute to the understanding of dogs as a public health risk to Indigenous communities and tourists in the Wet Tropics. Dog health needs to be more fully addressed as part of the Australian Government's commitments to “closing the gap” in chronic disease between Indigenous and other Australians, and encouraging tourism in similar locations.

Probiotics for the Control of Helminth Zoonosis

“…Moreover, A. ceylanicum is the only zoonotic hookworm known to produce patent intestinal infections in humans. More recently, a number of studies have been reported looking at molecular diagnosis of zoonotic A. ceylanicum in humans and dogs in different parts of the world [ 72 – 77 ]. Despite A. caninum being the most widely distributed among hookworms, it infrequently causes eosinophilic enteritis in humans [ 78 ].…”

Dog and Cat Interactions in a Remote Aboriginal Community

“…The risk of zoonotic transmission increases when dogs and cats are kept at high population densities in association with humans [ 2 ], such as in RACs. Sarcoptic mange ( Sarcoptes scabiei ), hookworm ( Ancylostoma caninum ), fleas, ticks ( Rhipicephalus sanguineus ), and giardia ( Giardia duodenalis ) have all been documented in dogs in RACs [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Limited research conducted on cats in Aboriginal communities has identified tapeworm ( Spirometra erinacei ), Oncicola spp., hookworm ( Ancylostoma caninum ), and Toxoplasma gondii in cats in Northern Australia [ 4 ].…”

“…Domestic animals can also impact native wildlife. Globally, FRDs threaten wildlife conservation through predation [ 7 , 8 , 9 ], disturbance [ 10 , 11 , 12 ], competition [ 13 , 14 ], and disease transmission [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 15 , 16 ]. Cats primarily impact wildlife through direct predation, but also competition and disease transmission [ 17 ].…”

The mitochondrial genome of the dog hookworm Ancylostoma caninum (Nematoda, Ancylostomatidae) from Southwest China

“…In addition, A. caninum was also sporadically reported to cause eosinophilic enteritis because its larvae can develop into pre-adult, non-patent worms in human intestines (Landmann and Prociv 2003). Recent increased molecular-based epidemiological evidence highlights that A. caninum and A. ceylanicum are emerging as important helminthic zoonosis in the Asia Pacific countries including Cambodia (Inpankaew et al 2014), Laos (Sato et al 2010), Malaysia (Ngui et al 2012), Solomon Islands (Bradbury et al 2017), Thailand (Jiraanankul et al 2011), Australia (Smout et al 2017) and China (Dai et al 2009;Liu et al 2013). However, current diagnosis of this zoonotic infection is still largely based on faecal microscopy and often misdiagnosed even by experienced microscopists due to the inability to morphologically distinguish A. caninum eggs from those of other hookworms (Monis et al 2002).…”