Freqüência de Giardia spp. por duas técnicas de diagnóstico em fezes de cães / Frequency of Giardia spp. for two diagnosis methods in feces of dogs

One hundred fecal samples from male and female dogs of several ages and breeds were collected in kennels of Uberlândia in Minas Gerais, Brazil. These samples were analyzed to determine the frequency of Giardia spp. using two different diagnostic methods: zinc sulfate flotation technique and merthiolate-iodine-formaldehyde concentration (MIFC). The frequency of giardiasis was 41 percent. Dogs, which were less than 12 months of age, were the most parasitized (68.4 percent). No difference between male and female frequency of giardiasis (31.4 percent and 46.1 percent, respectively) was observed. MIFC detected 38 percent of positive samples and zinc sulfate flotation technique 29 percent. Giardia spp. is present in dogs of Uberlândia's kennels in a high frequency.(AU)