RESUMO
Dogs are definite hosts for several zoonotic helminthes and protozoan. Rural areas from the Lobos District in the northeast of Buenos Aires province, Argentina, are mainly used for livestock activity, increasing in this way the number of dogs on farms as well as the human risk of parasitic infections. The aims of this research were to evaluate the endoparasitic infections in dogs from farms in the Lobos District and analyze their zoonotic importance as well as several risk practices and habits of the rural population. Forty-two dog fecal samples obtained in 21 farms were analyzed through coproparasitological methods and coproantigen tests, which resulted in an overall parasite prevalence of 69.05% and 80.95% of the parasitized farms. The most frequent parasites were Trichuris vulpis and Eucoleus aerophila (26.19%), Echinococcus granulosus (19.05%), Uncinaria stenocephala and coccids (14.29%). The analysis of epidemiological files showed several habits of the rural population considered as risk factors associated with the presence of fecal samples parasitized and the presence of E. granulosus on the farms. It is clear that people involved with the farms studied were exposed to several helminthes that could cause serious diseases like cystic echinococcosis, which can become an important public health issue and affect the economy worldwide.
Assuntos
Doenças do Cão/epidemiologia , Doenças do Cão/parasitologia , Animais , Argentina/epidemiologia , Cães , Fezes/parasitologia , Saúde da População Rural , ZoonosesRESUMO
Dogs are definite hosts for several zoonotic helminthes and protozoan. Rural areas from the Lobos District in the northeast of Buenos Aires province, Argentina, are mainly used for livestock activity, increasing in this way the number of dogs on farms as well as the human risk of parasitic infections. The aims of this research were to evaluate the endoparasitic infections in dogs from farms in the Lobos District and analyze their zoonotic importance as well as several risk practices and habits of the rural population. Forty-two dog fecal samples obtained in 21 farms were analyzed through coproparasitological methods and coproantigen tests, which resulted in an overall parasite prevalence of 69.05% and 80.95% of the parasitized farms. The most frequent parasites were Trichuris vulpis and Eucoleus aerophila (26.19%), Echinococcus granulosus (19.05%), Uncinaria stenocephala and coccids (14.29%). The analysis of epidemiological files showed several habits of the rural population considered as risk factors associated with the presence of fecal samples parasitized and the presence of E. granulosus on the farms. It is clear that people involved with the farms studied were exposed to several helminthes that could cause serious diseases like cystic echinococcosis, which can become an important public health issue and affect the economy worldwide.
Os cães são hospedeiros definitivos de vários helmintos e protozoários zoonóticos. As áreas rurais do distrito de Lobos, no nordeste da província de Buenos Aires, Argentina, destinam-se principalmente à atividade pecuária aumentando desta forma o número de cães em fazendas, bem como o risco humano de infecções parasitárias. Os objetivos desta pesquisa foram avaliar as infecções endoparasitas em cães de fazendas do distrito de Lobos e analisar a sua importância zoonótica, bem como as práticas de risco e hábitos da população rural. Quarenta e duas amostras de fezes de cães obtidos em 21 fazendas foram analisadas pelos métodos coproparasitológicos e testes de coproantígenos, resultando numa prevalência de parasitas de 69,05% e 80,95% das propriedades parasitados. Os parasitas mais frequentes foram Trichuris vulpis e Eucoleus aerophila (26,19%), Echinococcus granulosus (19,05%), Uncinaria stenocephala e coccídeos (14,29%). A análise dos arquivos epidemiológicos mostraram vários hábitos da população rural como fatores de risco associados com a presença de amostras fecais parasitadas e a presença de E. granulosus em propriedades rurais. É evidente que as pessoas das fazendas estudadas foram expostas a vários helmintos que podem causar doenças graves como equinococose cística, que constitui importante problema de saúde pública e econômico a nível mundial.