Prevalence, risk factors and zoonotic potential of intestinal parasites in dogs from four locations in Morocco.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports
; 34: 100775, 2022 09.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36041810
ABSTRACT
Dogs can harbor various intestinal parasites that have serious clinical, economic, and zoonotic impact. In Morocco, the epidemiological status of those parasites is largely unknown. This study aimed to obtain data on the prevalence of intestinal parasites in various Moroccan dog populations, to identify associated risk factors, to evaluate people's knowledge regarding zoonotic parasites and to estimate the risk of human infection. A total of 291 fecal samples were analyzed using a 33% Zinc Sulphate (ZnSO4) centrifugal flotation and a sheather's sugar simple flotation techniques. In addition, 100 dog owners were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their knowledge regarding canine zoonotic intestinal parasites. Overall, 58% of sampled dogs were positive for at least one parasite species. Ancylostoma/Uncinaria spp. (31.9%), Toxascaris leonina (27.4%), Toxocara canis (27.1%), Cystoisospora spp. (13.4%) and Giardia spp. (7.2%) were the most frequently isolated parasites. The overall prevalence was associated with the dogs' activity, and feces consistency. More specifically, the prevalence of Ancylostoma/Uncinaria spp., Toxascaris leonina and Cystoisospora spp. was associated with dogs' activity and feces consistency and, additionally with age for Cystoisosporaspp.Toxocara canis prevalence was associated with age and feces consistency, while Giardia spp. prevalence was associated with dogs' activity. A weak awareness among dog owners regarding the zoonotic potential of canine intestinal parasites was noticed (33%) especially when their knowledge was compared to another endemic zoonotic disease, i.e. rabies (85%). Furthermore, the rate of respecting the vaccination protocol (82%) was significantly higher than the rate of respecting the deworming protocol (47%). We conclude that intestinal parasites, including the zoonotic ones, were highly prevalent in the dogs sampled in this study whereas people's knowledge about those parasites was very limited. These findings suggest that the risk of human infection is very likely, which highlights the need for effective control programs and health education.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Parasites
/
Toxocara canis
/
Dog Diseases
/
Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Guideline
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
En
Journal:
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports
Year:
2022
Type:
Article