Prevalence of Intestinal Parasites with Zoonotic Potential in Canids in Mexico City
Por:
Romero, C, Mendoza, GE, Pineda, MA, Nava, N, Bautista, LG, Heredia, R
Publicada:
25 sep 2015
Categoría:
Veterinary (miscellaneous)
Resumen:
Background: In Mexico City, there are 1.2 million dogs of which 10% are
strays, which produce about 182 tons of feces per year. Among the
intestinal parasites with zoonotic risk from dogs are Ancylostoma,
Toxocara, Giardia and Dipylidium. These pathogens can be found in
standard human environments, such as water, soil, food, parks, and
contamination from dog feces, and represent a high risk to persons.
Therefore it is important to promote prophylactic measures, which are
based on hygiene, having pet deworming programs and control of stray
dogs. The objective was identifying Toxocara spp., Giardia spp.,
Dipylidium caninum, Ancylostoma spp. and Coccidia in canids from the
downtown area of Mexico City.
Materials, Methods & Results: The study was conducted in Mexico City. A
total of 1603 pet feces were collected and were classified according to
gender and age (young animals < 1 year and adults > 1.1 years).
Microscopic diagnosis of parasites was achieved using the flotation
technique of Willis. The proportion of contamination was considered as
the percentage of positive samples out of all collected samples. The
number of parasite eggs in each sample was counted, and eggs were then
identified by structure and morphometry, to provide an additional
measure of the degree of parasitization (number of eggs g(-1) feces).
Prevalence was analyzed using the Chi-square (chi(2)) test to compare
age groups and gender, while the average number of parasites per gram of
feces was analyzed using a ``t'' test with a confidence level of P <
0.05. The results showed that 13.10% (210) of the dogs were positive
for some type of gastrointestinal parasite (Toxocara spp., Coccidia,
Ancylostoma spp., Giardia spp., Dipylidium caninum) of which 115
(13.18%) were males and 95 (12.99%) females, with no gender difference
(chi(2) = 0.013, P = 0.99). Giardia spp. was found in 25 young animals
(6.9%) and 50 adults (4.0 %) whereas Toxocara spp. was less common
(3.3% of young animals and 3.7% of adults).
Disscusion: The results of this study show lower prevalence rates than
other reports from around the world. In our study, only 30 dogs were
positive out of 1603 samples. Our sampling revealed a higher prevalence
in males, but with a much lower incidence of A. caninum. The low
incidence of A. caninum can be attributed to the fact that most pet dogs
have been subjected to a deworming program. Several studies agree that
dogs aged less than 5 months are more susceptible to this protozoan,
because Giardia spp. can complete its life cycle by this age, and some
dogs do not undergo an adequate deworming program. We observed the same
effect of age, but the prevalence in Peru was four times greater than
that in Mexico (4.0%). Several studies have shown that the soil of
public parks presents an important source of infection of this zoonotic
parasite and has a significant impact on public health. In most studies
the prevalence varies between males and females, being higher in males,
and appearing more frequently in younger animals. This information
should be taken into account in the prevention and control of these
zoonotic parasites, involving implementing deworming programs and
avoiding fecal contamination of soil, water and food, encouraging
responsible pet ownership, implementing the control of street animals
and thus reducing the impact of this zoonotic problem. The parasite
burden in the feces of dogs in the downtown area of Mexico City can be
considered low but remains a potential risk factor for humans.
Filiaciones:
Ctr Univ UAEMex Amecameca, Med Vet & Zootecnia, Amecameca De Juarez, Mexico
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Fac Med, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico
Univ Autonoma Estado Mexico, Ciencias Agr & Recursos Nat, Mexico City, DF, Mexico
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