Prevalence of zoonotic helminths in Italian house dogs

Francesco La Torre; Angela Di Cesare; Giulia Simonato; Rudi Cassini; Donato Traversa; Antonio Frangipane di Regalbono

doi:10.3855/jidc.9865

Prevalence of zoonotic helminths in Italian house dogs

Authors

Francesco La Torre Zoetis Italia S.r.l., Rome, Italy
Angela Di Cesare University of Teramo, Piano d’Accio, Teramo, Italy
Giulia Simonato University of Padua, Padua, Italy
Rudi Cassini University of Padua, Padua, Italy
Donato Traversa University of Teramo, Piano d’Accio, Teramo, Italy
Antonio Frangipane di Regalbono University of Padua, Padua, Italy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.9865

Keywords:

Owned dogs, helminths, zoonoses, public health, Italy

Abstract

Introduction: Dogs may act as potential sources of zoonotic parasites, e.g. intestinal helminths like Toxocara spp., Ancylostoma spp., Echinococcus spp. In particular circumstances, the environment contaminated by parasitic elements represents a source of infection for people and animals. The present study has evaluated the presence of zoonotic helminths in house dogs from central and north-eastern Italy.

Methodology: Stool samples from 493 dogs were examined by a qualitative copromicroscopic technique and differences in prevalence of zoonotic parasites were statistically examined in relation to canine individual data.

Results: 48/493 (9.7%) were positive for at least one parasite. Helminths recovered were Trichuris vulpis (5.5%), Toxocara canis (4.3%), Ancylostoma spp. (0.6%) and Eucoleus aerophilus (0.4%), while no cestodes were detected. Age and living with other dogs resulted risk factors for T. canis infection.

Conclusions: The health risk associated with the occurrence of parasitic nematodes in privately owned dogs, along with the current anthelmintic treatment plans, are discussed.

Downloads

Published

2018-08-31

How to Cite

La Torre F, Di Cesare A, Simonato G, Cassini R, Traversa D, Frangipane di Regalbono A (2018) Prevalence of zoonotic helminths in Italian house dogs. J Infect Dev Ctries 12:666–672. doi: 10.3855/jidc.9865

Download Citation

Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 08: August 2018

Section

Original Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).