Invasive forms of canine endoparasites as a potential threat to public health – A review and own studies

Abstract

Dogs serve as the vectors of serious zoonotic parasitic diseases. In the month of May 2012 – 2014, 339 dog faeces samples from seven public sites in Chełmno, a town in northern Poland, were collected and examined to determine the gastrointestinal parasite fauna of dogs. Each faecal sample was dissected with a needle, checked for tapeworm segments and examined for parasite eggs and oocysts using the flotation and decantation method and a modified Baermann technique. Differences were observed in the degree of parasite species occurrence. The most dominant were Toxocara canis and Ancylostomatidae. The detected species included: T. canis and Toxascaris leonina eggs (23.4% and 10.2%, respectively), as well as eggs from the Ancylostomatidae family (16.2%), Trichuris vulpis eggs (6.6%), Taenia type eggs (4.6%), Dipylidium caninum (5.2%) and Cystoisospora (Isospora) spp. oocysts (10.9%).

Keywords

• parasitic zoonosis
• public health
• urban and public places
• endoparasites
• Dogs
• geohelminths