Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ectoparasite infestation rates in rural dogs in Pernambuco Brazil
By Dantas-Torres, Filipe et al.·Published in Revista brasileira de parasitologia veterinaria = Brazilian journal of veterinary parasitology : Orgao Oficial do Colegio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria·2009·Dipartimento di Sanità·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ectoparasite infestation on rural dogs in the municipality of São Vicente Férrer, Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 41 rural dogs in northeastern Brazil was examined, and over 70% were found to have ectoparasites like ticks, fleas, and lice. The most common were ticks, with nearly 59% of the dogs infested, followed by fleas at about 44% and lice at 22%. Many dogs had more than one type of parasite, and the study found no significant differences in infestation rates based on the dogs' age or sex. If your dog is scratching or has visible pests, it’s important to consult your vet for effective treatments to eliminate these parasites.
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Abstract
This article presents the results of a study on ectoparasites infesting rural dogs in Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. Forty-one dogs from a rural community of Pernambuco were examined and 70.7% were infested by ectoparasites. The prevalence rates of infestation by ticks, fleas, and lice were 58.5, 43.9 and 22%, respectively. Of 24 dogs parasitized by ticks, 15 were exclusively infested by Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) (32 females, 66 males, 9 nymphs; prevalence, 48.8%; mean intensity, 5.4), four by Amblyomma ovale Koch (33 females, 19 males; prevalence, 22%; mean intensity, 5.8), and five were coinfested by both species. Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouché) (25 females, 8 males; prevalence, 43.9%; mean intensity, 1.9) and Heterodoxus spiniger (Enderlein) (16 females, 11 males, 10 nymphs; prevalence, 22%; mean intensity, 4.1) were the only species of flea and louse identified. Tick infestation was more frequent than flea or lice infestations (p < 0.05). No statistical difference was found by sex and age group of the dogs studied and prevalence of infestation. Overall, 48.8% (20/41) of the dogs were infested by more than one ectoparasite species.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19772781/