Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cryptosporidium infection rates in breeding kennel dogs
By Itoh, Naoyuki et al.·Published in The Korean journal of parasitology·2019·School of Veterinary Medicine, Japan·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Molecular Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in Breeding Kennel Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 21% of fecal samples from dogs in breeding kennels tested positive for a parasite called Cryptosporidium canis, which can cause diarrhea in both dogs and humans. The research involved collecting samples from 314 dogs across five different kennels. While the presence of this parasite was confirmed in all facilities, the risk of these dogs spreading the infection to humans appears to be low in Japan. This is important information for pet owners, especially those considering getting a puppy from a breeding kennel, as it highlights the need for proper hygiene and health checks.
People also search for: dog diarrhea causes · puppy health from breeding kennels · Cryptosporidium in dogs
Abstract
Cryptosporidium is a common intestinal protozoan that can lead to diarrhea in humans and dogs. The predominant species of infection are C. hominis and C. parvum in humans, and C. canis in dogs. However, C. canis can infect immunocompromised humans. Considering the close contact with humans, dogs have the potential to be reservoirs for human cryptosporidiosis. Breeding kennels are the major supply source of puppies for pet shops. The present study is to determine the molecular prevalence and characteristics of Cryptosporidium spp. found in breeding kennel dogs. A total of 314 fecal samples were collected from young and adult dogs kept in 5 breeding kennels. A polymerase chain reaction targeting the small subunit rRNA gene was employed for the detection of Cryptosporidium spp. To determine the species, the DNA sequences were compared to GenBank data. Overall, 21.0% of the fecal samples were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. infection. Cryptosporidium spp. was detected in all 5 facilities. A sequencing analysis demonstrated that all isolates shared 99-100% similarity with C. canis. The results suggest that Cryptosporidium spp. infection is present at a high-level in breeding kennel dogs. However, because dominant species in this survey was C. canis, the importance of breeding kennel dogs as reservoirs for Cryptosporidium spp. transmission to humans is likely to be low in Japan.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31104414/