Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Prevalence and risks for fishborne zoonotic trematode infections in domestic animals in a highly endemic area of North Vietnam.
By Nguyen, Thi Lan Anh et al.·Published in Acta tropica·2009·National Institute of Veterinary Research·View original on PubMed →
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Plain-English summary
A study in Vietnam found that a significant number of domestic animals, including 56.9% of dogs and 70.2% of cats, were infected with fishborne trematodes, which are tiny parasites that can cause health issues. The research showed that feeding raw fish to pets was a major risk factor for these infections. To help reduce the risk, it was recommended that pet owners regularly treat their animals with deworming medications. By avoiding raw fish and keeping up with treatments, pet owners can help protect their pets from these parasites.
People also search for: dog fishborne trematode infection · cat raw fish health risks · deworming pets for parasites
Abstract
Fishborne zoonotic trematodes (FZT) are endemic in humans and cultured fish in Vietnam but little is known about FZT in domestic animals. A study was designed to determine FZT prevalence and species diversity, and risk factors for infection, in dogs, cats and pigs. Faecal samples from 186 dogs, 94 cats and 168 pigs belonging to 132 households in Nghia Hung district, Nam Dinh province, were examined for small trematode eggs; those were trematode eggs with length less than 50 microm. Prevalence of FZT varied significantly between cats (70.2%), dogs (56.9%) and pigs (7.7%). Forty-nine of the egg-positive animals (25 dogs, 20 cats and 4 pigs) were necropsied to obtain adult trematodes for identification. The liver fluke, Clonorchis sinensis, and 11 species of intestinal flukes including Haplorchis, Stellantchasmus, Stictodora and Centrocestus were recovered from the infected animals. The practice of feeding raw fish to the animals was a significant risk factor for infection; this risk was reduced if the animals were periodically treated with anthelmintics. Based on the high prevalence of FZT and certain risky husbandry practices, domestic animals are likely to be major contributors of FZT eggs to the environment. Therefore, education of farmers to avoid feeding raw fish and to perform regular anthelmintic treatment of dogs, cats and pigs is needed in integrated FZT control programs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19660428/