Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Prevalence of intestinal parasites in companion dogs with diarrhea in Beijing, China, and genetic characteristics of Giardia and Cryptosporidium species.
- Journal:
- Parasitology research
- Year:
- 2018
- Authors:
- Yu, Zhongjia et al.
- Affiliation:
- College of Veterinary Medicine · China
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
In a study conducted in Beijing, China, researchers looked at the presence of intestinal parasites in 485 dogs that had diarrhea over the course of 2015. They found that about 26% of the dogs had one or more types of parasites, including Giardia (a common cause of diarrhea), Cryptosporidium, and others. Certain breeds, like border collies and bulldogs, were more likely to be infected, while poodles had lower infection rates. The study also showed that older dogs were less likely to have parasites, and that dogs who had been vaccinated or dewormed in the past year had fewer infections. Overall, the findings suggest that intestinal parasites are a significant concern for dogs in this area and could pose a risk to humans, especially those with weakened immune systems.
Abstract
Companion animals including dogs are one of the important components in One Health. Parasites may cause not only diseases in pet animals but also many zoonotic diseases infecting humans. In this study, we performed a survey of intestinal parasites in fecal specimens (n = 485) collected from outpatient pet dogs with diarrhea in Beijing, China, for the entire year of 2015 by microscopic examination (all parasites) and SSU rRNA-based nested PCR detection (Giardia and Cryptosporidium). We observed a total of 124 (25.6%) parasite-positive specimens that contained one or more parasites, including Giardia duodenalis (12.8%), Cryptosporidium spp. (4.9%), Cystoisospora spp. (4.3%), trichomonads (4.3%), Toxocara canis (3.5%), Trichuris vulpis (0.6%), and Dipylidium caninum (0.2%). Among the 55 dog breeds, infection rates were significantly higher in border collies and bulldogs, but lower in poodles (p < 0.05). Risk factor analysis suggested that age was negatively correlated with the infection rate (p < 0.00001), while vaccination and deworming in the past 12 months could significantly reduce the parasite infections (p < 0.01). Among the 62 Giardia-positive specimens, 21 were successfully assigned into assemblages using glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) and/or beta-giardin (bg) genes, including assemblage D (n = 15), C (n = 5), and F (n = 1). Among the 24 Cryptosporidium-positive specimens by SSU rRNA PCR, 20 PCR amplicons could be sequenced and identified as Cryptosporidium canis (n = 20). Collectively, this study indicates that parasites are a significant group of pathogens in companion dogs in Beijing, and companion dogs may potentially transmit certain zoonotic parasites to humans, particularly those with weak or weakened immunity.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29150700/