Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Intestinal parasites found in dogs with diarrhea in Beijing 2015
By Yu, Zhongjia et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2018·College of Veterinary Medicine, China·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of intestinal parasites in companion dogs with diarrhea in Beijing, China, and genetic characteristics of Giardia and Cryptosporidium species.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A survey of 485 dogs with diarrhea in Beijing found that about 26% had intestinal parasites, including Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Border collies and bulldogs were more likely to be infected, while poodles had lower rates. The study showed that regular vaccinations and deworming within the past year significantly reduced the chances of infection. This highlights the importance of keeping your dog up to date on preventive care to protect both their health and that of humans they may come into contact with.
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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 on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29150700/