Hookworm test results in Greyhounds compared to other dog breeds

Abstract

Recent studies demonstrated that Greyhounds are commonly infected with Ancylostoma caninum and these infections have been shown to be resistant to anthelmintics. This study evaluated samples submitted to a commercial reference laboratory (IDEXX Laboratories) for canine fecal flotation zinc sulfate centrifugation and coproantigen immunoassay between January 1, 2019, and July 30, 2023 for evidence that Greyhounds were more often positive for Ancylostoma spp. (hookworms) compared to other breeds. The purpose of the study was to determine if Greyhounds were more likely to be hookworm-positive compared to other breeds, if Greyhounds on preventives with efficacy against hookworm infections are more likely to test positive than other breeds, if their infections take longer to resolve, to estimate how long this takes and to assess whether the proportion of hookworm positive tests for all breeds is increasing over time. Records of 25,440,055 fecal results were obtained representing 17,671,724 unique dogs. Of these, 49,795 (&#x223c;0.3%) were Greyhounds. The overall odds ratio (OR) of 15.3 (p&#xa0;<&#xa0;0.001) suggests that Greyhounds are at significantly higher risk than other breeds for hookworm positive float findings, and the OR of 14.3 (p&#xa0;<&#xa0;0.001) suggests significantly higher risk for hookworm antigen positive results. The median time to negative testing event from the Turnbull distribution estimate was in the interval of 1-2&#xa0;days for other breeds and 71-72&#xa0;days for Greyhounds. These results provide evidence that anthelmintic resistant A. caninum strains may be having population-level impacts on the frequency and duration of infections in Greyhounds. The findings have broader health implications beyond Greyhounds as MADR A. caninum strains could spread to other breeds and even pet owners.