Canine intestinal parasitic infections and soil contamination by Toxocara spp. in selected areas of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Introduction: Contaminated environment with canine parasitic eggs is the main source for toxocariasis and other geohelminth infections of humans. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors for intestinal parasitic infections in dogs and the degree of soil contamination with Toxocara eggs in Kandy and Gampaha districts in Sri Lanka. Methods: A total of 188 fecal samples from both stray and domestic owned dogs from Gampaha district and Kandy district were collected. In addition, soil samples were collected from home gardens and public places. Hypochlorite recovery technique and zinc sulfate floatation method were used to concentrate eggs in soil samples. Results: The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections of domestic and stray dogs in Gampaha district was 38.2% and 42.9%, respectively, while in Kandy district, it was 41.1% and 50%, respectively. Hookworms were the most common parasitic infection among domestic dogs (18.5%), while Toxocara spp. were the most common among stray dogs (17.2%). Intestinal parasitic infections were significantly more prevalent among female dogs than males. Age, deworming, immunization, immunization time, and living in rural areas were not significantly associated with intestinal parasitic infections in domestic dogs. A total of 4% and 4.5% soil samples were contaminated with Toxocara spp. eggs in Gampaha and Kandy districts, respectively. Conclusions: The higher prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in dogs could be a major public health issue. Implementations of programs to improve the awareness of parasitic infections among pet owners and control strategies need to decrease the risk of infections to both animal and human health.

Environmental soil contamination with zoonotic soil-transmitted helminths in the temple grounds of Chachoengsao Province, Thailand

“…This result was slightly different from a previous report where contamination was detected in 12.0% of the soil samples collected from schools in Sakon Nakhon Province [6] in the northeastern region and in 18.3% of the soil samples in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province [7] in the southern region. Our results revealed higher contamination rates than those in Iran (13.0%) [18], Sri Lanka (12.0%) [19], Poland (1.6%) [20], and Brazil (0.5%-8.3%) [12,21], but lower than those reported in Iran (18.0%-47.5%) [9,22,23], Malaysia (24%) [2], Poland (20.7%) [17], Russia (23.3%) [24], Brazil (27.3%-38.4%) [25,26], Greece (17.1%) [27], Peninsula (26.6%) [28], Portugal (63.2%) [29], Serbia (22.0%-26.0%) [30], Turkey (19.4%) [31], and Germany (23.2%) [32]. Toxocara spp.…”

Seroprevalence of toxocariasis among allergic patients in Kuwait and its association with eosinophilia

“…A considerable prevalence of canine toxocariasis has been reported in Cebu, Philippines, where a study detected T. canis eggs in 23 out of 200 (11.5%) owned and sheltered dogs ( Urgel et al, 2019 ). A recent study from Sri Lanka reported that Toxocara eggs were found in 4.5% of collected soil samples and 17% of fecal samples collected from stray dogs ( Galgamuwa et al, 2020 ). The seroprevalence rate of human toxocariasis was even higher among suspected cases of visceral larva migrans (50%) and ocular toxocariasis (62%), particularly in children below the age of 14 years ( Iddawela et al, 2017a ; Iddawela et al, 2017b ).…”