Dog ownership, dog behaviour and transmission of Echinococcus spp. in the Alay Valley, southern Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

SUMMARYEchinococcosis is a re-emerging zoonotic disease in Kyrgyzstan, and the incidence of human infection has increased substantially since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Domestic dogs are hosts of Echinococcus spp. and play an important role in the transmission of these parasites. The demography, ecology and behaviour of dogs are therefore relevant in studying Echinococcus spp. transmission. Dog demographics, roles of dogs, dog movements and faecal environmental contamination were assessed in four rural communities in the Alay Valley, southern Kyrgyzstan. Arecoline purge data revealed for the first time that E. granulosus, E. canadensis and E. multilocularis were present in domestic dogs in the Alay Valley. Surveys revealed that many households had dogs and that dogs played various roles in the communities, as pets, guard dogs or sheep dogs. Almost all dogs were free to roam, and GPS data revealed that many moved outside their communities, thus being able to scavenge offal and consume rodents. Faecal environmental contamination was high, presenting a significant infection risk to the local communities.

Trophic ecology, behaviour and host population dynamics in Echinococcus multilocularis transmission

“…The density of faeces measured using quadrat counts was highly variable (median ranged between 22 and 120 faeces/ha), differed among villages and was generally higher in May than October in Kyrgyzstan (Van Kesteren et al, 2013). By contrast, no difference in faeces density was observed between villages and sampling years in China.…”

“…A few studies investigated the contamination of dog populations with E. multilocularis on the mid-and high-altitude grasslands (2000-4500 m) of central Asia, including southeast Kyrgyzstan and central and western China (Sichuan, Qinghai and Xinjiang provinces) where pastoralism is the main activity (Budke et al, 2005;Wang et al, 2007Wang et al, , 2010Ziadinov et al, 2008;Vaniscotte et al, 2011;Van Kesteren et al, 2013). These open landscapes are known to favour population outbreaks of a variety of small mammal species shown to be E. multilocularis intermediate hosts: Ochotona curzoniae and Ochotona cansus, Microtus limnophilus, Cricetulus kamensis in the eastern Tibetan plateau of central China, Ellobius tancrei and Microtus gregalis in Kyrgyzstan .…”

“…The distribution of carnivore faeces and the activity patterns of dogs in the villages of the high altitude endemic areas of the eastern Tibetan plateau in China and of southeast Kyrgyzstan were quantified by Vaniscotte et al (2011) and Van Kesteren et al (2013), respectively. The density of faeces measured using quadrat counts was highly variable (median ranged between 22 and 120 faeces/ha), differed among villages and was generally higher in May than October in Kyrgyzstan (Van Kesteren et al, 2013).…”

“…In these situations, the density of dog faeces can be very high, and the large majority of dog faeces were released in the vicinity of households, which probably constitutes an area at high risk for human contamination. The median distance travelled per dog from the household in Kyrgyzstan significantly varied among villages (range: 20-62 m), with maximum distances as high as almost 2 km (Van Kesteren et al, 2013). In China, 50% of GPS-collared dogs spent 80% of their time (core area) within less than 0.16 ha and did not travel more than 36 m away from the owner's house (Vaniscotte et al, 2011).…”

Control of cestode zoonoses in Asia: role of basic and applied science

“…Giraudoux et al (2013a) present regional types of transmission of E. multilocularis and their ecological characteristics in China and Central Asia. Torgerson (2013) overviews the current position of echinococcoses in Central Asia while Van Kesteren et al (2013) assess dog demographics, roles of dogs, dog movements and faecal environmental contamination of rural communities of southern Kyrgyzstan. Moss et al (2013) attempt to evaluate Echinococcus spp.…”