Helminth Infections by Coprological Examination in Sheep-Dogs and Their Zoonotic Importance

Abstract

ÖZAmaç: Bu çalışma, çoban köpeklerinde sindirim sistemi helmintlerinin yaygınlığını ve zoonoz öneme sahip türlerin varlığını belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Yöntemler: Dışkı örnekleri önce makroskobik olarak incelenmiş, daha sonra helmint yumurtaları yönünden formalin ethyl-acetat sedimentasyon ve ZnSO 4 flotasyon yöntemleri ile bakılmıştır. Results: Helminth infection was detected in 35.26% of sheep dogs. Taenia spp. was the most common helminth (12.05%), followed by Toxocara spp. (9.38%), Toxascaris leonina (6.25%), and Trichuris spp. (4.2%). The positive results in the E. granulosus and T. canis-specific PCRbased molecular tests were obtained in 14 of the Taenia egg-positive samples and in 5 of the Toxocara egg-positive samples from dogs. This study has suggested that coprophagy and feed raw offal and meat to dogs may be responsible for finding atypical helminth eggs in fecal samples from dogs in the absence of an actual infection. Conclusion: To make the diagnosis of their owned parasites of dogs, E. granulosus and T. canis which have zoonotic importance, feces must be examined by both conventional and copro-PCR techniques. In addition to dogs' feeding habits, other related factors must be taken into account in the epidemiology of helminth infection; thus, precaution and control measures will be more reliable.