People, Pets, and Parasites: One Health Surveillance in Southeastern Saskatchewan

Abstract

Abstract. Residents of remote and Indigenous communities might experience higher exposure to some zoonotic parasites than the general North American population. Human sero-surveillance conducted in two Saulteaux communities found 113 volunteers exposed as follows: Trichinella (2.7%), Toxocara canis (4.4%), Echinococcus (4.4%), and Toxoplasma gondii (1.8%). In dogs, 41% of 51 fecal samples were positive for at least one intestinal parasite, 3% of 77 were sero-positive for Borrelia burgdorferi, and 21% of 78 for T. gondii. Echinococcus exposure was more likely to occur in non-dog owners (odds ratio [OR]: 11.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-107, P = 0.03); while T. canis was more likely to occur in children (ages 4-17) (OR: 49, 95% CI: 3.9-624; P = 0.003), and those with a history of dog bites (OR: 13.5, 95% CI: 1.02-179; P = 0.048). Our results emphasize the use of dogs as sentinels for emerging pathogens such as Lyme disease, and the need for targeted surveillance and intervention programs tailored for parasite species, cultural groups, and communities.

Canine infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, Dirofilaria immitis, Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. in Canada, 2013–2014

“…Finally, these vector-borne pathogens have been documented to cause disease in humans, and mapping the risk of canine infection also describes the areas where humans are most likely to be infected [32, 54, 55]. The species-specific nature of the B. burgdorferi analyte used in the SNAP® 4Dx® Plus Test kit may also allow for the differentiation of areas endemic for B. burgdorferi ( sensu stricto ) and those regions where other, or emerging, Borrelia spp.…”

Biology and Systematics of Echinococcus

“…However, the limitations of serological tests used to diagnose cystic infections caused by E. canadensis have contributed to human cases being underdiagnosed Thomposn, 2015). There has been a reliance on tests developed for E. granulosus and there are known to be antigenic differences between E. canadensis and E. granulosus Schurer et al, 2013Schurer et al, , 2014. The two genotypes of E. canadensis also appear to vary in virulence in humans with G8 more pathogenic than previously considered, with two severe cases recently reported Thompson, 2015).…”

Molecular prevalence and ecoregion distribution of select tick‐borne pathogens in Texas dogs

“…Due to the increased resistance of ticks to acaricides (Coles & Dryden, ), ease of travel, and the continuous geographical expansion of ticks (Donaldson et al., ; Eisen, Eisen, & Beard, ; Schurer, Ndao, Quewezance, Elmore, & Jenkins, ), dogs ( canis lupus familiaris ) are at continuous risk for tick‐borne diseases (TBD) in the United States (Chomel, ; Fritz, ). The groups consisting of borrelial ( Borrelia turicatae , B. hermsii , B. parkeri , B. burgdorferi ), rickettsial ( Ehrlichia canis , E .…”

“…Due to the increased resistance of ticks to acaricides (Coles & Dryden, 2014), ease of travel, and the continuous geographical expansion of ticks (Donaldson et al, 2016;Eisen, Eisen, & Beard, 2016;Schurer, Ndao, Quewezance, Elmore, & Jenkins, 2014), dogs (canis lupus familiaris) are at continuous risk for tick-borne diseases (TBD) in the United States (Chomel, 2011;Fritz, 2009). The groups consisting of borrelial (Borrelia turicatae, B. hermsii, B. parkeri, B. burgdorferi), rickettsial (Ehrlichia canis, E. chaffeensis, E. ewingii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia rickettsii), and babesial (Babesia gibsoni, B. canis) pathogens have been documented as the most common causes of TBDs in dogs (Chomel, 2011;Esteve-Gasent, Snell, Adetunji, & Piccione, 2017, Sudhakara Reddy, Sivajothi, Reddy, & Raju, 2016.…”