Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Frequency of intestinal parasites in pet dogs from an urban area (Greater Oporto, northern Portugal).
- Journal:
- Veterinary parasitology
- Year:
- 2014
- Authors:
- Neves, Diogo et al.
- Affiliation:
- Hospital Veteriná
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at the presence of intestinal parasites in dogs from an urban area in northern Portugal. They examined two groups: one with healthy dogs that showed no signs of illness and another with dogs that had gastrointestinal disease. In the healthy group, about 21% had at least one type of intestinal parasite, with the most common being Cystoisospora canis and Giardia spp. In the sick group, around 34% had parasites, with Giardia spp. being the most frequently found. The study highlights that many dogs can carry these parasites without showing any symptoms, which is important for pet owners to know.
Abstract
The present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in dogs with no clinical signs (n=175; group H) and in dogs with gastrointestinal disease (n=193; group D) that were admitted to a veterinary hospital. In group H, the overall prevalence of intestinal parasites (i.e. the presence of at least one species) was 20.6%. Cystoisospora canis was the most prevalent protozoon (8.0%) followed by Giardia spp. (7.4%); Toxocara canis (5.1%) was the most frequent helminth, followed by Trichuris vulpis (1.1%) and Toxascaris leonina (0.6%). Among group H, age ≤ 6 months was found to be a risk factor for infection with C. canis and with at least one agent (odds ratio [OR]=3.4). In group D parasites were found in 33.7% of the dogs, with Giardia spp. (15.5%) being the most prevalent species, followed by C. canis (13.5%), T. canis (7.8%), T. vulpis (2.6%) and T. leonina (0.5%). In group D dogs, age ≤ 6 months was a risk factor for infection with Giardia spp. (OR=3.2), with C. canis (OR=32.7) and with at least one agent (OR=7.2). This study reveals a remarkable number of dogs infected but with no clinical signs.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24433853/