Environmental Contamination by enteroparasites present in the feces of dogs in a Pantanal region

DOI: 10.15343/0104-7809.20174103368377

Abstract

Environmental contamination by dog feces in public places is a risk factor for the transmission of enteroparasites, since some intestinal parasites that affect dogs have zoonotic potential. The objective of this work was to describe the prevalence of intestinal parasites present in dog feces (Canis lupus familiaris), using them as indicators of environmental contamination in public urban areas in a region of the Mato Grosso State Pantanal. During the months of May and June of 2016, 120 samples of dog feces were collected in public areas in Cáceres-MT. The collected feces were analyzed using an optical microscope in the Parasitology laboratory of the State University of Mato Grosso. For a more accurate diagnosis, two coprological techniques were used in each fecal sample collected, the Hoffman, Pons and Janer method, and the method of Faust et al. To verify the similarity between the richness of parasites species in the different areas, the Jaccard similarity index and the PERMANOVA analysis were used. Among the samples analyzed, 67.5% were positive for at least one intestinal parasite. The most prevalent helminths belong to the family Ancylostomatidae (34.16%), and the most prevalent intestinal protozoan was Giardia spp. (18.33%). The Jaccard index (p <0.05) and the PERMANOVA analysis (R2 = 0.04) showed that the areas are similar in the richness of the species found. It is concluded that dog feces play an important role in the environmental contamination by enteroparasites in this region of the Mato Grosso State Pantanal, representing a risk to the health of humans and other animals.