Opportunistic Mapping of and Hookworm in Dogs in Remote Australian Communities.

Both S and hookworms are common soil-transmitted helminths in remote Australian communities. In addition to infecting humans, and some species of hookworms infect canids and therefore present both environmental and zoonotic sources of transmission to humans. Currently, there is limited information available on the prevalence of hookworms and infections in dogs living in communities across the Northern Territory in Australia. In this study, 274 dog faecal samples and 11 faecal samples of unknown origin were collected from the environment and directly from animals across 27 remote communities in Northern and Central Australia. Samples were examined using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis for the presence of and four hookworm species: and . The prevalence of in dogs was found to be 21.9% (60/274). was the only hookworm detected in the dog samples, with a prevalence of 31.4% (86/274). This study provides an insight into the prevalence of and hookworms in dogs and informs future intervention and prevention strategies aimed at controlling these parasites in both dogs and humans A "One Health" approach is crucial for the prevention of these diseases in Australia.