FPS Health, Food chain Safety & Environment, Corporate Strategy, Place Victor Horta, 40 box 10, 1060 Brussels, Belgium.
Utrecht University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, P.O. box 80.165, 3508 TD Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2020 Dec;22:100450. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2020.100450. Epub 2020 Aug 19.
Infections with endoparasites are common in dogs. Some of these parasites are potentially zoonotic and therefore a public health concern. A survey was conducted in twenty-six small animal practices to evaluate the prevalence of endoparasites in Belgian and Dutch owned dogs older than 6 months as well as risk factors associated with infection. Out of 239 faecal samples screened (168 in Belgium and 71 in the Netherlands), 18 dogs were tested positive for at least one type of endoparasite with three dogs co-infected with two parasitic species. Toxocara sp. was the most frequently found endoparasite (4.6%). Three other dogs were positive for Angiostrongylus vasorum (1.4%) using the Baermann method and confirmed in one dog by the Angiodetect® test. Age and predation behaviour were identified as two risk factors associated with endoparasite infection. Although the majority (77%) of the owners in this study reported to administer at least one anthelmintic treatment per year, only a minority of them (24.3%) were aware of the risk to human health, indicating that owner awareness is sub-optimal. For dog owners, human toxocarosis and other potential zoonoses remain an underestimated health concern. The implementation of sustainable parasite control strategies should be promoted taking also into account the public health risk.
内寄生虫感染在狗中很常见。其中一些寄生虫具有潜在的人畜共患性，因此是一个公共卫生关注点。在 26 家小动物诊所进行了一项调查，以评估 6 个月以上的比利时和荷兰犬的内寄生虫感染率以及与感染相关的风险因素。在筛查的 239 份粪便样本中（比利时 168 份，荷兰 71 份），有 18 只狗至少检测出一种内寄生虫感染，其中 3 只狗同时感染了两种寄生虫。旋毛虫（Toxocara sp.）是最常见的内寄生虫（4.6%）。另有 3 只狗使用贝曼法（Baermann method）检测出血管圆线虫（Angiostrongylus vasorum）阳性（1.4%），其中 1 只狗通过 Angiodetect®测试确认阳性。年龄和捕食行为被确定为与内寄生虫感染相关的两个风险因素。尽管本研究中的大多数（77%）狗主人报告每年至少进行一次驱虫治疗，但只有少数（24.3%）人意识到对人类健康的风险，这表明狗主人的意识还不够。对于狗主人来说，人类旋毛虫病和其他潜在的人畜共患病仍然是一个被低估的健康关注点。应推广可持续的寄生虫控制策略，同时也要考虑到公共卫生风险。
