Institute of Parasitology, Center for Infectious Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, An Den Tierkliniken 35, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Parasitol Res. 2023 Feb;122(2):585-596. doi: 10.1007/s00436-022-07760-9. Epub 2022 Dec 22.
Young dogs are particularly susceptible to infections with endoparasites. The occurrence of endoparasites was investigated in young dogs from Central Germany between July 2020 and July 2022. In total, 386 fecal samples originating from 171 dogs were examined for the prevalence of endoparasites using a combined flotation- and sedimentation technique and conventional PCR. Overall, in 41.2% (159/386) of the examined samples, endoparasites were detected. The most frequently occurring endoparasites were Giardia duodenalis (29%), Cryptosporidium spp. (9.1%), Cystoisospora spp. (7.3%), and Toxocara canis (6%). Sequencing of G. duodenalis positive samples showed that most infections belonged to the host-specific assemblages C (38.4% (43/112)) and D (35.7% (40/112)). The zoonotic assemblage A was identified in 8% (9/112) of the samples. Moreover, mixed infections were observed as follows: C/D in 5 (4.5%), D/A in 4 (3.6%), and C/A in 3 (2.7%) samples. All assemblage A infections were assigned to the potentially zoonotic subassemblage AI. Co-infections of G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. were observed in 3.1% (12/386) of the samples. Analyzing several host factors for their potential association with endoparasitic infection, the origin of dogs, as well as the living environment were identified as the main risk factors for infection with endoparasites. Overall, this study shows a high infection rate with endoparasites, especially G. duodenalis, in young dogs from Germany. The results of this study contribute to further insight into the distribution and potential risk factors associated with endoparasitic infections, as well as the zoonotic potential these parasites may present.
年轻犬特别容易感染体内寄生虫。本研究于 2020 年 7 月至 2022 年 7 月期间调查了德国中部年轻犬体内寄生虫的流行情况。总共使用联合漂浮和沉淀技术和常规 PCR 检查了 171 只犬的 386 份粪便样本，以确定体内寄生虫的患病率。总体而言，在 41.2%（159/386）的检查样本中检测到了体内寄生虫。最常发生的体内寄生虫是十二指肠贾第鞭毛虫（29%）、隐孢子虫属（9.1%）、等孢球虫属（7.3%）和犬弓首蛔虫（6%）。对十二指肠贾第鞭毛虫阳性样本进行测序显示，大多数感染属于宿主特异性组合 C（38.4%（43/112））和 D（35.7%（40/112））。在 8%（9/112）的样本中鉴定出了人兽共患组合 A。此外，还观察到混合感染，包括 5 份样本的 C/D（4.5%）、4 份样本的 D/A（3.6%）和 3 份样本的 C/A（2.7%）。所有组合 A 感染均被分配给潜在的人兽共患亚组合 AI。在 3.1%（12/386）的样本中观察到十二指肠贾第鞭毛虫和隐孢子虫属的合并感染。分析多个宿主因素与体内寄生虫感染的潜在关联表明，犬的来源和生活环境是感染体内寄生虫的主要危险因素。总的来说，本研究表明，德国年轻犬体内寄生虫感染率较高，特别是十二指肠贾第鞭毛虫。本研究的结果有助于进一步了解与体内寄生虫感染相关的分布和潜在危险因素，以及这些寄生虫可能具有的人兽共患潜力。
