Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 1;14(1):5066. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-55515-6.
Human alveolar echinococcosis is increasingly documented in Alberta, Canada. Its causative agent, Echinococcus multilocularis (Em), can be transmitted to humans by infected dogs. We assessed the prevalence and associated risk factors for Em infections in domestic dogs in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In this cross-sectional study that coupled collection and assessment of dog feces with a survey on potential risk factors, 13 of 696 (Bayesian true prevalence, 2.4%; 95% CrI: 1.3-4.0%) individual dogs' feces collected during August and September 2012 were qPCR positive for Em. Sequencing two of these cases indicated that both were from the same Em European strain responsible for human infections in Alberta. Likelihood of intestinal Em was 5.6-times higher in hounds than other breeds, 4.6-times higher in dogs leashed at dog parks than those allowed off-leash, 3.1-times higher in dogs often kept in the backyard during spring and summer months than those rarely in the yard, and 3.3-times higher in dogs living in neighbourhoods bordering Bowmont park than those in other areas of Calgary. This situation warrants surveillance of dog infections as a preventative measure to reduce infections in North America.
在加拿大艾伯塔省，人类泡型包虫病的病例越来越多。其病原体多房棘球绦虫（Em）可通过感染的狗传播给人类。我们评估了加拿大艾伯塔省卡尔加里市家犬中 Em 感染的流行情况和相关危险因素。在这项结合了狗粪便收集和评估以及潜在危险因素调查的横断面研究中，2012 年 8 月和 9 月期间采集的 696 只狗的粪便中，有 13 只（贝叶斯真实流行率为 2.4%；95%可信区间：1.3-4.0%）的 qPCR 结果为 Em 阳性。对其中两个病例的测序表明，它们都来自同一株 Em 欧洲株，该菌株导致了艾伯塔省的人类感染。猎犬的肠 Em 感染可能性比其他品种高 5.6 倍，在狗公园拴着皮带的狗比自由放养的狗高 4.6 倍，在春季和夏季经常在后院饲养的狗比很少在院子里的狗高 3.1 倍，在与鲍蒙特公园接壤的街区居住的狗比在卡尔加里其他地区的狗高 3.3 倍。这种情况需要对狗的感染进行监测，作为预防措施，以减少北美地区的感染。
