Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
Institute of Police Equipment and Technologies, Policing Sciences and Social Studies Research Institute, Tehran, Iran.
Acta Parasitol. 2024 Sep;69(3):1724-1728. doi: 10.1007/s11686-024-00904-0. Epub 2024 Aug 20.
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and Toxocara spp. are two types of parasites that can infect humans and various animals, including dogs. Police dogs and their trainers have a vital role in law enforcement, and their health and well-being are crucial for them to effectively carry out their duties. No study has yet been conducted on the prevalence of T. gondii and Toxocara spp. infections among police dogs and their trainers in Iran. The objective of this study was to determine the sero-molecular prevalence of T. gondii and Toxocara spp. infections in police dogs and their trainers in Tehran, the capital of Iran.
In Tehran province, the anti-narcotics police have nearly 200 well-trained police dogs. Each dog is assigned a dedicated trainer and upon completing missions, is housed separately in a designated area. In the present study, a total of 150 samples were gathered. These included 50 blood samples from randomly selected police dogs, 50 fecal samples from the same dogs, and 50 blood samples from their trainers. The Modified Agglutination Test (MAT) was performed to detect T. gondii antibodies in dog blood samples and the ELISA system was utilized to identify anti-Toxoplasma and anti-Toxocara antibodies in the sera of the dog trainers. A specific segment of the SAG2 and ITS genes were amplified via nested-PCR in order to molecularly detect T. gondii in human blood samples and Toxocara spp. in dog fecal samples.
Regarding serological findings, the prevalence of T. gondii in dog and human blood samples was 4% (2/50) and 10% (5/50), respectively. According to reports, the seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. in human blood samples was 6% (3/50). No statistically significant association was found between the prevalence of the examined parasites and variables (age, sex, and breed) in dogs, as well as the age variable in military personnel. Molecular findings showed that out of the 50 dog fecal samples and 50 human blood samples, there was no presence of Toxocara spp. and T. gondii, respectively.
Understanding the prevalence of parasitic infections helps public health officials assess the risk to human and animal populations. This information can guide the development of prevention and control measures to reduce the spread of these infections. Overall, the prevalence of parasitic infections, particularly T. gondii and Toxocara spp., in police dogs and their trainers remains uncertain and necessitates further in-depth research.
刚地弓形虫（T. gondii）和旋毛形线虫属（Toxocara spp.）是两种可感染人类和包括狗在内的各种动物的寄生虫。警犬及其训练员在执法中发挥着重要作用，他们的健康和福祉对于有效履行职责至关重要。目前尚未有研究针对伊朗警犬及其训练员的刚地弓形虫和旋毛形线虫属感染的流行情况进行调查。本研究旨在确定伊朗首都德黑兰警犬及其训练员中刚地弓形虫和旋毛形线虫属感染的血清学和分子流行情况。
在德黑兰省，缉毒警察拥有近 200 只训练有素的警犬。每只狗都有一名专门的训练员，任务完成后，它们会被分别安置在指定的区域。在本研究中，共采集了 150 份样本。其中包括 50 份随机选取的警犬血液样本、50 份来自同一批警犬的粪便样本和 50 份警犬训练员的血液样本。采用改良凝集试验（MAT）检测狗血液样本中的刚地弓形虫抗体，酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）系统检测狗训练员血清中的抗弓形虫和抗旋毛形线虫抗体。通过巢式 PCR 扩增 SAG2 和 ITS 基因的特定片段，对人血样本中的刚地弓形虫和狗粪便样本中的旋毛形线虫属进行分子检测。
血清学检测结果显示，狗和人血液样本中刚地弓形虫的流行率分别为 4%（2/50）和 10%（5/50）。据报道，人血样本中旋毛形线虫属的血清流行率为 6%（3/50）。未发现所检查寄生虫的流行率与狗的变量（年龄、性别和品种）以及军事人员的年龄变量之间存在统计学关联。分子检测结果显示，在 50 份狗粪便样本和 50 份人血样本中，均未检测到旋毛形线虫属和刚地弓形虫。
了解寄生虫感染的流行情况有助于公共卫生官员评估人类和动物群体的风险。该信息可以指导制定预防和控制措施，以减少这些感染的传播。总体而言，警犬及其训练员中寄生虫感染，特别是刚地弓形虫和旋毛形线虫属的流行情况尚不确定，需要进一步深入研究。
