Research Center for Hydatid Disease in Iran, Afzalipour School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, 76169114115, Iran.
Dept of Parasitology, Hohenheim University, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany.
Parasit Vectors. 2024 Aug 23;17(1):359. doi: 10.1186/s13071-024-06435-x.
Dogs are the most important definitive hosts of zoonotic taeniid helminths worldwide. Different Echinococcus and Taenia species of domestic and wild carnivores pose a potential risk to human population. High populations of free-roaming dogs (FRDs) in urban areas of Iran and widespread contamination of the environment with dog feces is a potential source of infecting people living in the urban regions with cystic echinococcosis (CE). Our knowledge on the risk of CE transmission in the urban settings in the endemic regions is limited. The present study surveyed the species and genotypes of E. granulosus sensu lato and other taeniids by examining feces of free-roaming dogs in the urban areas in the city of Kerman, southeastern Iran.
The city was divided into 100 consecutive blocks of which 25 blocks were randomly selected. Fecal samples of FRDs were counted, mapped and fresh samples were collected. Then Zinc chloride flotation, and sequential sieving was performed, and the samples were examined under an inverted microscope. Single individual taeniid eggs were isolated, partial nad1 gene was amplified and sequenced to identify species and genotypes.
In total 5607 fecal samples of dogs were mapped and 83 fresh samples were collected. Taeniid eggs were detected in nine fecal samples (10.8%) from seven out of the 25 city blocks (28.0%). Echinococcus eggs were found in four samples (4.8%) from three city blocks, two samples containing E. granulosus sensu stricto (2.4%), two samples containing E. canadensis G6/7 (2.4%). In addition, three samples contained eggs of Taenia hydatigena (3.6%), and one sample of Taenia serialis (1.2%).
This study documented the potential risk of CE transmission to humans resulting from the feces of dogs roaming freely in urban areas.
狗是全球最重要的动物源性绦虫的最终宿主。家养和野生食肉动物中的不同细粒棘球绦虫和带绦虫物种对人类构成潜在威胁。伊朗城市地区流浪狗（FRD）数量众多，狗粪便广泛污染环境，这是城市地区居民感染包虫病（CE）的潜在来源。我们对流行地区城市环境中 CE 传播风险的了解有限。本研究通过检查伊朗东南部克尔曼市城市地区流浪犬的粪便，调查了游离体狗粪便中细粒棘球绦虫和其他带绦虫的种类和基因型。
将城市划分为 100 个连续街区，随机选择 25 个街区。计算、绘制 FRD 的粪便数量并采集新鲜样本。然后进行氯化锌漂浮和连续筛检，并在倒置显微镜下检查样本。分离单个个体带绦虫卵，扩增部分 nad1 基因并测序以鉴定物种和基因型。
共绘制了 5607 份犬粪便图，并采集了 83 份新鲜样本。从 25 个街区中的 7 个街区的 83 个新鲜样本中检测到 9 个粪便样本（10.8%）中有带绦虫卵。在 3 个街区的 4 个样本（4.8%）中发现了细粒棘球蚴卵，2 个样本含有细粒棘球蚴（2.4%），2 个样本含有加拿大棘球蚴 G6/7（2.4%）。此外，3 个样本含有多头绦虫虫卵（3.6%），1 个样本含有链状带绦虫虫卵（1.2%）。
本研究记录了在城市地区自由游荡的狗的粪便可能导致包虫病传播给人类的风险。
