Kolp Matthew, Marcello M, Holt A, Rossi K, Zurawski C, Cancelliere K, Telemeco S, Swift J F, Purple K, Faulkner C
Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University (LMU), Harrogate, TN 37752, USA; Center for Animal and Human Health in Appalachia, LMU, USA.
Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University (LMU), Harrogate, TN 37752, USA.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2025 Jul;62:101280. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2025.101280. Epub 2025 May 13.
Public dog parks provide opportunities for exercise and socialization, benefiting both dogs and their owners. However, dog parks can serve as reservoirs for gastrointestinal (GI) parasitic helminths, posing risks to canine and public health. This study investigated the presence of three common GI parasites, hookworm (Ancylostoma spp.), roundworm (Toxocara canis), and whipworm (Trichuris vulpis), in abandoned fecal samples from nine dog parks in Central Appalachia, comparing rural and urban environments. We also examined the relationship between parasite presence and fecal bacterial community composition using 16S rRNA sequencing. A total of 346 fecal samples were collected during 43 visits to parks in Tennessee and Kentucky. Centrifugal flotation (1.2 spg) revealed evidence of parasitic infection in 26.9 % of samples, with a higher percentage found in samples from rural parks (40.7 % of 135 samples) compared to urban parks (18.0 % of 211 samples; p < 0.0001). Hookworm was the most common parasite identified (18.8 %), with greater numbers of eggs in rural parks. Mixed infections were observed in 6.9 % of samples and found more often in rural dog parks. 16S rRNA sequencing indicated that bacterial diversity and community composition were influenced by park location and parasite presence. Rural parks exhibited more diverse bacterial communities and higher proportions of Actinomycetota, while urban parks showed higher levels of Fusobacteriota. Parasite-positive samples had greater bacterial diversity and were associated with specific taxa, such as Clostridia, linked to GI issues. Our findings highlight the increased potential of GI parasitic helminth contamination in rural dog parks and highlight the potential for parasites to alter canine gut microbiomes. These results emphasize the need for public health education on routine anthelmintic treatments to reduce zoonotic risks. The study further underscores the importance of a One Health approach to managing parasite transmission in communal canine spaces. Future work should explore the mechanisms underlying GI parasite-microbiome interactions and extend these findings to other geographic regions.
公共狗狗公园为狗狗提供了锻炼和社交的机会，对狗狗及其主人都有益处。然而，狗狗公园可能成为胃肠道（GI）寄生蠕虫的储存地，对犬类和公众健康构成风险。本研究调查了阿巴拉契亚中部九个狗狗公园废弃粪便样本中三种常见的胃肠道寄生虫，即钩虫（Ancylostoma spp.）、蛔虫（犬弓首蛔虫Toxocara canis）和鞭虫（狐毛首线虫Trichuris vulpis）的存在情况，并比较了农村和城市环境。我们还使用16S rRNA测序研究了寄生虫存在与粪便细菌群落组成之间的关系。在对田纳西州和肯塔基州的公园进行43次访问期间，共收集了346份粪便样本。离心浮选法（比重1.2）显示，26.9%的样本有寄生虫感染迹象，农村公园样本中的感染率（135份样本中的40.7%）高于城市公园（211份样本中的18.0%；p<0.0001）。钩虫是最常见的被鉴定出的寄生虫（18.8%），农村公园中的虫卵数量更多。6.9%的样本观察到混合感染，且在农村狗狗公园中更常见。16S rRNA测序表明，细菌多样性和群落组成受公园位置和寄生虫存在情况的影响。农村公园的细菌群落更多样化，放线菌门（Actinomycetota）的比例更高，而城市公园中梭杆菌门（Fusobacteriota）的水平更高。寄生虫阳性样本具有更高的细菌多样性，并且与特定的分类群相关，如与胃肠道问题有关的梭菌纲（Clostridia）。我们的研究结果突出了农村狗狗公园中胃肠道寄生蠕虫污染可能性的增加，并突出了寄生虫改变犬类肠道微生物群的可能性。这些结果强调了开展关于常规驱虫治疗的公共卫生教育以降低人畜共患病风险的必要性。该研究进一步强调了采用“同一健康”方法管理公共犬类空间中寄生虫传播的重要性。未来的工作应探索胃肠道寄生虫与微生物群相互作用的潜在机制，并将这些发现扩展到其他地理区域。
