Abstract

SIERRA, M.F. et al. Presence of Toxocara spp. eggs on the hair of stray and domestic dogs. InVet [online]. 2016, vol.18, n.1, pp.27-32. ISSN 1668-3498.

Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati are the etiologic agents of a zoonotic disease with a broad distribution: human toxocariasis. Toxocara spp. eggs on the hair of dogs could be a route of transmission. The objective was to determine the presence of Toxocara spp. eggs in canine fur, according to dog type and age. We analyzed hairs from 148 dogs classified by their type in stray dogs (56) or domestic (92) and by age in puppy (20), juvenile (39) or adult (89). Eggs were detected in 8 stray dogs (14.3%) and in 1 domestic dog (1.1%). We found positive samples in 5 puppies (25%), 3 juveniles (8%) and 1 adult (1%). Being stray and less than one year were risk factors for the presence of eggs in dogs hair (OR=15,17 (IC 1,84-124,85); p=0,0018, y OR=13,80 (IC 1,67-113,55); p=0,0028, respectively). Amongst the 213 eggs found from all the samples, we detected 60 (28.1%) non-viable, 79 (37.1%) viable, 73 (34.3%) embryonating and 1 (0.5%) embryonated. Canine hair with Toxocara spp. eggs could represent a secondary transmission route.

Keywords : Zoonosis; Toxocara; Eggs; Dogs; Hair.