Resumen de Zoonotic parasite frequency in homebound and feral dogs in Texcoco, State of Mexico, Mexico
José Salcedo Jiménez, Evangelina Romero Callejas, Juan José Pérez Rivero, Evaristo A. Barragán Hernández
Objective: To describe and compare the frequency in which different parasites infect homebound and feral dogs, in the localities of the municipality of Texcoco, State of Mexico, Mexico.
Design/Methodology/Approach: In order to determine the presence of ectoparasites and gastrointestinal parasites, a sampling was carried out from August 2019 to July 2020, in localities of Texcoco, State of Mexico, Mexico. A total of 500 samplings of faeces from homebound and feral dogs were gathered.
Results: The general parasitosis samples had a 39% frequency (95% IC: 34.8-43.34%). Out of 325 samples obtained from homebound dogs, 134 (41.2%) tested positive (95% IC: 36.0-46.6%). Meanwhile, 175 samples were taken from feral dogs and 61 samples (34.8%) had at least one egg (95% IC: 28.1-42.1%). More than one type of parasite was found in 110 samples. The presence of parasites reached 48.8% in females (95% IC: 43.3-54.4%), while the percentage in males reached 66.4% (95% IC: 59.5-72.80%).
Study Limitations/Implications: The main limitation of this cross-sectional study is that data was gathered during a certain period (neutering/spaying campaigns). Therefore, the results may vary, if the same population is analyzed in another period.
Findings/Conclusions: The Ancylostoma sp. Toxocara sp. association had the highest Relative Risk and Cross-Product Ratio in 5-60-month-old homebound male dogs. Regarding the age group, 0-4-month-old animals had the highest parasitosis frequencies.New studies on this subject must be carried out to achieve a more exhaustive evaluation of the health status of homebound dogs, focusing on issues such as vaccination status, the interval between de-worming treatments, and the presence of parasites. Feral and semi-homebound dogs must also be included in the studies.
