Helminth frequency in fecal samples from dogs in Pelotas’s city public parks

Abstract

The aim of this present study was to evaluate the frequency of gastrointestinal helminths of small animals in the public parks at Pelotas-RS. During the 12 month period of the study, from October 2018 to September 2019, 470 environmental feces samples were collected with the help of plastic bags in 10 public parks and they were sent in an isothermal container to the Group Study Laboratory on Parasitic Diseases (GEEP), FAVET-UFPel, in which the samples were processed using the Willis Mollay’s coproparasitological techniques (1921) and Spontaneous sedimentation (HPJ 1934). The results obtained showed that 41.1% (n = 193) of the samples were positive for some parasitic genus, with the most common helminth being Ancylostoma spp (57.0%), followed by Dipylidium caninum (26.9% ), Trichuris vulpis (10.9%), Toxocara spp. (4.2%), Capillaria spp. (0.52%) and Spirometra spp. (0.52%). It is concluded with the accomplishment of the work that there are helminth eggs whit zoonotic potential in public parks at Pelotas City - RS, showing a risk of zoonosis transmission to the population that pass by these places, as well as the transmission among other animals.