Prevalence of Dog Intestinal Parasites and Risk Perception of Zoonotic Infection by Dog Owners in São Paulo State, Brazil

Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum are two protozoan intestinal parasites responsible for many drinking-water-related disease outbreaks in recent years. They are very resistant to conventional water treatment processes, can persist for long times in the environment and are, therefore, of great concern for public health. This work aimed to evaluate the presence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in water sources from São Paulo State, Brazil, as part of the “Evaluation of Inland Waters from Sao Paulo State” project from CETESB. Over a period of 19 months, 278 water samples from 28 sites located in 10 watersheds were analysed. The immunofluorescence assay was used after concentration of the samples by the calcium carbonate flocculation technique. Thermotolerant (faecal) coliforms, faecal streptococci and Clostridium perfringens were also determined in order to verify the existence of correlation between these bacterial indicators and the protozoa. Giardia and Cryptosporidium were detected in 27% and 2.5% of the samples, respectively, a lower figure compared with the results reported by other authors, especially for Cryptosporidium. A Spearman rank correlation test demonstrated a significant correlation between Giardia and faecal indicator concentrations. According to the American Regulation of Monitoring (ICR), treated water from 16 of these 28 collection sites should also be analysed to evaluate whether the treatment process could remove the parasites. Some technical deficiencies of these methods still limit the utilisation of the monitoring results for public health decisions, but the data here reported will help to improve the quality of drinking water in Sao Paulo State.

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Vaccinia Virus Zoonotic Infection, São Paulo State, Brazil

Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽

10.3201/eid1801.110692 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 189-191 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Jane Megid ◽

Iara A. Borges ◽

Jonatas S. Abrahão ◽

Giliane S. Trindade ◽

Camila M. Appolinário ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vaccinia Virus ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

São Paulo ◽

Zoonotic Infection ◽

Paulo State ◽

São Paulo State

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Molecular identification ofAncylostomaspecies from dogs and an assessment of zoonotic risk in low-income households, São Paulo State, Brazil

Journal of Helminthology ◽

10.1017/s0022149x15001145 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 91 (1) ◽

pp. 14-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

A.P. Oliveira-Arbex ◽

E.B. David ◽

T.C.G. Oliveira-Sequeira ◽

S. Katagiri ◽

S.T. Coradi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Intestinal Parasites ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Its2 Region ◽

Mixed Infections ◽

São Paulo ◽

Hookworm Infection ◽

Paulo State ◽

Zoonotic Risk ◽

São Paulo State

AbstractHookworm infection stands out for its worldwide distribution and for its veterinary and public health relevance. Based on copromicroscopic examinations and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the ITS1–5.8S–ITS2 region, we assessed, respectively, the prevalence of intestinal parasites and the identification of canine hookworm species in faeces recovered from 278 dogs living in households of an inland municipality of São Paulo State, Brazil. Intestinal parasites were found in 67.3% of dogs and hookworm infection was found at the highest prevalence rate (56.6%), followed byToxocara canis(11.9%),Isosporaspp. (11.9%),Giardiaspp. (5.8%),Sarcocystisspp. (4.0%), ‘Hammondia-like’ (1.4%),Dipylidium caninum(1.1%) andTrichuris vulpis(0.7%). Of 158 samples positive for hookworm eggs, 106 (67.1%) were amplified by PCR and, of those, 88 (55.7%) were successfully sequenced for species identification. Single infections withAncylostoma caninumandAncylostoma braziliensewere recorded in 61.4% and 12.5%, respectively, and mixed infections were found in 26.1%. The nucleotide sequences of both species showed high identity rates (98–100%) when compared with reference sequences. AlthoughA. caninumwas the most prevalent hookworm in the dogs assessed, the occurrence of bothA. caninumandA. braziliensein single and/or mixed infections poses a potential risk for the local population in a low-income area, especially children, to acquire cutaneous larva migrans (CLM).

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