scholarly journals Toxocara canis in puppies and their public health importance in Grenada

Author(s):  
Regan Schwartz ◽  
Satesh Bidaisee ◽  
Calum Macpherson

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of Toxocara canis in puppies under 1 year of age and to understand the human-puppy relationship and risk behavior and also to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding its zoonotic potential amongst puppy owners, veterinarians, physicians and 6th term veterinary students Methods: A cross-sectional prevalence study in puppies less than one year of age was conducted by collecting fecal samples from puppies during the period January through November 2017 from households in all 6 parishes throughout Grenada. These were tested for T. canis positivity. The owners of the puppies as well as veterinarians, physicians and veterinary students were surveyed using a questionnaire. Results: A total of 306 fecal samples were collected. 147 (48%) puppies were positive for T. canis; of these 142 puppies were < 7 months of age and 5 between 7-10 months. 35 owners never treated puppies, 97% never spayed or neutered their adult dogs, 68% allowed their puppies to roam free and only 9% cleaned up after their puppies. 16.7% of physicians spoke with patients about zoonotic disease potential, none have ever diagnosed toxocariasis in adults or children in Grenada, and 60% cited ‘no concern’ regarding the zoonotic potential of T. canis to their patients. 6.5% of veterinary students ranked a ‘significant concern’ regarding the zoonotic potential of T. canis, 3.3% were aware of four clinical toxocariasis syndromes in humans and 64.5% correctly identified the main route for human transmission. Conclusion: Puppies present a zoonotic threat to public health in Grenada. The zoonotic nature of T. canis is predominantly unknown to the public and there is a need for educating the general public regarding its public health importance.

Author(s):  
Nouf S ALMughamis ◽  
Shaimaa AlAsfour ◽  
Shariq Mehmood

Abstract Objective Despite the public health importance of documenting the burden of physical inactivity and weight gain, there is a paucity of such data in Kuwait during the lockdown for Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, this survey was designed to estimate: the burden of poor eating habits particularly binge eating habits, fluctuations in weight and its predictors among the Kuwaiti public. Results There was a total of 522 valid respondents, with a mean age of 41.78 (11.75) years. There was a significant increase in weight of respondents during the quarantine (mean difference= -1.13, SD 5.39, t= -4.52, p < 0.001). Those with reporting unhealthy diets were 4.5 times more likely to report an increase in weight. Those reporting having anxiety throughout the day were 2.45 times more likely and those consuming snacks excessively were associated with 3.27 times higher odds of increase in weight than those not consuming it.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 199
Author(s):  
Myeong Sook Yoon ◽  
Israel Fisseha Feyissa ◽  
So-Won Suk

In the COVID-19 pandemic, marginalized groups like migrants are disproportionately affected. As panic, fear of neglect, and mistrusting institutions in these groups are presumed to be apparent, their detachment to health services still needs to be investigated. This study comparatively analyzed the level of panic and trust between South Koreans and immigrants who are living within highly affected areas of South Korea. Mann–Whitney-U-Test and Pearson correlation showed panic is more pronounced in the Korean group while having a similar panic display pattern with the immigrants. The immigrant group appears to highly trust the Korean health system, health institutions, local media, and the local native community. Beyond conventional expectations, participant’s average panic score showed a statistically significant positive correlation with items of the trust scale, indicating a level of individual reliance amid the pandemic panic. Thus, ascertaining institutional trust and matured citizenry are identified as factors for effective public health outcomes. During such a pandemic, this study also reminded the public health needs of immigrants as secondary citizens, and presumptions of immigrants’ mistrust in such settings might not always be true.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
B L O Luizeti ◽  
E M M Massuda ◽  
L F G Garcia

Abstract In view of the national scenario of scarcity of material and human resources in public health in Brazil, the survey verified the demographics of doctors who attend the Unified Health System (SUS) in municipalities of extreme poverty. An observational, analytical and cross-sectional study was carried out, based on secondary quantitative data from the Department of Informatics of the SUS using the TABNET of December 2019. The care networks variable was restricted to infer the number of physicians who attend the SUS in extreme poverty municipalities in Brazil. Municipalities of extreme poverty are those that at least 20% of the population have a household income of up to 145 reais per capita monthly. In Brazil, there are 1526 municipalities in extreme poverty, 27.4% of the country's total municipalities. 14,907 doctors linked to SUS work in this condition, 3.19% of the total of these professionals in Brazil. There is still disproportion between regions: North concentrates 11.2% of the municipalities in extreme poverty and 8.61% of the total number of doctors; Northeast, with 61.33% of these municipalities, for 61.5% of doctors; Southeast, with 15.46% of the municipalities in this condition, has 20.6% of doctors; South concentrates 10.87% of the municipalities under discussion with 5.61% of doctors and the Midwest, with 4.87% of these municipalities, has 3.54% of doctors. Between 2009 and 2018, there was a 39% increase in the number of doctors in these locations, however, for 2019, there was a decrease of 3.89%. The medical demographic distribution in Brazil is uneven, especially in the North. There is also the vulnerability of this population in view of the observed reduction in the number of professionals between 2018 and 2019 in municipalities of extreme poverty, for political reasons. It is evident the need to restructure the health system to guarantee access to health for this population, through the attraction and fixation of doctors in needy regions in Brazil. Key messages Shortage of doctors in extreme poverty municipalities reinforces the health vulnerability of the population in Brazil. The uneven medical demography in Brazil requires restructuring in the public health system.


Author(s):  
Clea Adas Saliba Garbin ◽  
Bruno Wakayama ◽  
Tânia Adas Saliba ◽  
Orlando Adas Saliba Junior ◽  
Artênio José Ísper Garbin

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 446-451
Author(s):  
Kadek Karang Agustina ◽  
Made Suma Anthara ◽  
Nengah Anom Adi Nugraha Sibang ◽  
Wayan Adi Rinta Wiguna ◽  
Jendra Krisna Apramada ◽  
...  

Background and Aim: Several free-roaming dogs can be easily found in the public areas of Bali. They go out in search of foods and friends and defecate everywhere. In general, these groups of dogs do not receive good healthcare from their owners and are generally threatened by some disease-causing organisms, especially helminths. This study was conducted to identify and measure the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) that cause infection in free-roaming dogs in Bali Province, Indonesia. Materials and Methods: A total of 1611 fresh dog fecal samples were collected from all areas of Bali Province and subjected to qualitative fecal examination using flotation techniques to obtain STH eggs. Results: The incidence of STHs in free-roaming dogs was 38.36%. However, three types of STHs were identified, including Ancylostoma spp., Ascaris spp., and Trichuris spp. Ancylostoma spp. had the highest prevalence of 37.8%, followed by Ascaris spp. and Trichuris spp. at 6.02% and 0.87%, respectively. Multiple infections of these worms were also recorded. The polyparasitism prevalence of Ancylostoma spp. and Ascaris spp. was 3.85%, followed by that of Ancylostoma spp. and Trichuris spp. at 0.5% and that of Ascaris spp. and Trichuris spp. at 0.06%. There were no altitude-wise differences in the prevalence of STH infection. Conclusion: The prevalence of STHs was high in free-roaming dogs. This finding necessitates more serious attention as it affects both animal and public health.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremiah N. Ngugi ◽  
Eric M. Fèvre ◽  
Georgies F. Mgode ◽  
Mark Obonyo ◽  
Ginethon G. Mhamphi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonosis of public health importance transmitted through contact with contaminated soil, water or urine of infected animals. In pigs the disease is characterized by abortion, still births and weak piglets. A cross-sectional study was conducted in May to July 2018 to estimate the sero-prevalence of leptospirosis and factors associated with seropositivity in slaughter pigs. A questionnaire was used to collect information on animal demographics. Serum was tested for anti-leptospiral antibodies using microscopic agglutination test (MAT) with a panel of 8 serovars. Sera were considered positive for sero-reactivity at a MAT titre ≥1:40 against at least one serovar. Chi-square tests were used to measure the strength of association between the MAT test result and exploratory variables. Results A total of 252 pig serum samples from seven slaughterhouses were tested for Leptospira antibodies by MAT. Of the 252 pigs sampled, 88.8% (244/252) were indigenous breeds; 55.6% (140/252) were female and 88.7% (220/252) were reared in extensive production systems. Eighty-three (32.9%; 83/252) sera samples tested positive on MAT against at least one serovar. Of the 8 serovars, the highest prevalence was recorded for serovar Lora 21.4% followed by Kenya 5.2%, Sokoine 3.6% and Grippotyphosa at 3.2%. Risk factors for leptospirosis seropositivity in pigs were: originating from farms with other types of livestock (OR 2.3; 95% CI 1.0–4.5) and mature pigs (OR 1.9; 95% CI 1.1–3.3). Conclusion This study demonstrates that there is a high prevalence of leptospirosis positive pigs at slaughter in a small-holder livestock keeping region of the Lake Victoria basin. The potential for cross species transmission of pathogenic serovars is highlighted as well as the potential for occupational exposure to slaughterhouse personnel. Improvements in husbandry practices (confinement and rodent control) and public health education among slaughterhouse workers and other high-risk groups is recommended.


2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
pp. 4992-4997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Una M. Ryan ◽  
Caroline Bath ◽  
Ian Robertson ◽  
Carolyn Read ◽  
Aileen Elliot ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Little is known of the prevalence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia parasites in sheep and the genotypes that they harbor, although potentially sheep may contribute significantly to contamination of watersheds. In the present study, conducted in Western Australia, a total of 1,647 sheep fecal samples were screened for the presence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia spp. using microscopy, and a subset (n = 500) were screened by PCR and genotyped. Analysis revealed that although both parasites were detected in a high proportion of samples by PCR (44% and 26% for Giardia and Cryptosporidium spp., respectively), with the exception of one Cryptosporidium hominis isolate, the majority of isolates genotyped are not commonly found in humans. These results suggest that the public health risk of sheep-derived Cryptosporidium and Giardia spp. in catchment areas and effluent may be overestimated and warrant further investigation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Isabel Giuli da Silva Ferreira ◽  
Hilda Fátima Jesus Pena ◽  
Sérgio Santos Azevedo ◽  
Marcelo Bahia Labruna ◽  
Solange Maria Gennari

Abstract Occurrences of gastrointestinal parasites were assessed in fecal samples from 3,099 dogs in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, SP, that were treated at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of São Paulo Veterinary School. The samples were analyzed using the flotation and centrifugal sedimentation methods. The results were compared with those from previous studies (at different times). The frequency of each parasite was correlated with the dogs’ ages, breeds and gender, as well as the occurrences of diarrhea and the use of anthelmintics, by means of the chi-square or Fisher exact test. Partitioned chi-square tests were used to compare occurrences of each parasite and the times analyzed. Out of the total number of samples, 20.5% were positive and 16.1% (102/635) of these presented more than one genus of parasites. Ancylostoma spp. (7.1%) and Giardia spp. (5.5%) were the most frequent helminths and protozoa, respectively. Ancylostoma spp. was associated (p<0.05) with age (over one year), mixed breeds, sex (male) and no use of anthelmintics. Dogs under one year and mixed breeds were associated with occurrences of Toxocara canis; and younger dogs with Giardia spp., Cryptosporidium spp. and Cystoisospora spp. Giardia spp. were also associated with dogs with a defined breed (p<0.05). All the parasites analyzed presented lower incidence in the last period analyzed than in the previous periods.


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