Epidemiological Characteristics and the Trend of Animal Bites during the years 2014-2018

Background: Animal bite is a serious and dangerous threat to human health. The highest prevalence rate of animal bite in Iran is in Golestan, Ardabil and, then Khorasan. The present study examined the epidemiological characteristics and the trend of animal bites during 2014-2018. Results: In this study, out of 3784 cases bitten by animals, 2821 happened by a sudden attack. Most reports of the animal bite were from dogs. Also, the trend of animal bite during 2014-2018 was increasing and the charts showed that the trend will continue to increase the next year. Conclusion: Due to the increasing trend of animal bites, it is necessary to take basic measures such as training endangered groups, forming a committee to eliminate stray dogs, and strengthening the care system and immunization program.

Genotyping and Zoonotic Potential of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in Stray Dogs Sheltered from Shanghai, China

Microsporidia are considered to be highly diverged and specialized parasites, and can infect a wide variety of vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Enterocytozoon bieneusi is the most prevalent species in humans and various livestock, wildlife, and companion mammals. Dogs being the most popular companion animals of humans become more and more regarded. In this study, 272 fecal specimens were collected from stray dogs from Shanghai, but the dogs were adopted in a shelter in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China. E. bieneusi was examined by PCR amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and sequence analysis. The total positive rate of E. bieneusi was 8.8% (24/272). Moreover, 8 genotypes were found, including three known (genotypes EbpA, Henan V and Type IV) and 5 novel genotypes (genotypes SHZJD1–5). Two samples were positive for two genotypes, one was positive fortype SHZJD4 and Henan V, the other was positive for Henan V and Type IV. In addition, phylogenetic analysis showed all genotypes obtained in this study were all clustered into the zoonotic group 1. Therefore, the risk of zoonotic transmission of pathogens such as E. bieneusi from stray dogs to humans potentially threaten human health, and it is time to strengthen their health management.

Prevalence of Echinococcus Species in Wild Foxes and Stray Dogs in Qinghai Province, China

Echinococcosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease that is highly endemic to the Qinghai province of China. Limited data are available on the prevalence of the causal pathogen, Echinococcus spp., in definitive hosts in this region. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of Echinococcus spp. in wild foxes and stray dogs in Qinghai province. Five hundred and twenty-eight feces from wild foxes and 277 from stray dogs were collected from 11 counties in the Golog, Yushu, and Haixi prefectures and screened for Echinococcus spp. using copro-DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In total, 5.5% of wild foxes and 15.2% of stray dogs tested positive for Echinococcus spp. The prevalence rates of Echinococcus spp. in wild foxes in Golog, Yushu, and Haixi were 7.3%, 5.2%, and 1.9%, respectively. In stray dogs, these rates were 13.3%, 17.3%, and 0%, respectively. Sequencing analysis determined that Echinococcus multilocularis was the most prevalent species, occurring in 4.0% and 12.6% of wild foxes and stray dogs, respectively. Echinococcus shiquicus was observed in 1.5% of wild foxes and 0.7% of stray dogs. Echinococcus granulosus was observed only in wild dogs, with a prevalence rate of 1.8%. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the prevalence of E. shiquicus in dogs in Qinghai province. The current results improve our understanding of the transmission and dissemination of human echinococcosis and suggest that exposure to the eggs of E. multilocularis harbored by wild foxes and stray dogs may pose a great risk of alveolar echinococcosis to humans in Qinghai province.

Wildlife is imperiled in peri-urban landscapes: threats to arboreal mammals

Urbanization and deforestation impose severe challenges to wildlife, particularly for forest-living vertebrates. Understanding how the peri-urban matrix impacts their survival is critical for designing strategies to promote their conservation. We investigated the threats faced by brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba clamitans) in peri-urban regions of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) and Santa Catarina (SC) states, southern Brazil, by compiling conflicts reported over more than two decades. We assessed the major conflicts, their distribution among age-sex classes, and the predictors of conflict-related mortality using GLMMs. After 20+ years of monitoring, we compiled 540 conflicts (RS=248 and SC=292). Electrocution in power lines was the most frequent cause of death or injury (37%), followed by dog attack (34%), run over (17%), and human mistreatment (12%). The occurrence of lethal injuries ranged from 5% to 69% depending on the type of conflict and state. The overall post-conflict mortality was 56%. Adult males and females were the major victims in both states. The minimal adequate GLMM explained 83% of the variation in conflict-related mortality. State, conflict type, and age-sex class were the main predictors of mortality. Overall, mortality was lower in SC and after human mistreatment, and higher among adult females than in the other classes. We found that the survival of brown howlers in the forest-urban interface is constrained by both the urban infrastructure and the growing interactions with humans and domestic and stray dogs. We propose the placement of aerial bridges, road signs and speed bumps in areas of frequent animal crossing, the sterilization of stray dogs, and the sensitization of local inhabitants on the importance of respecting and protecting wildlife to reduce their conflicts with humans and domestic animals in the forest-urban interface.

Prevalence of Intestinal Parasite Infections in Stray Dogs in Taif Region, KSA

Background: The study of intestinal parasites that occur in stray dogs in the Taif region, KSA, is most important since there is little data available on this subject. Methods: Dog fecal samples were collected from 129 dogs in three different areas. Fecal samples were processed and analyzed by different mount techniques including, parasitological examination, wet-mount preparation and modified Kinyoun’s acid-fast technique. Result: The total prevalence of enteric parasites was 115 positive cases; for helminths was (62.7%) and for protozoa (26.3%). Mixed infection was higher than single infection in three areas. The total prevalence of helminths eggs by different mount preparation recovered from fecal sample examination from single or mixed form E. granulosus, T. canis and T. vulpis was of high infection rate (15.5%), (10.07%), (10.07%), followed by A. lumbercoides (7.7 %). Finally, T. leonine (6.9%), both A. caninum and A. braziliense are of the same percentage (6.2%). Concerning single and mixed protozoa infection, Giardia was of a high prevalence (16.2%), followed by Cryptosporidium (8.5%) and finally E. histolytica (1.5%) in fecal samples of doges. These data revealed that infection levels of parasites in stray dogs in the studied areas were high, knowing that this is the first study for mixed infections between dogs and humans in KSA.

Aplicativo móvil para la identificación de canes callejeros haciendo uso de reconocimiento de imágenes basado en aprendizaje automático

The population of stray dogs increases every year, which is why technologies, pro-tocols, and legislative projects have been implemented in different countries to stop it. The objective of this research is to make use of image recognition (machine lear-ning) to optimize the identification of stray dogs that are in a state of loss. The imple-mented methodology consists of 4 phases: approach to the research questions, gene-ration of the model via machine learning, development of the mobile application where the generated model was integrated, and validation of the proposal with 2 case studies. From the results of the validation, it was found that our proposal managed to optimize the time and precision in the identification of lost dogs by 45%, compa-red to other web platforms.

Stray Dog Feeding and Self-Reported Stray Dog-Related Problems in Thailand.

Stray dog population leads to problems, which are directly related to humans and the environment, has transformed stray dog issues from a third world problem to a global, public health priority. Hence, this study aimed to determine factors related to the feeding of stray dogs and other factors, which influence the results of stray dogs-related problems. This was a community based cross-sectional study, performed in Bangdan village, Songkhla, Thailand. Data were collected through phone interviews. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to measure the association between the independent variables and the problems-related with stray dogs. Among 168 participants, 137 participants (81.5%) were bothered by problems caused by stray dogs. The most common problem reported was garbage scavenging (62.5%), which occurred predominantly from the hours of 6 pm. to Midnight. Feeding stray dogs was significantly associated with stray dog-related problems (Odds Ratio [OR] = 3.94 with 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26-17.41). However, other factors; such as, gender, length of stay and owning pets had no statistically significant association. In conclusion, feeding stray dogs was significantly associated with stray dog-related problems, with garbage scavenging being the most common problem reported.

Survey of dermatophytes in stray dogs and cats with and without skin lesions in Puerto Rico and confirmed with MALDI-TOF MS

Dermatophytosis is a common and highly contagious zoonotic skin disease in companion animals. This disease is a major concern in geographical areas that contain large numbers of stray animal populations. Numerous surveys on dermatophytosis among stray animal populations worldwide range between 27% to 50%. In recent years, the US territory of Puerto Rico was impacted by several natural disasters such as hurricanes, which has led to a large increase of abandonment cases and an increase in the stray animal population. Due to this, large low-cost spay/neuter clinics and trap-neuter-release programs have become a more common practice on the island. During these events, veterinary staff are exposed to multiple animals with no health history, and therefore, zoonotic diseases are of concern. The aim of this study was to provide information regarding the presence of dermatophyte species in symptomatic and asymptomatic stray dogs and cats in a region of Puerto Rico. Hair samples were collected from 99 stray animals with and without dermatological clinical signs. The hair samples were cultured on plates containing rapid sporulation medium and dermatophyte test medium. All cultures were evaluated microscopically to confirm the presence of dermatophytes. Then, all dermatophytes were further evaluated with MALDI-TOF MS to compare both diagnostic tests. A total of 19 animals (19%) were positive for dermatophyte growth. Of these animals, 18/19 were infected with M. canis and 1/19 with Trichophyton spp. Animals with clinical lesions were positive only 13.5% of the time compared to asymptomatic animals, who were positive in 36% of the sample population. All 19 dermatophytes (100%) diagnosed with microscopic evaluation were confirmed with MALDI-TOF MS. Our results indicate that there is a prevalence of 19% of dermatophytosis among the stray dog and cat population of the southeastern coast of the island.

The Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Native Dogs in Palestine

Background: Dogs play an important role in transmission of parasites and zoonotic diseases, especially in developing countries. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of internal parasites in stray and pet dogs in Palestine. Methods: Fecal samples were collected during the period between Jan to May 2019. A total of 150 fecal samples were collected and tested for parasites using sedimentation and flotation techniques. The targeted dogs were both pet dogs and stray dogs and were grouped according to gender and age. Results: Although there was no significant difference in infestation between males and females, the prevalence rate of infestation in males was 63.1% compared to females 72.4%. Dogs of ages under one year had similar rate of infestation compared to older dogs with a rate of 67.3% and 67.4% respectively. Infestations were significantly higher (P<0.05) in stray dogs 81.4% compared to pet dogs 48.4%. The highest infestation rate was with Toxocara canis 46.0% followed by Dipylidium caninum 23.0%, Echinococcus spp. 14.0% ,Isosopora canis 9.0%, Ancylostoma caninum 8.0%, Giarda spp. 5.0%, Strongyloides spp. 4.0%, Trichuris vulpis 3.0%, and Cryptosporidium spp. 3.0%. Conclusion: Local dogs in Palestine, especially stray dogs, are infested with different types of intestinal parasites that may cause many common and non-common diseases to humans. To prevent the spread of these parasites, future public health should be proposed and applied by authorities to achieve a healthy status of the residents in the country. Health awareness spread among people about the seriousness of the diseases transmitted by dogs must also be activated.