Veterinary Parasitology 145 (2007) 120–128

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The prevalence of intestinal parasites in dogs from Prague, rural

areas, and shelters of the Czech Republic
S. Dubná a, I. Langrová a,*, J. Nápravnı́k a, I. Jankovská a, J. Vadlejch a,
S. Pekár b, J. Fechtner a
a
Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources,
Czech University of Agriculture in Prague, Kamýcká 957, 165 21 Prague 6, Suchdol, Czech Republic
b
Institute of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
Received 30 January 2006; received in revised form 30 October 2006; accepted 8 November 2006

Abstract
The prevalence of intestinal parasites was evaluated by examination of dog faecal samples in the Prague city centre, agricultural
areas, and two shelters. The overall prevalence of parasites (i.e., protozoa and helminths, mentioned below) in Prague was 17.6%.
Toxocara canis was the most common parasite, and was recovered from 6.2% of dogs, followed by Cystoisospora spp. (2.4%),
Cryptosporidium spp. (1.4%), Trichuris sp. (1.1%), Taenia-type (1.0%), Giardia spp. (0.1%), Toxascaris sp. (0.9%), Dipylidium sp.
(0.7%), Sarcocystis spp. (0.6%), Capillaria spp. (0.6%), Neospora/Hammondia spp. (0.5%), Ancylostoma sp. (0.4%), Uncinaria sp.
(0.4%), and Spirocerca sp. (0.2%). The prevalence of infections with helminths and protozoans in two animal shelters in Prague was
examined at the dog’s admittance ir reception to the shelters and during housing. T. canis eggs (6.5%), Cystoisospora (4.4%), and
Giardia (3.3%) cysts were the most prevalent. Significant increases in the prevalence of some parasites were found after a stay in the
shelter. Giardia spp. showed an 11-fold increase in prevalence of dogs placed in the shelters for a longer time; Cryptosporidium spp.
had a 7-fold increase, Capillaria spp. a 5-fold, Spirocerca sp., Neospora/Hammondia spp., and Cystoisospora spp. a 4-fold increase
over dogs examined at the time of admittance to the shelter ( p < 0.01).
Dog in rural areas were infected significantly more frequently ( p < 0.01) than those in Prague. In 540 faecal samples from rural
areas, the overall prevalence of parasites (i.e., protozoa and helminths mentioned below) was 41.7%. The prevalence of T. canis was
13.7%, followed by Cystoisospora spp. (8.0%), Taenia spp. (3.5%), Sarcocystis spp. (3.0%), Giardia spp. (2.2%), Cryptosporidium
spp. (2.0%), Trichuris sp. (1.7%), Toxascaris sp. (1.7%), Dipylidium sp. (1.3%), Neospora/Hammondia spp. (1.3%), Spirocerca sp.
(1.1%), Uncinaria sp. (0.9%), Ancylostoma sp. (0.7%), and Capillaria spp. (0.6%).
Examinations of dogs in urban and rural areas showed, with the exception of Trichuris sp. in Prague, a higher occurrence of
nematode infection in autumn, notably T. canis (x2 > 8.3, d.f. = 3, p < 0.04).
# 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Toxocara canis; Prevalence; Dog; Intestinal parasites; Urban environments; Czech Republic

1. Introduction

Many potentially zoonotic organisms of parasitic

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +420 22438 2673;
fax: +420 22438 2957.
E-mail address: langrova@af.czu.cz (I. Langrová).
origin are associated with dogs. Since the number of
dogs bred in cities (and in rural areas) has recently been
increasing worldwide, the risk of their parasites has
been expected to increase as well. There are several

0304-4017/$ – see front matter # 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2006.11.006
 S. Dubná et al. / Veterinary Parasitology 145 (2007) 120–128
endoparasites in dogs: Toxocara canis, Ancylostoma
caninum, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Echinococcus,
Dipylidium caninum, and recently also Uncinaria
spp., which can cause occasional infections of humans
and can even develop in to a disease, though not very
frequently (Svobodová et al., 1994).
There have been some surveys performed in the
Czech Republic in the past (Vokoun and Slezáková,
1977; Valkounová, 1981; Kuchařová, 1989; Svobodová
et al., 1994, 1995), and recently, for instance by
Uhlı́ková and Hubner (1999), Svobodová (2003), and
Borkovcová (2003). Results of these studies showed
that the change of parasitic infection is moderate,
depending on various factors (age, locality, origin of
dog, etc.). Svobodová et al. (1995) confirmed ascarids
(T. canis) in 17% of dogs. She monitored the prevalence
of parasitic infections and the general parasitical
situation in the environment of shelters for dogs and
cats (Svobodová, 2003). She detected infections
primarily with T. canis (prevalence 6.2–14.3%), D.
caninum (4.54–7.14%), Trichuris vulpis (4.16–
10.52%), and Giardia intestinalis (18.18–36.8%).
Borkovcová (2003) reported the prevalence of T. canis
eggs in 9.5%, Toxascaris leonina 0.8%, D. caninum
2.3%, Trichuris vulpis 4.1%, and Giardia spp. 0.4%.
In Poland, the situation was monitored recently by
Borecka (2005), who investigated the prevalence in
intestinal nematodes of dogs in the Warsaw area. She
found eggs of T. canis, T. leonina, T. vulpis, and
Ancylostomatidae (A. caninum and U. stenocephala) in
dog faeces. The prevalence of infection with parasitic
nematodes in adult dogs from shelters was very high
(71.2%). It was considerably higher than for rural dogs
and household dogs. The most frequent parasite eggs in
all groups of dogs were from the Ancylostomatidae.
Fok et al. (2001) observed a moderate rate of
incidence of some parasites in eastern and northern
regions of Hungary. The prevalence of eggs (%) in
urban and rural areas was as follows: T. canis (24.3–
30.1); Trichuris vulpis (20.4–23.3); Ancylostomatidae
(8.1–13.1); Capillaria spp. (0–7.3); Toxascaris leonina
(0–2.1); Taenia-type (2.4–2.8); and D. caninum (0.4–1).
In many studies the most commonly found parasite is
T. canis, 17.4% reported in Belgium (Vanparijs and
Hermans, 1991), 6.9% in Switzerland (Sager et al.,
2006), and 16.6% in Slovakia (Antolová et al., 2004). In
Utrecht, The Netherlands, the prevalence of T. canis in
family-dogs was very low—2.1% (Overgaauw, 1994).
Understanding the epidemiology of zoonotic para-
sitic infections is important for the minimization of risks
to humans. Therefore, the objective of this study was to
determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in
121
dogs inhabiting the metropolitan area of Prague and to
compare the parasite intensities in stray dogs in shelters
and in rural dogs.
2. Material and methods
2.1. Study area
During a 3-year period, from January 1998 to
December 2000, we collected a total of 3780 samples of
dog faeces from streets, grass strips along streets, and
parks of the city of Prague. The faeces originated mostly
from privately owned dogs. Stray dogs practically do
not occur in Prague, as dogs on the loose are quickly
caught and transported to a shelter. The samples were
collected in each of seven districts of Prague once a
month for 3 years, thus allowing us to review individual
differences in contamination by developmental stages
of the parasites and to ascertain seasonal differences in
the occurrence of individual parasitic genera.
Prague 1 consists mainly of built-up areas; greenery
is represented only by small parks. The inhabitants are
predominantly retired people, however, recently also
people with higher incomes (these represent only a
small share of inhabitants). Prague 2 also consists
mainly of built-up areas. The parks, however, are larger
and more extensive. In Prague 3, you can also find large
areas of green apart from built-up areas (usually new)—
parks and cemeteries. Prague 4 has comparatively larger
areas of green (parks, not-built up areas). The
inhabitants of Prague 2, 3, and 4 are of mixed
backgrounds. There are complexes of large blocks of
flats in Prague 5, and predominantly people of low
income live there. Prague 6 is a region with family
houses, villas, etc. There are many embassies, and
diplomatic representations. It is a prestigious address
often inhabited by people of high income. There are
non-built-up areas, a large number of parks, and
extensive greenery in Prague 7.
From January 1999 to December 2001, we collected
540 samples of dog faeces from rural areas (the region
of Central Bohemia) with animal breeding (cattle,
sheep, goats, horses, rabbits, and poultry). Approxi-
mately one-third of dog samples were obtained from
owners; others were collected from the soil, street, etc.
A further 524 samples of dog faeces were taken in
two animal shelters situated in Prague. The samples
were collected from incoming dogs as well as from
dogs, which had spent 2 months or longer in the facility.
However, a majority of these dogs had been housed in
the shelters for more than 1 year. The dogs represented
various breeds and crosses, the majority of them being
122 S. Dubná et al. / Veterinary Parasitology 145 (2007) 120–128

Table 1
Gastrointestinal parasite faecal stage excretion in dogs in Prague
Parasite genera n np p Maximum Mean Minimum
Toxocara 3780 235 6.2 469 72.7 4
Toxascaris 3780 34 0.9 1124 461 112
Ancylostoma 3780 17 0.4 27 16.8 10
Uncinaria 3780 15 0.4 14 8.3 4
Trichuris 3780 43 1.1 105 24.4 7
Capillaria 3780 23 0.6 27 20.3 10
Spirocerca 3780 9 0.2 7 6.4 4
Taenia-type 3780 39 1.0 48 15.2 4
Dipylidium 3780 26 0.7 14 4.6 1
Cystoisospora 3780 92 2.4 707 101.6 4
Cryptosporidium 3780 52 1.4 98 24 6
Sarcocystis 3780 24 0.6 37 18.4 7
Neospora/Hammondia 3780 19 0.5 14 8.3 3
Giardia 3780 37 0.1 38 17.5 2
Total 3780 665 17.6 – – –
n, number examined; np, number positive; p, prevalence (positive %); Maximum, maximal number of faecal eggs/oocyst/cyst per gram of positive
sample; Mean, mean number of faecal eggs/oocyst/cyst per gram of positive sample; Minimum, minimal number of faecal eggs/oocyst/cyst per gram
of positive sample.

German shepherds. They were between 3 weeks and 12 shelters, and season of the year. If any of the
years of age. Both shelters have similar veterinary and occurrences was less than 10, the Yates correction of
zoohygienical care, and the dogs were regularly walked. continuity was applied (Crawley, 2002).

2.2. Parasitological procedures

The faecal samples were stored in plastic tubes at
4 8C for a week prior to analysis. All the samples from
dogs were examined individually for GI nematode eggs
(faecal egg counts, FEC), coccidial oocysts (faecal
oocyst counts, FOC), other protozoal cysts (faecal cyst
counts, FCC), using the modified Breza flotation
(Na2S2O3, MgSO4 with specific gravity 1.3) and
McMaster method (Wetzel, 1951). Identification of
Ancylostoma sp. and Uncinaria sp. eggs was performed
as described by Euzeby (1982).
Cryptosporidium spp. was detected by means of the
modified Ziehl-Neelsen method. Faecal smears of the
specimens were taken and stained by the modified
Ziehl-Neelsen technique (Henriksen and Pohlenz,
1981). Moreover, wet amounts of the concentrate were
examined under a stereomicroscope. Excretion of
Giardia oocysts was determined in accordance with
the Faust ZnSO4 flotation method (Faust et al., 1938).
2.3. Data analysis
Data analysis was performed using (R) (R Devel-
opment Core Team 2004). As these data were
incidences (approximated by a Poisson distribution),
x2-test was used for comparisons between study sites,
3. Results
Gastrointestinal parasites in dog excretions in Prague
are shown in Table 1. Evaluation of the faeces samples
indicated that 17.6% of samples were infected with at
least one of the following parasites: Toxocara spp.,
Toxascaris sp., Ancylostoma sp., Uncinaria sp.,
Trichuris sp., Capillaria spp., Taenia-type, Dipylidium
sp., Sarcocystis spp., Cystoisospora spp., Neospora/
Hammondia spp., and Giardia spp. Agents with
zoonotic potential were detected in the faeces from
10.1% of samples, including Giardia spp., Cryptospor-
idium spp., Dipylidium sp., Toxocara spp., Toxascaris
sp., Uncinaria sp., and Ancylostoma sp. The most
prevalent species was T. canis.
The prevalence of dog endoparasites in individual
regions of the city is shown in Table 2. Considerable
variation in the prevalence of infection was noted
among the seven Prague districts (x2 = 138.2, d.f. = 6,
p < 0.0001). The most infected dogs were in the centre
(Prague 1) (23.5%) and in the southwestern area
(Prague 5) (22.3%), respectively. The least infected
were dogs in the northwestern area (Prague 6) (7.8%).
Statistically significant differences among regions were
found in the occurrence of Toxocara spp. (x2 = 41.3,
d.f. = 6, p < 0.0001), Cystoisospora spp. (x2 = 37.2,
 S. Dubná et al. / Veterinary Parasitology 145 (2007) 120–128 123

Table 2
Prevalence of dog endoparasites in individual districts of Prague
Parasite genera n np p
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7
Toxocara 3780 235 10.2 7.6 3.9 5.2 8.7 4.4 3.5
Toxascaris 3780 34 1.3 0.7 0.4 1.1 1.5 0.6 0.7
Ancylostoma 3780 17 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.0 1.1 0.4 0.4
Uncinaria 3780 15 0.9 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.7 0.0 0.2
Trichuris 3780 43 2.0 0.9 0.9 1.5 1.7 0.4 0.6
Capillaria 3780 23 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.6 1.1 0.4 0.4
Spirocerca 3780 9 0.2 0.4 0.0 0.2 0.9 0.0 0.0
Dipylidium 3780 26 0.6 0.9 0.4 0.7 1.3 0.4 0.6
Taenia-type 3780 39 1.1 0.9 0.6 0.9 2.4 0.6 0.7
Cystoisospora 3780 92 5.4 3.3 2.0 1.5 2.6 0.9 1.3
Sarcocystis 3780 24 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.6 1.3 0.2 0.7
Neospora/Hammondia 3780 19 0.7 0.2 0.6 0.4 0.6 0.4 0.7
Cryptosporidium 3780 52 3.2 1.7 0.6 0.9 2.4 0.4 0.6
Giardia 3780 37 1.5 1.3 0.7 0.9 1.1 0.7 0.6
Total 3780 665 23.5 16.4 9.2 12.0 22.3 7.8 8.9
P 1–P 7, Prague administrative districts 1–7; n, number examined; np, number positive; p, prevalence (positive %).

d.f. = 6, p < 0.0001), and Cryptosporidium spp.
(x2 = 31.4, d.f. = 6, p < 0.0001).
Parasite stages from dog faeces from agricultural
locations are shown in Fig. 1. Comparing urban and
rural areas (Table 3), it turned out that the incidence of
Toxocara spp., Taenia-type, Spirocerca sp., Cystoisos-
pora spp., Sarcocystis spp., and Giardia spp. was
significantly higher in rural areas than in Prague
( p < 0.01).
The effect of season on the occurrence of different
parasite genera could be observed (Figs. 2–4).
Investigations of dogs in urban and rural areas showed,
with the exception of Trichuris sp. in Prague, a higher
occurrence of nematode infection in autumn. Particu-
larly in T. canis, an increase in the percentage of dogs
shedding eggs was observed in both urban and rural
areas, with peak occurrence during September and
October (x2 > 8.3, d.f. = 3, p < 0.04). But with some
parasites (Taenia-type eggs, Cryptosporidium cysts),
higher prevalences were also found in the spring,
especially in rural areas ( p < 0.01), and the prevalence
of Giardia cysts in rural areas was significantly higher
in summer (4.4%) than at other times of the year
( p < 0.01) (Table 4).
The prevalence of infections with helminths and
protozoans in the two animal shelters in Prague was
examined at the dogs’ admittance to the shelter and after
their staying there (Fig. 5). T. canis eggs, Giardia and
Cystoisospora cysts were the most prevalent. A
significant increase in the prevalence of some parasites
was found there. Giardia sp. showed an 11-fold increase
in its prevalence in dogs placed in the shelters for a
longer time; Cryptosporidium spp. had a 7-fold
increase; Capillaria spp. a 5-fold increase; Spirocerca

Fig. 1. Presence of parasites in rural and urban regions. Asterisk (*) denotes significant difference ( p < 0.01).
124 S. Dubná et al. / Veterinary Parasitology 145 (2007) 120–128

Table 3
Gastrointestinal parasite faecal stage excretion in dogs in rural areas
Parasite genera n np p Maximum Mean Minimum
Toxocara 540 74 13.7 340 32.9 8
Toxascaris 540 9 1.7 49 4 7
Ancylostoma 540 4 0.7 28 1.8 4
Uncinaria 540 5 0.9 22 2.2 12
Trichuris 540 9 1.7 120 4 8
Capillaria 540 3 0.6 10 1.3 4
Spirocerca 540 6 1.1 6 2.7 2
Taenia-type 540 19 3.5 19 8.4 3
Dipylidium 540 7 1.3 4 3.1 1
Cystoisospora 540 43 8.0 240 19.1 22
Cryptosporidium 540 11 2.0 120 4.9 34
Sarcocystis 540 16 3.0 48 7.1 12
Neospora/Hammondia 540 7 1.3 30 3.1 6
Giardia 540 12 2.2 54 5.3 14
Total 540 225 41.7 – – –
n, number examined; np, number positive; p, prevalence (positive %); Maximum, maximal number of faecal eggs/oocyst/cyst per gram of positive
sample; Mean, mean number of faecal eggs/oocyst/cyst per gram of positive sample; Minimum, minimal number of faecal eggs/oocyst/cyst per gram
of positive sample.

sp., Neospora/Hammondia spp., and Cystoisospora spp.
a 4-fold increase over that in the dogs at the time of
admittance to the shelter ( p < 0.01).
4. Discussion
Understanding the epidemiology of zoonotic para-
sitic infections is important for minimization of the risk
to humans. Zoonoses involving dog parasites are both
common and important, with some causing serious
disease. First of all, Toxocara spp. (T. canis) are capable
of infecting and inducing disease (larva migrans
syndromes) in human beings who accidentally ingest
the infective stages (eggs or larvae, respectively).
The present epidemiological investigation revealed
that T. canis is the most common parasite in the urban
areas of Prague (6.2%). The prevalence of this parasite
has not greatly changed over time. Valkounová (1981)
detected the eggs of T. canis in 4.2% dogs, in 1989
Kuchařová in 9.62%, respectively. Epidemiological
studies in European cities showed that infection rates
vary from 3.6% in Ireland (O’Sullivan, 1997), 11.1% in

Fig. 2. Seasonal prevalence of Toxocara spp., Toxascaris sp., and Trichuris sp. in rural and urban regions: rural region ( ); urban region
( ).
 S. Dubná et al. / Veterinary Parasitology 145 (2007) 120–128 125

Fig. 3. Seasonal prevalence of tapeworms in rural and urban regions. Asterisk (*) denotes significant difference ( p < 0.01): rural region (& &);
urban region ( ).

Fig. 4. Seasonal prevalence of Cystoisospora spp., Cryptosporidium spp., and Giardia spp. in rural and urban areas. Asterisk (*) denotes significant
difference ( p < 0.01): rural region ( ); urban region ( ).

Italy (Legrottaglie et al., 2003), 24.3% in Hungary (Fok

et al., 2001), to 31.5% in Poland (Luty and Mizgajska,
1999).
Table 4 Findings of the prevalence of other parasites show
Comparison of the presence of some parasitic species in rural and parasite similar to those patterns described by others,
urban regions with the exception of the low prevalence of hookworms.
Parasite genera Rural Prague x2 P-value According to other authors, T. canis and hookworms
Toxocara 13.7 6.2 38.8 <0.0001 (Ancylostoma sp. and Uncinaria sp.) are the most
Spirocerca 1.1 0.2 8.0 0.005 commonly found helminths in dogs. Sager et al. (2006)
Taenia-type 3.5 1.0 20.2 <0.0001 reported 6.9% hookworm prevalence in Switzerland
Cystoisospora 8.0 2.4 45.9 <0.0001 increase; Vanparijs and Hermans (1991) reported 11.4%
Sarcocystis 3.0 0.6 25.4 <0.0001
in Belgium increase; increase; Kirkpatrick (1988)
Giardia 2.2 1.0 5.5 0.019
14.4% in the U.S.A., Nolan and Smith (1995) 9.7%
126 S. Dubná et al. / Veterinary Parasitology 145 (2007) 120–128
Fig. 5. Prevalence of endoparasites in two shelters. Asterisk (*) denotes significant difference ( p < 0.01): average number of individual parasites
upon admittance of dogs into shelter (&) average number of individual parasites after their long-term stay ( ).
in the U.S. Interestingly, Borkovcová (2003) found a
very low Ancylostoma sp./Uncinaria sp. prevalence
(0.6%) in Moravia, the Czech Republic, as well as Epe
et al. (2004) (1.4%) in Germany.
The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. is rarely
presented in surveys monitoring parasitic infection in
dogs. We detected Cryptosporidium oocysts in 52 of
3800 faecal samples (1.4%) from Prague and in 11 of
540 faecal samples (2.0%) from urban areas. Epide-
miological studies on the prevalence of Cryptospor-
idium spp. in dogs showed that infection rates vary
according to the geographic area and range from 0.4%
in Germany (Cirak and Bauer, 2004), 1.4% in Japan
(Uga et al., 1989), 7.4% in Spain (Causapé et al., 1996),
19.6% in Australia (Hinaidy, 1991), to 20% in Chile
(Araya et al., 1987).
As also applies for other large cities, there are many
varying factors in the city of Prague—built-up areas, the
types of buildings (industrial premises, family houses,
blocks of flats). A very high percentage of areas built up
with blocks of flats is typical for Prague districts 1 and 5.
Only a small percentage is represented by small parks.
Prague 6 is an area where family houses are
predominant. Many embassies and diplomatic repre-
sentations can be found here, and in general it is one of
the ‘‘better addresses’’. This is perhaps also the reason
why residents of Prague 6 see veterinary doctors more
often and the number of parasites found in their pets is
smaller.
Published data indicate a higher prevalence of all
parasites except Capillaria spp. in rural areas. A
significant difference between prevalence in rural areas
and in Prague was found in the following parasites:
Toxocara spp., Taenia-type, Spirocerca sp., Cystoisos-
pora spp., Sarcocystis spp., and Giardia spp. The
difference between urban and rural dogs may be a result
of the persistent custom of rural people feeding their
dogs uncooked remains of farm animals. Rural dogs
also more frequently acquire T. canis infection through
the ingestion of paratenic hosts. Urban people are
accustomed to feeding their pets commercially prepared
products. It is also possible that urban dwellers pay
more attention to their pets and that they treat them
more frequently with antihelminthics, due to their
greater health awareness and better accessibility of
veterinary doctors. Likewise in Austria, high (44%)
seroprevalence (detection to the T. canis antigen) has
been reported among farmers, whereas in only 2% of
individuals from urban areas (Deutz et al., 2005). The
authors concluded that exposure to Toxocara spp. is
significantly higher in rural than in urban areas, and that
this phenomenon is due to the rather low standard of
health care (i.e., deworming) for cats and dogs in rural
areas. Twice as many dogs from rural areas (48.4%)
harboured egg-shedding nematodes compared to urban
ones (26.2%) as reported by Habluetzel et al. (2003). A
higher prevalence in gastrointestinal parasites of dogs
from rural areas was also reported by Fok et al. (2001).
In older reports (Dubin et al., 1975; Kirkpatrick, 1988),
the authors identified urban locality as a risk factor for
parasitic infection in dogs. They suggested that the
results reflect the higher density of dogs in the city, the
higher level of environmental contamination with
parasite-laden faeces and, consequently, the increased
rate of transmission.
Our observations regarding seasonal changes in
parasitic prevalence correspond with the previous report
from the Czech Republic presented by Borkovcová
 S. Dubná et al. / Veterinary Parasitology 145 (2007) 120–128
(2003) and reports from other European countries.
Kirkpatrick (1988) observed the same as we did in our
report, that the infection of dogs with ascarids was
lowest in summer. He also observed that infection with
Giardia spp. was lowest in both spring and summer. On
the contrary, in our study Giardia spp. prevalence was
found to be highest in summer.
T. canis eggs, Giardia and Cystoisospora cysts were
the most prevalent parasitic genera in both Prague
shelters. These findings show parasite prevalence
comparable to that described by others (Vanparijs
and Hermans, 1991; Svobodová, 2003; Le Nobel et al.,
2004; Borecka, 2005). The prevalence of all parasites,
except Toxocara spp. and D. caninum in dogs in the two
animal shelters increased during their stay there.
Giardia spp. showed an 11-fold increase, followed by
Cryptosporidium spp. with a 7-fold, Capillaria spp.
with a 5-fold, Spirocerca sp., Neospora/Hammondia
spp., and Cystoisospora spp. with a 4-fold increase of
prevalence over that in the dogs at the time of their
admittance to the shelter. This situation is attributed to
the high concentration of dogs, the zoohygienic
conditions in shelters, and the possibility of permanent
reinfection. The prevalence of parasites such as
Spirocerca and Capillaria was also affected by the
higher age of dogs in the shelter as well as their years of
housing there (old dogs remained in the shelter).
An especially high prevalence of Giardia cysts in
dog faeces has been occurring in breeding kennels and
shelters. Hořejš and Koudela (1994) detected giardiasis
in 36.2% of German shepherds in a canine breeding
facility, likewise Svobodová (2003) in 18.18–36.8% of
dogs from a shelter. On the contrary, Borkovcová (2003)
found Giardia cysts in only 0.4% of privately owned
dogs.
A possible explanation of the moderate reduction in
prevalence of both Toxocara spp. and D. caninum after a
stay in a shelter might be attributed to the fact that
antihelmintic treatment was applied at the time of
admittance of dogs to the shelter, where the commonly
used active substances are described as being effective
only against nematodes, with only some being effective
against tapeworms.
A high incidence of T. canis infections was found in
dogs less than 6 months old, 22.6% (shelter 1) and
45.2% (shelter 2), respectively. These results are in
general accordance with those of comparable studies
(Oliveira-Sequiera et al., 2002; Borkovcová, 2003; Itoh
et al., 2004). Overgaauw and Boersema (1998) from
Holland found a considerably higher prevalence of
Toxocara eggs in puppies (48%) as did Franck et al.
(1997) from France (38%).
127
Six parasite genera found in the dog faecal samples of
this study – Toxocara, Giardia, Cryptosporidium,
Echinococcus, Dipylidium, and Uncinari – are a proven
zoonotic agent. The public health significance of Giardia
spp. from dogs and cats remains unclear (Capelli et al.,
2003; Ponce-Macotela et al., 2005). T. canis is of
particular importance, causing visceral and ocular larval
migrans. The results of this study suggest that pets may
contribute significantly to the environmental burdens of
these agents, in urban as well as rural areas.
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the Research Project of
the Faculty of Agrobiology, Food, and Natural
Resources, Czech University of Agriculture in Prague,
No. MSM 6046070901. The authors thank Mr. Jan Piet
van Til for his kind help.
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