MAIN ENDOPARASITES IN DOGS AND CATS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Animal species and humans share much of their historical evolution and, as a consequence, can act as accidental or definitive hosts of pathogenic organisms, completing an anthropozoonotic cycle. Thus, it is essential to adequately control animal endoparasitosis in order to reduce the contamination of the environment by the infective forms of these parasites and, consequently, minimize the risks of human infection. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the prevalence of endoparasites in fecal samples from dogs and cats treated at the Mario Dias Teixeira Veterinary Hospital, in the region of Belém, PA from May to November 2023. The diagnosis of endoparasitosis was conducted by means of coproparasitological examination for the direct morphological identification of cysts and eggs. The samples were processed in the Clinical Analysis Laboratory of the Veterinary Hospital at the Institute of Health and Animal Production of the Federal Rural University of the Amazon (ISPA-UFRA), using the techniques of Direct examination of feces, flotation in saturated solution of sodium chloride (Willis Method) and Spontaneous Sedimentation (Hoffman Method). Samples from 101 animals were analyzed, most of which were canine (69/68.3%) of the most diverse breeds and female. From the quantity analyzed, helminths belonging to 3 genera were found: Ancylostoma, Toxocara and Trichuris and 2 protozoa: Giardia and  Cystoisospora.  Ancylostoma spp eggs were the most prevalent (23/22.8%) of positive samples, followed by Toxocara spp eggs (3/3.0%), the other parasites had prevalences of (1/1%). Negative tests correspond to 72/71.3% of the results. The low positivity in the detection of endoparasites demonstrates that animals attended by spontaneous demand in hospitals or specialized clinics are usually the target of a more careful look by their owner and, therefore, receive preventive therapy (antiparasitics) more frequently, but domiciled animals should also assume importance in the contamination of public places, since these places are also intensely visited by these animals,  with their tutors and, in this way, play an important role in the propagation of parasitic diseases of zoonotic potential.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56238/sevened2024.032-033