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One-year parasitological screening of stray dogs and cats in County Dublin, Ireland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2018

A. Garcia-Campos Open the ORCID record for A. Garcia-Campos [Opens in a new window] ,
C. Power ,
J. O'Shaughnessy ,
C. Browne ,
A. Lawlor ,
G. McCarthy ,
E. J. O'Neill  and
T. de Waal
A. Garcia-Campos*
Affiliation:
UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
C. Power
Affiliation:
UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
J. O'Shaughnessy
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Backweston Laboratory Campus, Celbridge, Co Kildare, Ireland
C. Browne
Affiliation:
DSPCA, Mount Venus Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, Ireland
A. Lawlor
Affiliation:
UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
G. McCarthy
Affiliation:
UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
E. J. O'Neill
Affiliation:
UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
T. de Waal
Affiliation:
UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
*
Author for correspondence: A. Garcia-Campos, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

To date, there are no recent studies identifying the prevalence of parasites of human and veterinary importance in dogs and cats in Ireland. The interaction between pets and wildlife species in the environment is an important source of parasite exposure to canids and felines, and one likely to be heightened in the stray animal population. This study aimed to establish the prevalence of endoparasites in unowned dogs and cats in County Dublin, Ireland. Feces from stray dogs (n = 627) and cats (n = 289) entering a rehoming centre were collected immediately after defecation. The main parasitic agents detected were ascarids (15.52 and 30.26%), Cystoisospora (3.27 and 3.69%), Giardia spp. (6.02 and 1.84%) and lungworms (0.64 and 2.08%), in dogs and cats respectively. Animals younger than 3 months of age were more likely to be infected with ascarids (P < 0.001) and Cystoisospora spp. (P = 0.008 and P = 0.014) than older animals. All lungworms were morphologically identified and dogs were infected with Angiostrongylus vasorum (0.48%) and Crenosoma vulpis (0.16%) whereas cats were only infected with Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (2.08%). This represents the first prevalence study of stray animals in Ireland. Data collected will inform the treatment and in addition, the future monitoring and control studies of parasite populations.

Keywords

AscaridscatsCystoisosporadogsGiardiaIrelandlungwormsnematodeprevalenceprotozoa
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 146 , Issue 6 , May 2019 , pp. 746 - 752
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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