Frequency of geohelminths in pet dogs from seven municipalities of Mexico City

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the degree of infection by geohelminths in pet dogs in seven municipalities of Mexico City, together with some risk factors for human health. Two hundred samples of canine faeces were analyzed using the Stoll method. A questionnaire was applied to their owners to obtain epidemiological data. The statistical analysis was carried out using chi-square to determine the relationship between the infection and selected variables, taking P = 0.10 as the significant value. The prevalence of geohelminths was 20% (40/200). T. canis 14% and A. caninum 7.5%. All the infections were slight. When the presence of the infection was correlated with the other variables, the following results were obtained: type of dwelling (P = 0.016), presence or not of a garden (P = 0.019), sleeping place of the animal (P = 0.071), frequency of veterinary attention (P = 0.08) and frequency of deparasitation (P = 0.067). One in five dogs showed slight T. canis and A. caninum infections. The results concluded that close contact with infected pet dogs represents a risk for their owners of acquiring visceral or ocular larva migrans or creeping eruption of the skin, as some of these infections can be acquired inside the home.