Intestinal parasites of dogs and role of dogs in epidemiology of larva migrans in the Belgrade area

Abstract

A coprologic and pathoanatomic examination conducted in the Belgrade area in 550 dogs revealed the following parasite species: Giardia lamblia, Sarcocystis spp., Eimeria canis, Isospora canis, Alaria alata, Mesocestoides lineatus, Dipylidium caninum, Taenia hydatigena, Taenia pisiformis, Toxocara canis, Ancylostoma caninum, Uncinaria stenocephala and Trichuris vulpis, of which particularly high rates of infection were found for Toxocara canis at 35.27 % and for Ancylostomidae at 25.27 %. These findings stimulated our interest in examining the contamination of playgrounds, parks and other public areas in Belgrade, where eggs of Toxocara spp. and Ancylostomidae were found in 77 of the 98 locations examined. Such epizootiological conditions are obviously responsible for high larva migrans findings in humans.