Prevalence, risk factors and zoonotic potential of intestinal parasites in dogs from four locations in Morocco

Houda Idrissi; Sarah El Hamiani Khatat; Luc Duchateau; Malika Kachani; Sylvie Daminet; Sabrine El Asatey; Noureddine Tazi; Rahma Azrib; Hamid Sahibi

doi:10.1016/j.vprsr.2022.100775

Prevalence, risk factors and zoonotic potential of intestinal parasites in dogs from four locations in Morocco

Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2022 Sep:34:100775. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2022.100775. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

Authors

Houda Idrissi¹, Sarah El Hamiani Khatat², Luc Duchateau³, Malika Kachani⁴, Sylvie Daminet⁵, Sabrine El Asatey⁶, Noureddine Tazi⁷, Rahma Azrib², Hamid Sahibi⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology and Veterinary Public Health, Hassan II Agronomy and Veterinary Institute, Rabat-Instituts, Madinat Al Irfane, PO Box 6202, Rabat, Morocco. Electronic address: h.idrissi@iav.ac.ma.
² Department of Medicine, Surgery and Reproduction, Hassan II Agronomy and Veterinary Institute, Rabat-Instituts, Madinat Al Irfane, PO Box 6202, Rabat, Morocco.
³ Biometrics Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. Electronic address: luc.duchateau@ugent.be.
⁴ College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, 309 E. Second Street, Pomona, CA 91766-1854, United States of America. Electronic address: mkachani@westernu.edu.
⁵ Small Animal Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. Electronic address: sylvie.daminet@ugent.be.
⁶ Department of Pathology and Veterinary Public Health, Hassan II Agronomy and Veterinary Institute, Rabat-Instituts, Madinat Al Irfane, PO Box 6202, Rabat, Morocco. Electronic address: sabrine.elasatey@ugent.be.
⁷ Veterinary Clinic of the 1st kennel of the Royal Armed Forces, 13000 Benslimane, Morocco.
⁸ Department of Pathology and Veterinary Public Health, Hassan II Agronomy and Veterinary Institute, Rabat-Instituts, Madinat Al Irfane, PO Box 6202, Rabat, Morocco.

PMID: 36041810
DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2022.100775

Abstract

Dogs can harbor various intestinal parasites that have serious clinical, economic, and zoonotic impact. In Morocco, the epidemiological status of those parasites is largely unknown. This study aimed to obtain data on the prevalence of intestinal parasites in various Moroccan dog populations, to identify associated risk factors, to evaluate people's knowledge regarding zoonotic parasites and to estimate the risk of human infection. A total of 291 fecal samples were analyzed using a 33% Zinc Sulphate (ZnSO4) centrifugal flotation and a sheather's sugar simple flotation techniques. In addition, 100 dog owners were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their knowledge regarding canine zoonotic intestinal parasites. Overall, 58% of sampled dogs were positive for at least one parasite species. Ancylostoma/Uncinaria spp. (31.9%), Toxascaris leonina (27.4%), Toxocara canis (27.1%), Cystoisospora spp. (13.4%) and Giardia spp. (7.2%) were the most frequently isolated parasites. The overall prevalence was associated with the dogs' activity, and feces consistency. More specifically, the prevalence of Ancylostoma/Uncinaria spp., Toxascaris leonina and Cystoisospora spp. was associated with dogs' activity and feces consistency and, additionally with age for Cystoisosporaspp.Toxocara canis prevalence was associated with age and feces consistency, while Giardia spp. prevalence was associated with dogs' activity. A weak awareness among dog owners regarding the zoonotic potential of canine intestinal parasites was noticed (33%) especially when their knowledge was compared to another endemic zoonotic disease, i.e. rabies (85%). Furthermore, the rate of respecting the vaccination protocol (82%) was significantly higher than the rate of respecting the deworming protocol (47%). We conclude that intestinal parasites, including the zoonotic ones, were highly prevalent in the dogs sampled in this study whereas people's knowledge about those parasites was very limited. These findings suggest that the risk of human infection is very likely, which highlights the need for effective control programs and health education.

Keywords: Dogs; Helminths; Intestinal parasites; Morocco; Zoonoses; protozoa.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Ancylostoma
Animals
Dog Diseases* / epidemiology
Dog Diseases* / parasitology
Dogs
Humans
Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic* / epidemiology
Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic* / parasitology
Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic* / veterinary
Morocco / epidemiology
Parasites*
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Toxocara canis*