Gastrointestinal parasites of dogs (Canis familiaris) in Maiduguri, Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria: Risk factors and zoonotic implications for human health

Vet World Vol.12 July-2019 Article-33

Research Article

Veterinary World, 12(7): 1150-1153

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2019.1150-1153

Kingsley Uwakwe Ezema¹, Samson Anjikwi Malgwi², Mohammed Kyari Zango², Falmata Kyari², Salamatu Mohammed Tukur², Ali Mohammed², and Babagana Kachalla Kayeri²

1. Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
2. Department of Veterinary Parasitology and Entomology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.

Background and Aim: This study was designed to investigate the prevalence, associated risk factors, and zoonotic implications of gastrointestinal parasites of dogs in Maiduguri, Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: A total of 200 rectal fecal samples were collected from dogs in Maiduguri for coprological examination using the saturated sodium chloride floatation technique. Detection of eggs or oocyst was done on the basis of keys of identification of parasites based on the morphology and size of eggs or oocyst.

Results: The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of dogs was 31.5% (63/200) in Maiduguri. The prevalence of the infection was higher in young, male dogs kept outdoor in terms of age, sex, and management; the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The parasites detected in Maiduguri include Ancylostoma spp., Toxocara spp., Dipylidium spp., Isospora spp., and Taenia spp., with Ancylostoma spp. (16%) having the highest prevalence rate.

Conclusion: Gastrointestinal parasites have high prevalence in Maiduguri and constitute potential risk to human health because all genera of parasites detected in the study area are of public health importance. Keywords: coprological examination, gastrointestinal parasites, prevalence, zoonoses.

Keywords: coprological examination, gastrointestinal parasites, prevalence, zoonoses.

How to cite this article: Ezema KU, Malgwi SA, Zango MK, Kyari F, Tukur SM, Mohammed A, Kayeri BK (2019) Gastrointestinal parasites of dogs (Canis familiaris) in Maiduguri, Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria: Risk factors and zoonotic implications for human health, Veterinary World, 12(7): 1150-1153.

Received: 10-03-2019 Accepted: 10-06-2019 Published online: 28-07-2019

Corresponding author: Samson Anjikwi Malgwi E-mail: samsonmalgwi@unimaid.edu.ng

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2019.1150-1153

Copyright: Ezema, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.