Infecção por helmintos gastrintestinais em cães (Canis familiaris, Linnaeus, 1758) errantes procedentes do município de Recife - PE

Abstract

The gastrointestinal helminths assume importance for the aetiology of gastroenteritis in dogs, being the canine helminthosis a global and high prevalence problem, showing many of them, important zoonotic potential. The stray dogs are an important point in a program to control helminth infection in urban centers. They are generally excluded from any program, although assume great importance in the maintenance and dissemination of these parasites in urban areas. The more accurate knowledge about the epidemiology and prophylaxis of the most important parasites of dogs, particularly about its impact and prevalence, are fundamental to the adoption of appropriate prophylactic measures to protect human. It was proposed in this paper to evaluate the gastrointestinal helminth infection and techniques of diagnosis of infection in stray dogs from the municipality of Recife - Pernambuco State - Brazil. Strays dogs captured by the Center for Environmental Surveillance of the City of Recife - PE were used, totalizing 96 dogs. The animals were subjected to euthanasia and necropsy, and fecal samples were collected and submitted to the techniques of simple fluctuation and spontaneous sedimentation. It was realized macroscopic examination of the intern organs, whose changes were noted in files of necropsy, and performed the collection of adult gastrointestinal helminths for identification. The results showed positivity of 96.8% (93/96), with 83.3%, 14.6%, 30.2%, 6.3%, 28.1%, 34.4% and 2.1%, respectively for Ancylostoma caninum, A. braziliense, Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina, Dypilidium caninum and Spirocerca lupi. The methods of Willis, sedimentation and necropsy were significantly different only in the detection of Ancylostoma spp. Willis and sedimentation showed no differences among themselves for the other helminths. Macroscopic lesions were found in all organs of the gastrointestinal tract or organs involved in the parasitic phase of the life cycle of helminths, becoming the majority of them in bleeding, predominantly in the small intestine.