Epistemiologia das helmintoses gastrointestinais de cães e gatos com potencial zoonótico

Abstract

The objective of this work was to conduct an epistemological study of the gastrointestinal helminths of dogs and cats with zoonotic potential. Using Fleck's epistemology, we analyzed: the evolution of knowledge about disease in its zoonotic aspect by means of scientific data between the years of 1996 to 2015; The teaching-learning process of the disciplines Parasitology and Parasite Diseases; The perception of students of elementary and secondary schools of the Metropolitan Region of Recife on the Helmintosis of pets, emphasizing those of a zoonotic nature. On the importance of Toxocara sp. no new information has been added to public health, and its relevance as a cause of visceral larva migrans in humans, damage to human and animal health, and contamination of soil as a potential source of human infection remains. On the teaching-learning process of the disciplines of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases of Domestic Animals, the teachers presented a set of common ideas put into practice throughout the development of professional activities, being the weight of education and tradition the social factors of influence. Regarding the students' perception, a set of conceptual confusions or absence of a more in-depth knowledge about helminthes was evidenced. Of those who answered yes to the question "do you know what it is?", the percentages of correct answers were 0.1%, 12.4%, 0.1%, 0.9% respectively for the terms zoonosis, verminosis, Visceral larva migrans and cutaneous larva migrans, respectively, with no correct responses on toxocariasis and dipylidiosis.The epistemological analysis on the zoonotic aspect of Toxocara sp. in Brazil shows that few new information have been added, not inserted in the social reality from the point of view of public health. In the teaching-learning process of the disciplines Parasitology and Parasite Diseases of the Domestic Animals concepts and and theoretical foundations traditionally accepted are preserved to which are added information coming from the increase of knowledge and technological development. The investigated students present superficiality of the knowledge about the concepts that involve the helmintosis, especially the zoonotic ones.