ZOONOTIC HELMINTH PARASITES RECOVERED FROM DOGS IN KISUMU AND THEIR PUBLIC HEALTH IMPORTANCE

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ZOONOTIC HELMINTH PARASITES RECOVERED FROM DOGS
IN KISUMU AND THEIR PUBLIC HEALTH IMPORTANCE

• Muchemi, G.M.1, Maingi,N.1, Otieno, R.O.1 Mkoji,
  G.M.2, Mungai, B.2
• 1University of Nairobi, Faculty of Vet Medicine
• P.O. Box 29053 00625
• Nairobi
• 2Kenya Medical Research Institute
• Centre for Biotechnology Research and Development
  P.O. Box 54840 00100
• Nairobi

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INTRODUCTION

• The problem of helminth infections continues to
  persist in Kenya and other developing countries
  mainly affecting
• Humans
• Livestock
• Domestic carnivores
• Wildlife
• This is partly due to
• Deterioration of sanitation standards among human
  communities
• Poor environmental management strategies by
  governments
• Poor disease control strategies by public health
  authorities

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MATERIALS AND METHODS

• Study Location
• Kisumu city and its environs around the shores of
  Lake Victoria chosen for this investigation
  partly because of other on going helminth related
  studies.
• Kisumu climate and environment is humid and warm
  providing ideal conditions for helminth parasite
  development. Drainage channels and swamps are
  also present thus providing ideal conditions for
  transmission.
• Methods
• Overnight faecal samples were collected from dogs
  that were identified by home owners.
• Samples were kept in plastic bags and transported
  to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)
  laboratory in Kisumu.
• Faecal samples processed using
• Kato-Katz method for Schistosoma diagnosis
• McMaster method for nematodes
• Formal-ether sedimentation for helminths and
  protozoa oocysts

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RESULTS

• A total of 110 dogs examined.
• Prevalence of infection
• Hookworm (56/110) 50.9
• Toxocara (13/110) 11.8
• Trichuris (3/110) 2.7
• Coccidia (2/110) 1.8
• S.mansoni(3/110) 2.7

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Descriptive Statistics

• Range Mean
• Hookworm 20 - 2600 581
• Toxocara 100 - 2500 461
• Trichuris 1 - 100 67
• Coccidia
• S.mansoni

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Kato preparation of S. mansoni egg in faeces
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DISCUSSION

• The finding of Schistosoma mansoni eggs in 3
  dogs raises some important public health issues

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DISTRIBUTION OF SCHISTOSOMIASIS IN KENYA

• Schistosomiasis mansoni is an endemic water-borne
  disease in humans from the region

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DISCUSSION

• Are these spurious infections picked by dogs
  during coprophagia of human stools?
• Are the dogs naturally infected by S. mansoni in
  Kisumu.
• Previous reports of dogs infected with S.
  rodhaini, a related Schistosome have been made
  from Kisumu
• S. mansoni is known to hybridize with S. rodhaini
  might our finding actually be a hybridized form
  of the two Schistosomes?
• The reported levels of nematode ova intensity are
  capable of causing high morbidity and sometimes
  mortality in young animals.

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WAY FORWARD

• Need to carry out further investigations to
• Determine how dogs get access to human stools if
  the infections are spurious
• Determine if dogs are naturally infected with S.
  masoni
• How viable the S. mansoni eggs are and whether
  they are infective to intermediate host snails
• The potential of the dog to serve as a reservoir
  host for human S. mansoni
• Use DNA methods to determine if the parasite may
  be a hybrid of S. mansoni and S. rodhiaini
• The potential of the dog to share other reported
  helminths and protozoa with humans.