INTESTINAL PARASITES PRESENT IN CANINE FECAL SAMPLES COLLECTED IN RURAL AREAS OF MUNICIPALITIES IN THE MIDWEST OF SANTA CATARINA, BRAZIL

Abstract

The study of intestinal parasites that occur in dogs in rural areas of Brazil is most important since there is little data available on this subject. Dog fecal samples were collected in rural properties of some municipalities in the Midwest of the State of Santa Catarina. Fecal samples were processed and analyzed by Hoffman, Pons and Janer (HPJ) (spontaneous sedimentation) and by centrifugal flotation in sucrose solution. Positive results with the presence of at least one parasite corresponded to 56.0% of the samples, namely Ancylostoma sp., Toxocara canis, Trichuris vulpis, Dipylidium caninum, Giardia sp., Cryptosporidium sp. and Taenia sp. / Echinococcus sp. This data suggests that the environmental  contamination of the countryside and, consequently, the infection levels of dogs in the area studied is high, thus the need for more effective public health measures. This work looks at the possible implications of these results.