PARASITIC ECTOFAUNA OF URBAN DOMICILED DOGS EXAMINED IN PRIVATE VETERINARY CLINICS FROM LAVRAS MUNICIPALITY, MINAS GERAIS STATE, BRAZIL

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of ectoparasites in urban domiciled dogs treated at nine private veterinary clinics in the city of Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Visible and palpable ectoparasites specimens were collected manually from 67 dogs during the period of September 2004 to May 2005, kept in flasks with ethanol 70º GL and identified under a stereomicroscope. In the case of mites that cause mange, performed the analysis of the results obtained from 155 skin scrapings of the same number of dogs with clinical suspicion of parasitic dermatosis was performed, and sent to diagnostic at the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases of Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), during the period of September 2002 to July 2007. A total of 540 ectoparasites were recorded, and four species were identified: Rhipicephalus sanguineus (60%), Ctenocephalides canis and C. felis (both 36%), and Dermatobia hominis larvae (4%). In scraped skin, positive results were verified in 12.9% (20/155), of which 80.0% with Demodex canis (16/20) and 20.0% with Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis (4/20). After ectoparasites identification a database with the dogs´medical records was made and analyzed by SPSS 12.0. It can be concluded that the predominant species of ectoparasites in dogs treated at private veterinary clinics in the city of Lavras, MG, were Ctenocephalides canis and C. felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) and R. sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) and Demodex canis (Acari: Demodecidae) that had a significant predominance (p<0.05) on scraped skin of young animals with suspicion of canine demodicosis.

KEYWORDS: Dogs, ectoparasites, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Ctenocephalides, Demodex canis, Sarcoptes scabiei, Dermatobia hominis larvae.