Enteroparasitos em cães da cidade de Porteirinha, Norte de Minas Gerais, e associação com a sintomatologia clínica da Leishmaniose Visceral Canina

Abstract

Dogs are our pets and are present in different spaces shared with human beings. However, close or intimate contact can facilitate the transmission of zoonoses, such as canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL). Furthermore, dogs can serve as hosts for many endo- and ectoparasites, which, within a one health scenario, may affect the close neighborhood, as well as public spaces like parks and others. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the occurrence of enteroparasites in seropositive and seronegative, domestic dogs for CVL and search for associations between intestinal helminth infections and clinical symptoms of CVL. A total of 47 seropositive dogs and 24 seronegative dogs for CVL were included in the study. For seropositive dogs, clinical examination, blood counts, euthanasia, necropsy, and collection of fecal samples were done. For seronegative dogs, the collection of only one fecal sample was done. The 47 seropositive dogs were classified into light (40.4%), medium (34.04%) and severe (25.5%) clinical degrees for CVL, according to the clinical signs presented. Among the frequently registered clinical signs were alopecia, cachexia, onychogryphosis and generalized lymphadenopathy. The group of those monoinfected by L. infantum presented anemia of the macrocytic hypochromic and normocytic normochromic types, while the group of those coinfected with intestinal helminths presented macrocytic hypochromic (p= 0.0455) and microcytic hypochromic anemia (p= 0.01963). According to coproparasitological methods, seropositive dogs showed a frequency of 41.8% for Ancylostoma sp., 27.9% for Giardia sp., 9.3% for Dipylidium caninum, 4.6% for Toxocara canis and 4.6% for Sarcocystis sp.. In dogs with CVL there was a positive correlation between the recovery of adult female hookworms and the measured parasite load in fecal samples, as defined as eggs per gram of feces (EPG) (odds ratio: 1.3258). For seronegative dogs, the frequency of intestinal parasites was 29.1% for Ancylostoma sp., 16.6% for Giardia sp., 12.5% for Cystoisospora sp., 4.16% for Spirometra and 4.16% for Sarcocystis sp.. Besides that, dogs with VL, the presence and the number of intestinal helminths increased the risk for the development of medium or severe clinical signs for CVL (odds ratio: 3.3621 and 2.7969, respectively). Concerning the Leishmania parasite load in the bone marrow of dogs seropositive for CVL, dogs with severe, clinical staging had the highest median parasite load (12.92 cp/μl), compared to dogs with medium staging (3.20 cp/μl) and low, clinical staging (0. 68 cp/μl). Regarding intestinal parasites, Ancylostoma sp. and Dipylidium caninum, were the most frequent parasites in euthanized dogs. Finally, mapping of serological testing of dogs and distribution of seropositive LVC cases and of the distribution of intestinal parasites in the urban area of Porteirinha showed overlapping and a similarity in distribution. In view of the results obtained, we concluded that co-infection with intestinal helminths is an aggravating factor for the development of visceral leishmaniasis in dogs, which was reflected by increased clinical signs of CVL and hematological alterations in coinfected animals. In regard to the scenario of One Health in the municipality, the elevated frequency of intestinal parasites with zoonotic potential in dogs from pet owners calls attention and points to the necessity of control measures with periodic treatment of domestic animals, in order to avoid contamination of peridomiciliary spaces, public parks and nearby environments.