Regional Science and Technology Fund
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Esta é uma presença online oficial do Governo dos Açores
Parasitoses gastrointestinais e cardiopulmonares em canídeos e felídeos do Arquipélago dos Açores e suas repercussões no bem-estar animal e saúde pública
- StateONGOING
- NomeRomana Teixeira
- Entity hostFaculdade de Medicina Veterinária – Universidade de Lisboa
- University awarding the degreeFaculdade de Medicina Veterinária – Universidade de Lisboa
- Science Networks
Objective
- Characterization of the gastrointestinal and cardiopulmonary parasitic microbiota
in canids and cats- Collection of fecal and blood samples on the different islands of the archipelago
- Sample processing with coprological methods and identification of
parasitic forms by classical and molecular methods
- Characterization of the seasonal impact on transmission and infection rate
- Carrying out surveys
- Surveys about predisposing factors to the occurrence of parasitism
and risk of human infection by parasitic zoonoses (owners) - Surveys on the prevention and control of dog and cat parasites carried out on
Azorean veterinary doctors.
- Surveys about predisposing factors to the occurrence of parasitism
Resultados & Impacto
The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitism in dogs was 40%, in which the results obtained for each parasite were as follows: Ancylostomatidae (32%), Toxocara canis (18%), Trichuris vulpis (18%) and Cystoisospora spp. (9%).
The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitism in cats was 46%, where each parasite recorded the following prevalences: Ancylostomatidae (31%), Toxocara cati (18%) and Cystoisospora spp. (11%).
The prevalence of pulmonary parasitism was 0% in dogs and 15% in cats, with only the species Aelurostrongylus abstrusus being detected in cats.
Fecal parasite excretion levels (EPG/OPG/LPG) were higher in cats.
With regard to the islands, in dogs, the percentage of samples with a positive result was as follows: Corvo (70%); Flowers (67%); São Miguel (28%); Third (47%). In cats, the values recorded were as follows: Crow (60%); Flowers (80%); São Miguel (42%); Third (49%). These results demonstrate that the disparity of resources, especially on the islands of the west (Flores and Corvo), had an influence on the degrees of parasitism obtained.
Regarding quantitative methods, Mini-FLOTAC (MF) proved to be a more sensitive method than McMaster, for fecal excretion levels below 50 EPG/OPG. However, with regard to the detection of metastrongyle larvae, Baermann’s technique showed greater sensitivity compared to MF.
In the set of islands studied so far, both for dogs and cats, those in the West group have higher levels of parasitism than the East group;
Of the identified parasites, we point the importance in Public Health of two groups of
parasites, Toxocara spp. and Ancylostomatidae (zoonotic);
With regard to the pulmonary parasitism, the nematode Aelurostrongylus abstrusus stands out, whose isolates are being analyzed by molecular biology to research and identification of species.
