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Urban Dog Parks as Sources of Canine Parasites: Contamination Rates and Pet Owner Behaviours in Lisbon, Portugal
Joint Authors
Alho, Ana Margarida
Madeira de Carvalho, Luís
Ferreira, Ana
Otero, David
Gomes, Lídia
Nijsse, Rolf
Overgaauw, Paul A. M.
Source
Journal of Environmental and Public Health
Issue
Vol. 2017, Issue 2017 (31 Dec. 2017), pp.1-7, 7 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2017-08-30
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
7
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Dog parks represent a recent trend in western countries, enabling owners to spend quality time with their pets in a controlled environment.
Despite their growing popularity, few studies have been performed to date on these parks to investigate dog intestinal parasitic infections and soil contamination.
The present study examined 369 faecal and 18 soil samples collected from 3 dog parks in Greater Lisbon, Portugal.
Additionally, 102 interviews were performed with dog owners to assess dog-walking behaviours and parasite risk.
In total, 33% of the faecal dog samples were infected with at least one parasitic agent: hookworms (16.5%), Cryptosporidium spp.
(11.9%), Giardia spp.
(11.4%), Toxascaris leonina (1.1%), Cystoisospora spp.
(1.1%), Toxocara spp.
(0.5%), and Sarcocystis sp.
(0.3%).
The soil of all the parks was contaminated with hookworm eggs.
This is the first study performed in a European urban area to assess canine faecal contamination and parasitic agents in dog parks.
Our results highlight the potential of these parks as a source of transmission for canine parasites, including some with zoonotic potential.
Public awareness and effective preventive measures should be promoted to minimise the health-risk impact to both animals and humans, under the scope of environmental and public health.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Ferreira, Ana& Alho, Ana Margarida& Otero, David& Gomes, Lídia& Nijsse, Rolf& Overgaauw, Paul A. M.…[et al.]. 2017. Urban Dog Parks as Sources of Canine Parasites: Contamination Rates and Pet Owner Behaviours in Lisbon, Portugal. Journal of Environmental and Public Health،Vol. 2017, no. 2017, pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1175590
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Ferreira, Ana…[et al.]. Urban Dog Parks as Sources of Canine Parasites: Contamination Rates and Pet Owner Behaviours in Lisbon, Portugal. Journal of Environmental and Public Health No. 2017 (2017), pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1175590
American Medical Association (AMA)
Ferreira, Ana& Alho, Ana Margarida& Otero, David& Gomes, Lídia& Nijsse, Rolf& Overgaauw, Paul A. M.…[et al.]. Urban Dog Parks as Sources of Canine Parasites: Contamination Rates and Pet Owner Behaviours in Lisbon, Portugal. Journal of Environmental and Public Health. 2017. Vol. 2017, no. 2017, pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1175590
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-1175590