ZOONOTIC HELMINTH PARASITES RECOVERED
FROM DOGS IN KISUMU AND THEIR PUBLIC
HEALTH IMPORTANCE
Muchemi, G.M.1, Maingi,N.1, Otieno, R.O.1 Mkoji, G.M.2,
Mungai, B.2
1University
of Nairobi, Faculty of Vet Medicine
P.O. Box 29053 – 00625
Nairobi
2Kenya
Medical Research Institute
Centre for Biotechnology Research and Development
P.O. Box 54840 – 00100
Nairobi
INTRODUCTION
• The problem of helminth infections continues to persist in
Kenya and other developing countries mainly affecting
–
–
–
–
Humans
Livestock
Domestic carnivores
Wildlife
This is partly due to:
– Deterioration of sanitation standards among human communities
– Poor environmental management strategies by governments
– Poor disease control strategies by public health authorities
MATERIALS AND METHODS
• Study Location
– Kisumu city and its environs around the shores of Lake Victoria
chosen for this investigation partly because of other on going
helminth related studies.
– Kisumu climate and environment is humid and warm providing
ideal conditions for helminth parasite development. Drainage
channels and swamps are also present thus providing ideal
conditions for transmission.
• Methods
– Overnight faecal samples were collected from dogs that were
identified by home owners.
– Samples were kept in plastic bags and transported to the Kenya
Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) laboratory in Kisumu.
– Faecal samples processed using:
• Kato-Katz method for Schistosoma diagnosis
• McMaster method for nematodes
• Formal-ether sedimentation for helminths and protozoa
oocysts
RESULTS
A total of 110 dogs examined.
• Prevalence of infection
Hookworm (56/110)
=50.9%
Toxocara (13/110)
=11.8%
Trichuris (3/110)
=2.7%
Coccidia (2/110)
=1.8%
S.mansoni(3/110)
=2.7%
Descriptive Statistics
•
•
•
•
•
Hookworm
Toxocara
Trichuris
Coccidia
S.mansoni
Range
20 - 2600
100 - 2500
1 - 100
Mean
581
461
67
Kato preparation of S. mansoni egg in faeces
DISCUSSION
• The finding of
Schistosoma
mansoni eggs in
3 dogs raises
some important
public health
issues
DISTRIBUTION OF SCHISTOSOMIASIS
IN KENYA
• Schistosomiasis
mansoni is an
endemic waterborne disease in
humans from the
region
DISCUSSION
• Are these spurious infections picked by dogs during
coprophagia of human stools?
• Are the dogs naturally infected by S. mansoni in Kisumu.
• Previous reports of dogs infected with S. rodhaini, a
related Schistosome have been made from Kisumu
• S. mansoni is known to hybridize with S. rodhaini – might
our finding actually be a hybridized form of the two
Schistosomes?
• The reported levels of nematode ova intensity are
capable of causing high morbidity and sometimes
mortality in young animals.
WAY FORWARD
Need to carry out further investigations to:
• Determine how dogs get access to human stools if the
infections are spurious
• Determine if dogs are naturally infected with S. masoni
• How viable the S. mansoni eggs are and whether they
are infective to intermediate host snails
• The potential of the dog to serve as a reservoir host for
human S. mansoni
• Use DNA methods to determine if the parasite may be a
hybrid of S. mansoni and S. rodhiaini
• The potential of the dog to share other reported
helminths and protozoa with humans.