Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Stray Dogs in Ado-Ekiti and Ido–Osi Local Government Areas, Ekiti State, Nigeria

Background: Stray dogs have been reported to harbor a wide range of gastrointestinal (GIT) parasites of signifi-cant public health and zoonotic importance worldwide. This study aims to determine the prevalence of GIT para-sites in the stray dog population in Ado-Ekiti and Ido—Osi Local Government Areas (LGAs), Ekiti State. Methods: Fifty fecal samples were randomly collected from stray dogs in each LGA between May and June 2023. The fecal examination was done using Sheather’s sugar floatation technique, and the prevalence was calculated as the percentage of infected samples over the total number of samples examined. Results: Overall, a total of twelve GIT parasites belonging to Phylum Protozoa (2), Phylum Amoebozoa (1), Platyhelminthes (4), and Nematoda (5), were found. A significant difference was observed in GIT preva-lence between the study areas (p<0.05). GIT parasites found in stray dogs in Ado-Ekiti LGA comprise Eimeria sp, Toxocara canis, Strongyloides sp, Alaria sp, Cryptosporidium sp, Entamoeba sp, Ancylostoma sp, Dipylidi-um sp, Schistosoma sp, and Taenia sp. In Ido-Osi LGA, only eight GIT parasites were found in stray dogs. These include Eimeria sp, T. canis, Trichuris sp, Physaloptera sp, Strongyloides sp, Dipylidium sp, Schistosoma sp, and Taenia sp. Moreover, the prevalence of GIT in stray dogs in both LGAs was estimated at 91% (91/100). Conclusion: Considering the public health and zoonotic importance of some of the observed GIT parasites in this study, it is crucial to intensify awareness of the need to keep the population of stray dogs under control in the study areas. This underscores the importance of the role of veterinarians, public health officials, and re-searchers in implementing and advocating effective control measures.