Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Dogs and Potential Implications to Human Health in Accra, Ghana

Dogs provide security and companionship and enhance the psychological well-being of humans but also carry potential zoonotic pathogens posing a public health risk. This study was conducted to detect gastrointestinal parasites in dogs and determine their potential risk to human health. In all, 288 dog fecal samples were collected per rectum from a veterinary and community in Accra, Ghana. The samples were examined by flotation and sedimentation techniques and parasites identified using standard morphological criteria. Questionnaires were administered to dog owners for information on knowledge of zoonosis and pet management practices. The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in the dogs was 38.2% (110 infected out of the total 288 dogs from both veterinary and the community). The infection rate in community dogs was 70.8% (85 infected out of 120 dogs) and 14.9% (25 infected out of 168 dogs) in veterinary dogs. At the veterinary, three different parasites, namely, hookworm (11.3%), <i>Toxocara</i> spp. (2.4%), and taeniids (1.2%), were detected, while nine different species, including <i>Ancylostoma caninum</i> and <i>Toxocara</i> spp., were observed in community dogs. The study revealed a significantly higher prevalence of parasites in female dogs (41.4%) than in males (35.6%) (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Young dogs (1-40 weeks) recorded significantly lower prevalence (<i>p</i> < 0.05) than older ones. The highest prevalence among the dog species at the veterinary occurred in coonhound dark tan (50%) and pit bull (50%). There was a significant association between infection status and dog owners in the community who did not visit veterinary (<i>p</i> = 0.001) and veterinary dogs not dewormed (<i>p</i> = 0.003). No significant association existed between dog owners' knowledge of zoonosis and infection (<i>p</i> > 0.05). The odds showed that dogs of owners who did not visit veterinary and local domestic dogs were more likely to be parasitized. Our findings suggest a potential risk of dog parasites to human health and highlight the need to control the movement of dogs to public places and encourage dog owners to visit veterinary, as well as regularly deworm the dogs.