Prevalence of <i>Spirometra</i> and other gastrointestinal helminths in dogs of Minjingu village, Babati District, Tanzania

Abstract

Dogs are domesticated by human for different purpose and perform a wide range of social, cultural, and economic functions in the society but are prone to different kinds of health problems. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Spirometra and other gastrointestinal helminths affecting dogs in Minjingu village, Babati District in Tanzania. Faecal samples collected from 59 dogs were processed by sedimentation technique. The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites was 42.4%. A higher number of dogs (35.6%) harboured one-helminth species eggs than those harboured two (5.1%) or three (1.7%). The most common species of helminth eggs identified was Spirometra (28.3%). Other helminth species identified were Ancylostoma caninum (6.8%), Toxocara canis (1.7%) and Trichuris vulpis (1.7%). This calls for formulation of appropriate control measures of gastrointestinal parasites in dogs kept in rural areas.

Keywords: Spirometra, gastrointestinal parasites, dog, Minjingu