A Survey of Intestinal Helminths of Dogs in Slovakia with an Emphasis on Zoonotic Species

Dogs are the most popular pets worldwide; however, close contact with people increases the risk of transmission of different zoonotic parasites. This study aims to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths in dogs in Slovakia. A total of 495 faecal samples collected from pet, shelter, guard, working (police), and hunting dogs, as well as dogs from segregated Roma settlements between 2016 and 2021, were examined using flotation and molecular methods. Eggs of intestinal helminths were detected in 134 (27.1%) samples. Microscopically, six different species/genera/families, namely, Toxocara canis (14.7%), Toxascaris leonina (1.6%), Trichuris vulpis (6.3%), Capillaria spp. (1.4%), Ancylostoma/Uncinaria spp. (8.3%), and taeniid eggs (4.0%), were recorded. Molecular analyses revealed infection with Echinococcus multilocularis in 2.2% of dogs and 0.4% of the animals were infected with Taenia hydatigena. The results showed a correlation between the occurrence of intestinal helminths and the availability of veterinary care, as dogs from Roma settlements and shelter dogs were the most often infected (66.7% and 39.2%, respectively). On the other hand, working animals were in the best health condition, with only 2.5% being positive. The relatively frequent occurrence of zoonotic species points to the constant need for preventive measures and regular deworming of dogs

Rodents as Sentinels for <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in Rural Ecosystems in Slovakia—Seroprevalence Study

Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous intracellular parasite with felids as definitive hosts and a broad range of intermediate hosts. Rodents are considered suitable sentinels for prevalence studies of many infections, including toxoplasmosis. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii in rodents from different localities of Slovakia and investigate the correlation between the seropositivity and the species, age, sex, and sexual activity of animals. Altogether, 1009 wild rodents belonging to 9 species were trapped in 2015 and 2019, and antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 6.7% of the animals. Seropositivity was detected in seven species, ranging from 0.0% in Micromys minutus and Apodemus sylvaticus to 7.7% in A. flavicollis. The females reached significantly higher seropositivity (9.7%) than the males (3.8%), and the adults were positive significantly more often (9.2%) than the subadults (4.9%). The seropositivity differed also among localities, with significantly higher positivity detected in suburban and touristic areas (12.2%) than in localities with a lower level of human activities (5.5%). This study showed that the occurrence of T. gondii varies significantly in rodent species and habitats with various environmental conditions and different levels of anthropic use. Several biological and ecological factors, e.g., soil contamination, soil conditions, the susceptibility of rodent species etc., may influence this variability

The dwarf tapeworm Hymenolepis nana in pet rodents in Slovakia—epidemiological survey and genetic analysis

Rodents are popular companion animals and are often kept as pets for children. However, they can be reservoirs of a variety of zoonotic pathogens. As little attention is being paid to the possibility of acquiring parasitic infections from pet rodents, the occurrence of Hymenolepis nana in rodents from pet shops and breeding clubs of Slovakia was surveyed, with parallel genetic analyses to type isolates from rodent species. In 2016–2018, pooled faecal samples from 119 boxes with 228 mice, 191 rats, 124 hamsters and 25 Mongolian gerbils were collected from 12 pet shops and 3 breeding clubs in five cities of eastern Slovakia. H. nana eggs were detected in 25 (21.0%) boxes. Animals from pet shops were infected more frequently (24.6% positive boxes) than those from breeding clubs (17.2%), without statistical significance. The highest prevalence was recorded in rats from pet shops, where 41.7% of boxes contained parasite eggs. Hamsters and mice in pet shops were also frequently infected; in 23.8% and 25%of boxes, respectively, H. nana eggs were observed. Prevalence in rats and hamsters from breeding clubs was lower, but in mice surpassed 40%. Nine samples with positive PCR products in any of the four DNA regions, mitochondrial cox1 and nuclear pmy, ITS1 and ITS2 targets, gave profiles characteristic of H. nana. The results imply the risk of zoonotic transmission of hymenolepiasis in Slovakia. Particular attention should be given to hygiene levelmaintainedwhile keeping rodents. Furthermore, rodents intended for sale should be tested for parasites and then dewormed

A Community-Based Study to Estimate the Seroprevalence of Trichinellosis and Echinococcosis in the Roma and Non-Roma Population of Slovakia

Trichinellosis and cystic and alveolar echinococcosis are serious parasitic diseases transmissible between animals and humans. Moreover, alveolar echinococcosis is considered one of the most dangerous of human helminthoses. Roma communities are particularly numerous in Central and Eastern Europe. They are often concentrated in economically undeveloped regions and live in segregated localities with unsatisfactory housing and sanitary conditions. The study aimed to find out the seroprevalence of Trichinella and Echinococcus infections in the Roma population of segregated settlements and to compare it with the seropositivity of the non-Roma population of eastern Slovakia. Out of 823 samples, three sera showed seropositivity to Trichinella in the ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test. Subsequent Western blot reaction (WB) confirmed seropositivity in two Roma women. ELISA seropositivity to E. multilocularis was recorded in six persons (0.73%), and five (0.61%) respondents were seropositive to E. granulosus, but WB confirmed the presence of antibodies to Echinococcus spp. in one Roma participant. Positive persons suffered from unspecific clinical symptoms; Trichinella-positive persons reported headache, cough, fatigue, and muscle pain. The Echinococcus-positive participant suffered from headache and back pain. The study showed that the worse living conditions of the Roma community did not significantly influence the occurrence of Trichinella and Echinococcus infections in this minority

Diversity and neutrality indices for <i>Echinococcus multilocularis</i> populations from Slovakia, Poland and France derived from <i>cob1</i>, <i>nad2</i> and <i>cox1</i> data.

Diversity and neutrality indices for Echinococcus multilocularis populations from Slovakia, Poland and France derived from cob1, nad2 and cox1 data.</p

Maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree constructed using sequences of <i>nad1</i> (395 bp), showing relationships between the examined Slovak isolates and GenBank-related isolates of <i>Echinococcus multilocularis</i>.

The scale bar refers to a phylogenetic distance of 0.0010 nucleotide substitutions per site. Geographical origins of the reference isolates: SK, Slovakia; HUN, Hungary; GER, Germany; POL, Poland; EST, Estonia; CRO, Croatia; SWI, Switzerland; CAN, Canada; CHN, China; IRA, Iran; AUT, Austria; JPN, Japan; SWE, Sweden. Hosts abbreviations in parentheses: (H), human; (RF), red fox; (W), wolf; (D), domestic dog; (C), coyote. Echinococcus shiquicus (AB208064) from China was used as an outgroup.</p

Geographic distribution of <i>Echinococcus multilocularis</i> haplotypes in Slovak patients.

Green dots: E5-like profiles, yellow triangle: E4 profile, orange star: E1/E2 profile. Numbers correspond to patients´ IDs (e.g., No. 1 corresponds to SK1). The base map was used from public domain under a Creative Commons licence (PlaniGlobe, http://www.planiglobe.com.</p

Pairwise fixation indices (Fst) for <i>Echinococcus multilocularis</i> populations from Poland, Slovakia and France calculating from <i>cob1</i>, <i>nad2</i> and <i>cox1</i> data.

Pairwise fixation indices (Fst) for Echinococcus multilocularis populations from Poland, Slovakia and France calculating from cob1, nad2 and cox1 data.</p

Data on incidence of human alveolar echinococcosis and prevalence of <i>Echinococcus multilocularis</i> in red foxes in different districts of Slovakia.

Data on incidence of human alveolar echinococcosis and prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in red foxes in different districts of Slovakia.</p