Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
The 15th International Congresses of Parasitology – ICOPA XV, Kobenhavn, Danimarka, 21 - 26 Ağustos 2022
This study aimed to investigate the presence and prevalence of E. multilocularis in stray dogs in northeastern Turkey.
A total of 1069 fecal samples were collected from praziquantel-administered dogs between June 2019 and September 2020 in routine visits to animal shelters. The study area included seven provinces; Ağrı, Ardahan, Bayburt, Erzincan, Erzurum, Iğdır and Kars. The sequential sieving and flotation method was performed for the concentration of taeniid eggs. Genomic DNA was isolated from taeniid eggs, and mitochondrial 12S rRNA partial gene region was amplified for E. multilocularis by PCR. The phylogenetic analysis is in progress.
Taeniid eggs were detected in 286 out of 1069 (26.8%) fecal samples by microscopy. The rates of taeniid egg positivity were as follows in provinces; Ağrı (43/116, 37.1%), Ardahan (14/107, 13.1%), Bayburt (39/104, 37.5%), Erzincan (13/101, 12.9%), Erzurum (107/420, 25.5%), Iğdır (34/106, 32.1%) and Kars (36/115, 31.3%). All taeniid egg positive samples were subjected to molecular analysis and the overall prevalence was detected as 8.7% (93/1069) by 12S rRNA-PCR. The prevalence pattern by province; Ağrı (8/116, 6.9%), Ardahan (2/107, 1.9%), Bayburt (15/104, 14.4%), Erzincan (7/101, 6.9%), Erzurum (35/420, 8.3%), Iğdır (14/106, 13.2%) and Kars (12/115, 10.4%).
Alveolar echinococcosis is a considerable and neglected public health threat for humans in the study area and the results in all provinces included in the study presented high positivity in stray dogs. The results of this study emphasized that stray dogs have critical importance for the dynamics of AE and control strategies for alveolar echinococcosis should not only be in rural areas and wildlife but also in urban areas, especially stray dogs.