Microscopic and molecular prevalence and associated risk factors with Toxocara and Blastocystis infection in dogs and cats in Mitidja, Algeria

Abstract

Domestic dogs and cats can serve as a source of environmental contamination with Toxocara spp. and Blastocystis spp., and this represents a neglected public and veterinary health problem. We assessed the microscopic and molecular prevalence of these species in a locality in Algeria and identified the associated risk factors. The faeces of 225 dogs and 78 cats were collected in Mitidja between March and July 2022. The samples were analysed by coproscopy and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) and Small Subunit Ribosomal (SSU-RNA) of T. canis and Blastocystis spp. respectively. The overall microscopic prevalence of Toxocara spp. in dogs and cats was 9.78 ± 1.98% and 12.82 ± 7.42%, respectively. The rate of Blastocystis spp. was 15.11 ± 2.39% and 15.38 ± 4.08% in dogs and cats, respectively while the molecular prevalence of T. canis in dogs was 4.89 ± 1.44% and in cats 1.28 ± 1.27%; the prevalence of Blastocystis spp. was 41.78 ± 3.29% and 34.62 ± 5.39% in dogs and cats, respectively. Phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses identified the presence of the H1 subtype of T. canis in dogs, and the ST1 subtype of Blastocystis in dogs and cats. Dogs with clinical signs were more likely to be infected with T. canis (OR 6.039, P < 0.05) than healthy dogs. This study demonstrates that dogs and cats are carriers of Toxocara spp. and Blastocystis spp. and are therefore a source of environmental contamination. Veterinarians and human health professionals should work together to implement control strategies as part of a "One Health" approach to improving animal health and reducing the risk of transmission to humans.

Keywords: Blastocystis; Toxocara; Cats; Dogs; Microscopy; Mitidja; PCR.