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. 2025 Jan 14;20(1):e0316539.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316539. eCollection 2025.

Epidemiology of gastrointestinal parasites of dogs in four districts of central Ethiopia: Prevalence and risk factors

Kibruyesfa Bayou  1 , Getachew Terefe  2 , Bersissa Kumsa  2
Affiliations

Epidemiology of gastrointestinal parasites of dogs in four districts of central Ethiopia: Prevalence and risk factors

Kibruyesfa Bayou et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

From February 2022 to April 2023, a cross-sectional study on dog gastrointestinal parasites was conducted in Bishoftu, Dukem, Addis Ababa, and Sheno, Central Ethiopia, with the aim of estimating the prevalence and evaluating risk factors. A total of 701 faecal samples were collected and processed using floatation and McMaster techniques. In dogs that were investigated, the overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites was 53.1% (372/701). Nematode (28.2%), cestode (8.4%), and protozoan (5.6%) parasite infections were detected in dogs in both single (42.2%) and combined (10.8%) infections. With respective prevalences of 16%, 9.8%, 5%, 3.9%, and 3.1% Ancylostoma spp., Toxocara canis, Dipylidium caninum, Giardia spp., and Taenia/Echinococcus spp. were the most common parasites. The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites was significantly higher (P<0.05) in female dogs (73.8%, OR = 0.4), adult dogs (55.3%, OR = 0.4), dogs that were given raw food (57.9%, OR = 2.7), and dogs kept free outdoor (60.9%, OR = 2.4). The incidence of gastrointestinal parasites was also higher in dogs with diarrheal faecal consistency (89.1%, OR = 9.1) and dogs from highland areas (62.1%, OR = 1.8). In contrast, statistically significant variation in the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites was not recorded among dogs of different breeds. The current study found that dogs in the studied locations had a high overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites. In conclusion, gastrointestinal parasites in dogs have the potential to pose a serious threat to public health, so addressing this issue requires a unified approach. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct detailed epidemiological and genetic research on dog parasites in vast study regions across various agro-ecologies zones and seasons in Ethiopia. Additionally, it is crucial to raise public awareness of the prevalence, effects on public health, and financial implications of dog gastrointestinal parasites in Ethiopia.

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Conflict of interest statement

No any competing interests.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Ancylostoma spp. from 2 yrs. female dog X40 (A), Toxocara canis of 1.5 yrs. male dog X40 (B) from Bishoftu, Dipylidium caninum of 4 yrs. old male dog X40 from Addis Ababa (C). Giardia spp. from 4 yrs. male dog X10 (A) from Dukem (D). Taenia spp. from 3 yrs. male dog X10 from Sheno (E). Mixed infection of Ancylostoma spp. (arrow) and Toxocara canis (arrowhead) from 4 yrs. male dog X10 from Dukem (F). Mixed infection of Ancylostoma spp. (arrow) and Physaloptera spp. (arrowhead) from 2yrs. female dog X10 from Bishoftu (G).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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