Ocorrência de helmintos gastrintestinais em cães errantes na cidade de Goiânia-GO

The increasing number of pets, mainly dogs (Canis familiaris) and cats (Felis catus) in urban areas, is augmenting the human contact with these animals, increasing human exposition to zoonosis. Aiming to evaluate the occurrence of gastrointestinal helminths on stray dogs, in Goiania, and its possible implications in public health, 201 dog’s fecal samples collected by Centro de Controle de Zoonoses were analyzed. The samples were collected from February to May 2007 and examined using the regular small animals techniques. We found eggs of the following helminths species: Ancylostoma sp (45.3%), Toxocara canis (8,0%), Trichuris vulpis (1.0%) and Dipilidium caninum (1.0%). The isolated infection caused by Ancylostoma sp was observed on a major proportion of the samples, showing the potential risk of zoonosis transmission caused by dog’s gastrointestinal helminths. This fact enforces the necessity of effective public health actions in order to minimize the incidence of these parasites and prevent transmission to humans.