Public places (parks, playgrounds, sandpits, streets, sidewalks, and roadsides) play an important role in pet and human population welfare, where frequent traffic is observed. For this reason, many dog feces are present in various public places, which are of public health importance, and are of medical and veterinary concern. Papajová
Human intestinal parasites are known to occur mainly where a lot of people are concentrated in a limited space and without access to drinking water and sewage system. In Slovakia, many such locations are located in the Košice region, including the East Slovak Lowland area (Ravasz, 2020). This area is ethnically mixed. Marginalized groups of inhabitants mostly live in poverty and have close contact with animals, which is associated with a lower hygiene standard and a large amount of environmental waste. Many studies have confirmed that in dogs living in the rural ecosystem and settlements, the incidence of parasites in Slovakia is higher than in the urban ecosystem due to lower hygiene standards and the higher presence of stray dogs. Jarošová
The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of endoparasites in dog feces from public places, investigate the occurrence of endoparasites in soil, and identify potential risk factors associated with the dog endoparasites infection spread in East Slovak Lowland.
The study was performed in 5 towns, 7 villages, and 4 segregated settlements located in 3 districts (Trebišov, Michalovce and Sobrance) on the East Slovak Lowland. The East Slovak Lowland belongs to the geomorphological area of the Great Danube Basin territory located in the southern part of eastern Slovakia (Fig. 1). Climatically, the East Slovak Lowland ranks among the warm regions where the average annual highest temperatures are 27°C and the lowest temperatures range between −2 and −3°C. The average annual rainfall is 650 to 700 mm (
The location of sample collection sites.
Dog excrement and soil samples were collected randomly from November 2021 to December 2022. All samples were stored without preservation at 4°C and immediately transported to the laboratory at the Institute of Parasitology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Košice for further parasitological examination. All analyses were performed within 24 – 48 h.
Totally 803 dog excrements were collected from around the dwellings and public places and examined for the presence of endoparasite developmental stages.
Coprological diagnostics were done by a flotation method with Shaeter's flotation solution of sucrose with a specific gravity of 1.27 g.ml−1 and the Faust flotation solution with a specific gravity of 1.18 g.ml−1.
Totally 148 soil samples were collected from public places and near human settlements to investigate the presence of parasites in the environment. Multiple soil samples of approximately 300 to 500 g were taken from a single site at a surface level (5 cm). Pooled sand samples were then used for parasitological examination. The samples were surveyed according to Kazacos (1983). Endoparasite's developmental stages were determined based on morphological characteristics by light microscopy (Soulsby, 1982; Mircean
The research related to animals complied with all the relevant national regulations and institutional policies for the care and use of animals. Therefore, no additional authorization was required.
Statistical analysis of the parasitological results were performed with STATISTICA (version 8.0; StatSoft, TIBCO Software; Palo Alto, California, USA) software for data analysis and MS Excel (Office 365; Microsoft; Redmond, Washington, USA). All data were first described by basic descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation). Next, the odds ratio (OR) and correlation coefficient (r) were calculated, which were further converted into a percentage value (Markechová
The results on the prevalence of endoparasites in 803 dog feces from public places are shown in Table 1. Endoparasite developmental forms were found in 350 dog fecal samples, with an overall prevalence of 43.59 %. The most frequently observed endoparasites species were
The spatial distribution of the endoparasites in the dogs’ excrements from public places.
Parasitological evaluation of dog's excrement from public places.
Villages | 137 | 32 | 0.36 | 0.23 – 0.55 | |
Towns* | 624 | 284 | 1.79 – 4.19 | ||
Settlements** | 42 | 34 | 5.98 | 2.73 – 13.10 | |
Villages | 137 | 14 | 0.37 | 0.20 – 0.66 | |
Towns* | 624 | 146 | 1.49 – 4.80 | ||
Settlements** | 42 | 22 | 4.13 | 2.20 – 7.75 | |
Villages | 137 | 5 | 0.27 | 0.10 – 0.68 | |
Towns* | 624 | 76 | 1.45 – 9.23 | ||
Settlements** | 42 | 0 | 0 | – | |
Villages | 137 | 1 | 0.20 | 0.02 – 1.50 | |
Towns* | 624 | 2 | 0.66 – 37.19 | ||
Settlements** | 42 | 8 | 7.54 | 3.14 – 18.10 | |
Villages | 137 | 12 | 0.60 | 0.31 – 1.13 | |
Towns* | 624 | 86 | 0,88 – 3,14 | ||
Settlements** | 42 | 15 | 3.75 | 1.93 – 7.31 | |
Villages | 137 | 4 | 6.22 | 1.37 – 28.14 | |
Towns* | 624 | 3 | 0.03 – 0.72 | ||
Settlements** | 42 | 5 | 14.55 | 4.40 – 48.04 | |
Villages | 137 | 4 | 0.43 | 0.15 – 1.24 | |
Towns* | 624 | 40 | 0.80 – 6.45 | ||
Settlements** | 42 | 1 | 0.411 | 0.05 – 2.95 |
n - number of examined samples; p - number of positive samples; f. - family; 95 % CI - 95 % Confidence Interval of OR; OR - Odds Ratio;
- reference group for calculating OR;
- reference group for calculating the OR in settlements were towns and villages are combined;
“-”- unable to calculate due to lack of data
Overall, 77 of 148 soil samples from public places in the East Slovak Lowland (52.03 %) were positive by microscopic examination for endoparasite developmental stages. The occurrence of endoparasites in soil according to the ecosystems is summarised in Table 2. The prevalence of endoparasites in soil from the towns was 12 %, while the prevalence in soil from the villages was 72.45 % (Table 2). During the studied period, the soil's most frequent developmental forms of the endoparasites were eggs of
Results of parasitological examination in the soil.
Towns* | 50 | 6 | 0.015 – 0.11 | ||
Villages | 98 | 71 | 23.66 | 8.49 – 65.94 | |
Towns* | 50 | 1 | 0.003 – 0.20 | ||
Villages | 98 | 42 | 36.75 | 4.87 – 277.01 | |
Towns* | 50 | 3 | – | ||
Villages | 98 | 0 | – | ||
Towns* | 50 | 2 | 0.035 – 45.69 | ||
Villages | 98 | 1 | 0.24 | 0.02 – 2.79 | |
Towns* | 50 | 1 | 0.003 – 0.20 | ||
Villages | 98 | 42 | 36.75 | 4.87 – 277.01 | |
Towns* | 50 | 0 | – | ||
Villages | 98 | 55 | – |
n - number of examined samples; p - number of positive samples; f. - family; 95 % CI - 95 % Confidence Interval of OR; OR - Odds Ratio;
- reference group for calculating the OR;
“-”- unable to calculate due to lack of data
In 50 examined soil samples from the surveyed towns, 4 different taxa of parasites were detected (Table 2). Typically, the eggs of the Ancylostomatidae family (6.00 %), eggs of
The spatial distribution of the endoparasites in the soil from the public places.
In total, we investigated 9 various factors (soil type, number of inhabitants, number of Roma, the availability of drinking water in villages and settlements, the accessibility to sewage systems in villages and settlements, the presence of sumps in villages and settlements to identify the potential of risk factors associated with the dog endoparasites infection spread in East Slovak Lowland (Table 3). The target line was established and considered significant if the factor has a correlation share above 10 % (Fig. 4).
Comparison of correlation coefficients for each factor in East Slovak Lowland. Error bars represent SE (Standard Errors).
The establishment of correlation coefficients between risk factors and examined samples.
Number of inhabitants | −0.764196263 | 0.962282232 | |
Number of Roma | −0.382587722 | 0.57934496 | |
Presence of drinking water | village | −0.773563092 | 0.276271504 |
settlement | −0.600215911 | 0.31220805 | |
Presence of sewage | village | −0.337528609 | 0.334179395 |
settlement | 0.423367867 | −0.088357355 | |
Presence of sumps | village | 0.2645727 | −0.241945122 |
settlement | −0.248234706 | −0.180872313 |
Our study aimed at the occurrence of endoparasites in dog excrements and soil in public places in East Slovak Lowland and the risk factors associated with dog endoparasites infection spread in these localities. Such a study was needed because of the lack of recent data on this topic in a region close to the Schengen border. Concerning increased migration, there is a more increased chance of introducing parasitic diseases into places historically without endoparasites occurrence. The migration can also negatively impact the epizootological and epidemiological situation, and parasitic diseases spread in localities close to the border. Dog feces in public places thus may represent an important source of endoparasites for dogs, dog owners and the community.
As we mentioned, East Slovak Lowland's region is ethnically mixed. Marginalized groups of inhabitants are represented by Roma people who mostly live in poverty in close contact with animals without veterinary care in segregated settlements. Those dogs move freely in public spaces, not only in settlements but also in towns and villages and can negatively impact the spread of endoparasites. These animals can also come into contact with wildlife, contributing to the widespread parasite spread. Regarding population density and habitat distribution for the spread of parasitic infections, the rusty fox, a state-wide animal, plays the most prominent role. In addition to rabies, it is also an important reservoir for many parasitic diseases, including zoonoses such as
This study revealed a 43.59 % prevalence of endoparasites in dog excrements collected from public places. In feces, only parasites that are common in Slovakia have occurred where the eggs of
This study showed that the distribution of endoparasites in dogs was affected by the population density and the Roma people living in the studied territory. The statistical results show that number of inhabitants and people living in poor hygienic conditions with limited access to drinking water and usage of sewerage play an essential role in the endoparasites spread in the soil.
We conclude that no new endoparasites species pathogenic to humans were found in the dog's excrements and soil samples from public places. Our study confirms that persisting endoparasitic contamination of the public places in East Slovak Lowland may be a reservoir of endoparasites with zoonotic potential, thus representing a public and environmental health problem.