Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites and Dirofilaria Spp. in Stray Dogs from Some Regions in Bulgaria

During the summer seasons of two consequent years (2013–2014), 80 faecal samples from dogs in stray shelters of two Bulgarian districts (Sofia, n=40 and Pleven, n=40) were examined for infection with gastrointestinal parasites. The flotation-centrifugation method using ZnCl2 solution was used for parasitological examination of the samples. Thirty-three blood samples from dogs in one stray shelter (Sofia district) were tested for infection with Dirofilaria sp. by the Knott’s method and the positive samples were further tested by the Combo SNAP test for Dirofilaria immitis. The obtained eggs or larvae were morphologically examined through light microscopy. The study revealed that the examined dogs from stray shelters in these districts of Bulgaria were infected with parasites belonging to eight genera – Ancylostoma, Toxocara, Toxascaris, Trichuris, Uncinaria, Dipylidium, Dirofilaria and Isospora. Among the positive dogs, Ancylostoma was the most common parasite in the Sofia district being recovered from 52.5% of the examined dogs, while Trichuris vulpis was more common in the Pleven district – 20%. Dirofilaria-positive samples were 33% of all examined blood samples. Out of them, 15% were positive for infection with D. immitis and 18% – with D. repens. This study showed that the nematode infection rate in stray dogs was high and suggested the existence of a real risk for infection in humans and pets.