title: Giardia and other intestinal parasites in dogs from veterinary clinics in Japan.
abstract: The present study is the first report that describes the national survey of intestinal parasites in private household dogs brought to veterinary clinics in Japan. A total of 2,365 fresh feces were collected. Giardia-specific coproantigen was examined by ELISA kit (SNAP(®) Giardia, IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.; Maine, USA). Other intestinal parasites were determined microscopically using the formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation technique. According to age categories, Giardia duodenalis, Cystoisospora spp., Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina, and Strongyloides spp., at ≦6-months-old showed significantly (P < 0.0001, P < 0.001 or P < 0.01, respectively) higher prevalence compared to >6 months old (31.5% vs. 2.3%, 9.1% vs. 0.05%, 1.8% vs. 0.4%, 1.1% vs. 0%, and 1.1% vs. 0.05%, respectively). In clinical categories, prevalences of G. duodenalis (14.8%) and Cystoisospora spp. (4.7%) in symptomatic dogs were significantly (P < 0.05, respectively) higher than those in asymptomatic ones (7.9% and 1.6%, respectively). G. duodenalis and Cystoisospora spp. were dominant parasites in private household dogs in Japan, especially ≦6-month-old dogs.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Small Animal Internal Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Higashi 23-35-1, Towada, Aomori 034-8628, Japan. naoitoh@vmas.kitasato-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Kazutaka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kanai
authors.forename: Hirohide
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tominaga
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kawamata
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaneshima
authors.forename: Seishiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chikazawa
authors.forename: Yasutomo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hori
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hoshi
authors.forename: Seiichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Higuchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D004285:Dogs; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D006762:Hospitals, Animal; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008853:Microscopy; D010271:Parasites / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015995:Prevalence