title: Echinococcus multilocularis in dogs from two French endemic areas: no evidence of infection but hazardous deworming practices.
abstract: The life cycle of the zoonotic parasite Echinococcus multilocularis is predominantly sylvatic, involving foxes as definitive hosts infected by predation of rodents, the intermediate hosts. The North-Eastern French departments of Meuse and Haute-Saône are highly endemic, with an estimated fox prevalence of 41% and 36% respectively. Although most of the parasites' biomass occurs in foxes, domestic dogs can also be infected, leading to a major risk of human infection due to the close proximity of dogs and owners. In the present study, dog faeces were collected after praziquantel treatment provided by veterinarians. In all, 860 faecal samples were collected throughout Meuse (n=493) and Haute-Saône (n=367). Intestinal helminth eggs were isolated from the faeces using a flotation technique and observed by microscopy. Parasite species were identified in samples positive for taeniid eggs by sequence analysis after PCR amplification. To study the factors associated with infestation, each sample was linked to a questionnaire filled in by the dog owners. Taeniid eggs were observed in seven faecal samples (0.8%) but none of them were positive for E. multilocularis. Thus, the apparent prevalence of E. multilocularis in dog populations is lower than 1.00% for Haute-Saône and lower than 0.75% for Meuse. In Haute-Saône, a high proportion of dogs observed suspected preying on rodents were not dewormed monthly. In endemic areas, these dogs must be considered at risk of transmitting E. multilocularis to humans.
authors.affiliation: French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), Nancy Rabies and Wildlife Laboratory, 54220 Malzéville, France. gerald.umhang@anses.fr
authors.forename: Gérald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Umhang
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Raton
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Comte
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hormaz
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Boucher
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Combes
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boué
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001483:Base Sequence; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D004285:Dogs; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D048210:Echinococcus multilocularis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019353:Endemic Diseases / Q000662:veterinary*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005589:Foxes; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011223:Praziquantel / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012377:Rodentia; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015047:Zoonoses
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D018509:DNA, Helminth; D011223:Praziquantel