Prevalence of intestinal helminth parasites of stray dogs in Shendi area, Sudan

Three hundred and sixty fecal samples of stray dogs were collected between July and December 2018, from open grounds of Shendi city and two suburbs (Gulia and Musiab), River Nile State, Sudan, and were examined for helminthic infections. The results showed 43 (11.9%) of the samples were positive for at least one species of helminth. A total of four helminth species were identified, including two nematodes (Ancylostoma caninum and Trichuris vulpis) and two cestodes (Dipylidium caninum and Taenia spp.). Taenia spp. was found to be the most common helminth infection in stray dogs (6.7%) followed by D. caninum (3.1%), while the least was the nematode, A. caninum (0.8%). The prevalence of infection among stray dogs in the suburbs was found to be higher than those in the city; however, there was no statistical significance (P = 0.07). In conclusion, stray dogs in Shendi area were found to be harboring several important zoonotic helminthes such as A. caninum and Taenia spp.; this shows the necessity of stray dog population management in this area as they present a health risk to the community.