Prevalence and intensity of Toxocara canis (Werner, 1782) in dogs and its potential public health significance in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

A study on the prevalence and intensity of Toxocara canis (Werner, 1782) in dogs was carried out in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Faecal samples were collected from 269 dogs between January and December 2004, processed by the Kato-Katz technique and then examined for T. canis eggs. The prevalence of T. canis obtained was 33.8%. The intensity of infection, measured as mean egg count per gram of faeces ( +/- SEM) was 393.8 +/- 83.4. The prevalence and intensity of T. canis in dogs aged 0-6 months were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than older age groups. The prevalence and intensity of T. canis infection were significantly higher in males than in female dogs (P < 0.05). Since T. canis is known to cause visceral larva migrans (VLM) in young children, there is the possibility that the high prevalence of T. canis infection obtained in this study might constitute an important risk factor for transmission to humans. Therefore, there is the need to educate the residents of Ile-Ife on the danger of close association of their children with household pets.