Prevalence and distribution of soil-transmitted helminth infection in free-roaming dogs in Bali Province, Indonesia.

Background And Aim: Several free-roaming dogs can be easily found in the public areas of Bali. They go out in search of foods and friends and defecate everywhere. In general, these groups of dogs do not receive good healthcare from their owners and are generally threatened by some disease-causing organisms, especially helminths. This study was conducted to identify and measure the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) that cause infection in free-roaming dogs in Bali Province, Indonesia.

Materials And Methods: A total of 1611 fresh dog fecal samples were collected from all areas of Bali Province and subjected to qualitative fecal examination using flotation techniques to obtain STH eggs.

Results: The incidence of STHs in free-roaming dogs was 38.36%. However, three types of STHs were identified, including spp., spp., and spp. spp. had the highest prevalence of 37.8%, followed by spp. and spp. at 6.02% and 0.87%, respectively. Multiple infections of these worms were also recorded. The polyparasitism prevalence of spp. and spp. was 3.85%, followed by that of spp. and spp. at 0.5% and that of spp. and spp. at 0.06%. There were no altitude-wise differences in the prevalence of STH infection.

Conclusion: The prevalence of STHs was high in free-roaming dogs. This finding necessitates more serious attention as it affects both animal and public health.