THE STATE OF ART OF GASTROINTESTINAL HELMINTINIES IN DOGS OF THE METROPOLITAN REGION OF BELÉM, PARÁ
helminths; zoonoses; public health
Gastrointestinal helminths are among the pathogens most found in dogs, and these animals are important reservoirs especially because they include pathogens with zoonotic potential. Many animals are like family members, there are still tutors who let their animals move freely through public roads and have no knowledge regarding the possibility of transmitting diseases between animals and men. The conviviality between man and animals, has been increasingly narrowing, the infection of these animals by nematodes can lead to the occurrence of clinical signs, depending on the degree of infection, animals may present vomiting, diarrhea, anemia and stenosis with possible intestinal rupture and the occurrence of transmission to humans. This study aims to investigate the prevalence, diversity and richness of gastrointestinal helminths in pet animals in the squares of the metropolitan region of Belem, Pará. Forty-one dog feces samples were collected in the main squares belonging to the metropolitan region of Belem. The samples were collected individually in a sterile stool collector bottle, identified, packed in thermal boxes of expanded polystyrene containing ice and sent to the Laboratory of Histology and Animal Embryology (LHEA-ISPA-UFRA). The samples were analyzed by direct method and Willis’s method. For each tutor, a questionnaire was applied to investigate the occurrence of possible zoonosis, as well as their knowledge about the subject. The owners signed a free and informed consent form for their participation in this research.