New, and changing, dog and cat parasite concerns and One Health.
What is it about?
Dog and cat parasites are common-and many of these can infect people. Veterinary preventive care (testing then targeted treating, routine screening and medications-deworming) helps all species (dogs, cat, humans, wildlife, etc.) by reducing infection risk and shedding of parasites through faeces into the environment. There are changes in parasites over recent years, i.e., more parasites, now found in different parts of the world. This is a global concern, particularly as some of these parasites (e.g. hookworms) are now resistant to common medications- which is a worry for pets and people- as these medications are also used to treat humans. Molecular diagnostic testing (fecal PCR) can help with veterinary pet screening, quickly identify infection, update on risks for specific regions, e.g. track risk' hot spots', inform human risk and provide insights on antimicrobial resistance, allowing for targeted treatment. This article provides examples of clinical cases (dog infections) of parasites that can also infect humans, e.g. hookworms, Echinococcus multilocularis, Baylisascaris procyonis and Giardia, and shows how these are detected and managed by veterinarians.
Why is it important?
Raise awareness of new and changing disease risk, and new testing methods, that can help with dog and cat veterinary fecal screening to reduce infection risk for pets, people, and highlight risk regions. Antimicrobial resistance and stewardship update Clinical cases- stories of pets infected with intestinal parasites and how veterinarians manage these Inform on infections that can also cause disease in people