Study on the helminth infections of digestive tracts in stray dogs from Qom Province, Iran

From March 2010 to May 2011, 61 stray dogs were captured from Qom province and euthanized then aupospied for digestive tracts helminth infections. Cestodes and acanthcethala were relaxed in tap water, stained by alum acetocarmine and cleared in xylol and nematodes cleared in lactophenol for identification. In the present study, 86.88% of dogs were infected with cestodes, 57.37% with nematodes and 3.27% with acanthocephalanes. Helminthes fauna and their prevalence were as follows: Taenia hydagena (32.79%), Echinococcus granulosus (26.22%), Dipylidium caninum (49%), Taenia mulpiceps (14. 75%), and Mecestides lineatus (1.36%), Toxocara canis (37.70%), Toxascaris leonina (21.31%), Rictularia cahirencis (3.27%) and Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus (4.91%). The spectrum of intensity of all worms was 2-24, except E. granulosus that was being between 700-3000. All helminths are transmissible to carnivores, and those T. hydagena, E. granulosus, T. multiceps to ruminants and those of E. granulosus, D. canicum, T. multiceps and T. canis to human beings.