Honors Program
Document Type
Thesis
Date of this Version
Fall 2022
Citation
Muller, K. 2022. Intestinal Parasite Prevalence in Fecal Samples in Nebraska Dog Parks. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Abstract
From February to April 2022, fecal samples were collected from eight dog parks in the Omaha and Lincoln, NE areas. A total of 160 samples were collected and assessed for the presence of intestinal parasites. The zinc sulfate double centrifugal flotation technique was used to determine infection. Out of the 160 samples, ten were positive for parasite contamination (6.25% prevalence). The most observed parasites were hookworms, found in 3.75% of all samples (6/160). Cystoisospora, Giardia, Toxocara canis, and Toxascaris leonina were all found only once, for a prevalence of 0.625% each. Compared to other studies, our infection rates are lower than expected, especially for the Midwest region. However, this data still shows that there is a risk for parasite transmission, especially of hookworms, within these dog parks.
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Gifted Education Commons, Higher Education Commons, Other Education Commons, Small or Companion Animal Medicine Commons, Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health Commons
Comments
Copyright Kristianna Muller 2022.