Introduction: In urban environments, people and domestic animals often live in the same space and in close contact. Therefore, zoonoses can spread among them, particularly those transmitted by contact or the faecal-oral route through animal faeces. Two thirds of dog parasites can be pathogenic also for humans. The most common parasites in dogs that are often transmitted to humans are certain parasitic protozoa, roundworms and flatworms. Aim: To establish the prevalence and identify species of intestinal parasites in faeces of urban dogs in public areas. Methods of work: We collected 60 samples of dog’s feces in parks. Half of the samples were provided by dog owners who had just collected them after defecation of their dogs, while the other half we collected ourselves off the ground from unknown dogs. For every sample, we filled out an observation form providing data on sample collection and the known dog. The parasites and their developmental stages were separated from the faeces by using the flotation and sedimentation methods and were microscopically defined. Some species were also identified by polymerase chain reaction. Results: We found parasitic forms in 23 (38.3%) of the 60 samples. The most frequent among them were species of the genus Giardia (11.7%), Toxocara (8.3%) and Isospora (6.7%). Members of Echinococcus, Sarcocystis and Trichuris were also present. The parasites were more frequent in dogs that were fed with raw meat by their owners and dogs that were not preventively dewormed. Discussion and conclusion: We did not find any differences in the presence of parasites in faeces between known and unknown dogs. The most frequent intestinal parasite is Giardia. In city parks, recreation green areas and children's playgrounds are also contaminated with dog faces in which intestinal parasites are present. Such contamination may presents a health risk for the park users.
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