PREVALENCE OF TOXOCARA CANIS AND ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICES OF THE COMMUNITY IN BISHOFTU TOWN, CENTRAL ETHIOPIA

A cross-sectional study was conducted in order to determine the prevalence of Toxocara canis, potential risk factors, and knowledge, attitude, and practices in Bishoftu, central Ethiopia. Fecal samples were taken from 300 randomly selected dogs of different sex, age group, breeds, and diarrheal status. The samples were processed using a flotation technique to detect the eggs of Toxocara canis. The current result revealed an overall prevalence of 32.33% (95% CI: 27.07 - 37.95) of Toxocara canis. The prevalence of the disease was 30.30% (95% CI: 22.61 - 38.90), 31.06% (95% CI: 23.30 - 39.70), and 44.44% (95% CI: 27.94 - 61.90) in young, adult and older dogs, respectively. The prevalence of Toxocara canis was 32.43% (95% CI: 26.77 - 38.50) and 31.71% (95% CI: 18.08 - 48.09) in female and male dogs, respectively. The present findings indicated that there were statistically significant links between the prevalence of Toxocara canis regarding dog breeds and diarrheal status (p < 0.05). The prevalence was higher in German Shepherd breed dogs (56.52%; 95% CI: 34.49 - 76.81) than in local dog breeds (30.32%; 95% CI: 24.97 - 36.11). The prevalence of the disease was higher in diarrheic dogs (46.48%; 95% CI: 34.55 - 58.71) than in non-diarrheic dogs (27.95%; 95% CI: 22.24 - 34.24). The knowledge, attitude, and practice assessment in the present study indicated poor dog management practices and insufficient public awareness. Most dog owners (56.7%; 95% CI: 50.85 - 62.35) did not deworm their dogs regularly, while 90.67% (95% CI: 86.79 - 93.71) fed dogs raw animal products. The present finding indicated that most respondents were not aware of zoonotic canine parasites (83.7%; 95% CI: 81.18 - 89.43) and toxocariasis (80.7%; 95% CI: 75.74 - 84.98). This study demonstrates a higher prevalence of Toxocara canis and lower public awareness about the disease. Therefore, this study recommends strategic deworming of dogs, better dog management, and increased public awareness in order to control the impact of the disease on animal and human health.