Epidermiological study of schistosomosis in dogs in the south eastern part of Nigeria

Schistosomiasis is considered second only to malaria as one of the most neglected tropical disease. In most settings, cross infection between human and dogs occur which necessitated the need to determine the incidence of schistosomiasis in dogs in the South-eastern Nigeria. To establish a bench mark on schistosomiasis in dogs in the South-eastern Nigeria.In the study 20 out of 36 communities in Ikwuano including all dogs presented at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, MOUAU all in Ikwuano (L.G.A) were sampled for schistosomiasis. Faecal sample and anal swabs were randomly screened from dogs of various breeds, age bracket and sex. The samples were analysed using faecal flotation technique and direct microscopy. The incidence of the disease was determined and presented in percentage. The incidence of schistosomiasis between breeds, sex and age were compared using independent sample T-test and presented as mean ± SE. The level of significance was accepted at (p<0.05). The result recorded an incidence of 1.2% in the South-eastern part of Nigeria. There was an equal incidence of 0.6% recorded in the male as in the female 0.6%. An incidence of 0.9% was recorded in Adults compared to puppies 0.3%. There was no significant difference (p<0.05) in the incidence of schistosomiasis in males 6.31±0.21a compared to females 6.46±0.20a. There was also no significant difference (p<0.05) in the incidence of schistosomiasis in Adults 1.45±0.10a compared to puppies1.26±0.03a. There was however a significant difference (p<0.05) in the incidence of schistosomiasis in Mongrels (12.63±0.32a) compared to the Exotic (11.12±0.6b) breeds. Schistosomiasis is among the reportable diseases in the world and therefore, knowledge of the prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis within areas is crucial in planning of disease intervention strategies.Keywords: Schistosomiasis, Dogs, Ikwuano, Southeastern, Nigeria, Prevalence