Incidence of Echinococcus granulosus in Domestic Dogs in Palestine as Revealed by Copro-PCR
Date
2015-07-16
Authors
Al-Jawabreh, Amer
Dumaidi, Kamal
Ereqat, Suheir
Nasereddin, Abedelmajeed
Al-Jawabreh, Hanan
Azmi, Kifaya
Al-Laham, Nahed
Abdeen, Ziad
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Publisher
GrossMark
Abstract
Hydatidosis or echinococcosisis considered a neglected zoonotic disease despite its high
burden in the livestock industry and the high risk of infection by humans in endemic areas.
In a cross-sectional study we estimated the copro-Incidence and also genotyped Echinococcus
granulosus isolates from domestic dogs using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Medical archives in nine major hospitals in Palestine were reviewed to determine incidence
of E. granulosus infection detected in humans during surgery. Faecal samples were collected
from 93 domestic dogs in three districts with the highest number of human cases: Al-
Khalil (Hebron), Tubas and Jenin. Genomic DNA was extracted from dog faecal samples
and amplified by PCR targeting the repeat DNA sequence (EgG1 Hae III) followed by
sequencing of five positive samples. Genotyping was determined by sequencing and
BLAST searching of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit (CO1). The incidence of
E. granulosus infection detected in humans at surgery was 1.2 per 100,000 in the West
Bank and 1.0 per 100,000 in Gaza Strip. Seventeen of 93 domestic dogs (18%) were positive,
based upon comparison with the Echinococcus DNA control. The five sequenced samples
were confirmed to be E. granulosus. Successfully genotyped sample belonged to E.
granulosus sensu stricto (formerly G1-G3 complex, sheep strain). For domestic dogs, age
group (13-24 months) and sex were identified as two risk factors for contracting E. granulosus.
The study identified the high incidence of E. granulosus sensu stricto in dogs in
Palestine.
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Citation
Al-Jawabreh A, Dumaidi K, Ereqat S, Nasereddin A, Al-Jawabreh H, Azmi K, et al. (2015) Incidence of Echinococcus granulosus in Domestic Dogs in Palestine as Revealed by Copro-PCR. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 9(7): e0003934. doi:10.1371/journal. pntd.0003934