A mixed-methods approach to understanding domestic dog health and disease transmission risk in an indigenous reserve in Guyana, South America
Domestic dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris) can transmit a variety of pathogens due to their ubiquitousness in urban, rural and natural environments, and their close interactions with wildlife and humans. In this study, we used a mixed-methods approach to assess the role of domestic dogs as potential in...
Published in: | PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Other Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010469 https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010469 |
id |
crplos:10.1371/journal.pntd.0010469 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crplos:10.1371/journal.pntd.0010469 2024-09-15T18:01:27+00:00 A mixed-methods approach to understanding domestic dog health and disease transmission risk in an indigenous reserve in Guyana, South America Milstein, Marissa S. Shaffer, Christopher A. Suse, Phillip Marawanaru, Aron Heinrich, Daniel A. Larsen, Peter A. Wolf, Tiffany M. Léchenne, Monique University of Minnesota Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility and Center for Animal Health and Food Safety Consortium on One Medicine One Science (COMOS) Seed Grant University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment Mini Grants Program 2022 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010469 https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010469 en eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases volume 16, issue 6, page e0010469 ISSN 1935-2735 journal-article 2022 crplos https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010469 2024-07-30T04:13:17Z Domestic dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris) can transmit a variety of pathogens due to their ubiquitousness in urban, rural and natural environments, and their close interactions with wildlife and humans. In this study, we used a mixed-methods approach to assess the role of domestic dogs as potential intermediaries of disease transmission from wildlife to humans among indigenous Waiwai in the Konashen Community Owned Conservation Area, Guyana. To address these objectives we 1) performed physical examinations and collected biological samples to assess Waiwai domestic dog health, and 2) administered questionnaires to characterize the role of dogs in the community and identify potential transmission pathways between wildlife, dogs, and humans. We observed ectoparasites on all dogs (n = 20), including: fleas (100%), ticks (15%), botflies (30%), and jigger flea lesions ( Tunga penetrans) (80%). Ten percent of dogs were seropositive for Ehrlichia canis/ewingii , 10% were positive for Dirofilaria immitis , and one dog was seropositive for Leishmania infantum . All dogs (n = 20) were seronegative for: canine distemper virus, Brucella canis , Leptospira serovars, Trypanosoma cruzi , Anaplasma phagocytophilum/platys and Borrelia burgdorferi . Our questionnaire data revealed that the Waiwai remove ectoparasites from their dogs, clean up dog feces, and administer traditional and/or Western medicine to their dogs. White blood cell, strongyle-type ova, and eosinophil counts were lower in dogs that were not frequently used for hunting, dogs that did receive traditional and/or western medicine, and dogs that were frequently kept in elevated dog houses, although differences were not statistically significant. While our results suggest that the Waiwai have developed cultural practices that may promote dog health and/or prevent zoonotic disease transmission, more research is necessary to determine the efficacy of these practices. Our study provides important data on the health of dogs and the potential for disease transmission to ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus PLOS PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 16 6 e0010469 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
PLOS |
op_collection_id |
crplos |
language |
English |
description |
Domestic dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris) can transmit a variety of pathogens due to their ubiquitousness in urban, rural and natural environments, and their close interactions with wildlife and humans. In this study, we used a mixed-methods approach to assess the role of domestic dogs as potential intermediaries of disease transmission from wildlife to humans among indigenous Waiwai in the Konashen Community Owned Conservation Area, Guyana. To address these objectives we 1) performed physical examinations and collected biological samples to assess Waiwai domestic dog health, and 2) administered questionnaires to characterize the role of dogs in the community and identify potential transmission pathways between wildlife, dogs, and humans. We observed ectoparasites on all dogs (n = 20), including: fleas (100%), ticks (15%), botflies (30%), and jigger flea lesions ( Tunga penetrans) (80%). Ten percent of dogs were seropositive for Ehrlichia canis/ewingii , 10% were positive for Dirofilaria immitis , and one dog was seropositive for Leishmania infantum . All dogs (n = 20) were seronegative for: canine distemper virus, Brucella canis , Leptospira serovars, Trypanosoma cruzi , Anaplasma phagocytophilum/platys and Borrelia burgdorferi . Our questionnaire data revealed that the Waiwai remove ectoparasites from their dogs, clean up dog feces, and administer traditional and/or Western medicine to their dogs. White blood cell, strongyle-type ova, and eosinophil counts were lower in dogs that were not frequently used for hunting, dogs that did receive traditional and/or western medicine, and dogs that were frequently kept in elevated dog houses, although differences were not statistically significant. While our results suggest that the Waiwai have developed cultural practices that may promote dog health and/or prevent zoonotic disease transmission, more research is necessary to determine the efficacy of these practices. Our study provides important data on the health of dogs and the potential for disease transmission to ... |
author2 |
Léchenne, Monique University of Minnesota Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility and Center for Animal Health and Food Safety Consortium on One Medicine One Science (COMOS) Seed Grant University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment Mini Grants Program |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Milstein, Marissa S. Shaffer, Christopher A. Suse, Phillip Marawanaru, Aron Heinrich, Daniel A. Larsen, Peter A. Wolf, Tiffany M. |
spellingShingle |
Milstein, Marissa S. Shaffer, Christopher A. Suse, Phillip Marawanaru, Aron Heinrich, Daniel A. Larsen, Peter A. Wolf, Tiffany M. A mixed-methods approach to understanding domestic dog health and disease transmission risk in an indigenous reserve in Guyana, South America |
author_facet |
Milstein, Marissa S. Shaffer, Christopher A. Suse, Phillip Marawanaru, Aron Heinrich, Daniel A. Larsen, Peter A. Wolf, Tiffany M. |
author_sort |
Milstein, Marissa S. |
title |
A mixed-methods approach to understanding domestic dog health and disease transmission risk in an indigenous reserve in Guyana, South America |
title_short |
A mixed-methods approach to understanding domestic dog health and disease transmission risk in an indigenous reserve in Guyana, South America |
title_full |
A mixed-methods approach to understanding domestic dog health and disease transmission risk in an indigenous reserve in Guyana, South America |
title_fullStr |
A mixed-methods approach to understanding domestic dog health and disease transmission risk in an indigenous reserve in Guyana, South America |
title_full_unstemmed |
A mixed-methods approach to understanding domestic dog health and disease transmission risk in an indigenous reserve in Guyana, South America |
title_sort |
mixed-methods approach to understanding domestic dog health and disease transmission risk in an indigenous reserve in guyana, south america |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010469 https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010469 |
genre |
Canis lupus |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus |
op_source |
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases volume 16, issue 6, page e0010469 ISSN 1935-2735 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010469 |
container_title |
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
container_volume |
16 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
e0010469 |
_version_ |
1810438595813572608 |