Canis familiaris is a domestic animal which plays an important role as a pet; however, it is very likely to develop diseases characterized by high morbidity and mortality. In this sense, there are some Ancylostomatidae species that can lead to anemia, weight loss, and abdominal pain. Therefore, the treatment with allopathic drugs is essential for eliminating the parasitism. However, the increasing occurrence of resistance to allopathic treatments stimulates the search for new therapeutic inputs, among which the probiotics stand out and are able to positively alter the intestinal microbiota and exert immunomodulatory effect. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the applicability of using species of Lactobacillus (L. acidophilus ATCC 4536, L. plantarum ATCC 8014, and L. delbrueckii UFV H2B20) to control canine ancylostomiasis. A probiotic preparation containing 1？×？106 CFU of each strain was administered to 10 naturally infected animals, on alternate days for 28 days. It was observed that the treatment with the probiotic preparation led to a significant reduction in EPG of feces (88.83%/ ), as well as an increase in leukocyte and lymphocyte counts, highlighting the potential use of Lactobacillus species in the control of canine ancylostomiasis. 1. Introduction Pets, especially domestic dogs, provide significant benefits to individuals and to society, since they can contribute to physical, social, and emotional development of children and the wellbeing of their owners; however, hygiene and dietary habits of the animals make them particularly prone to having a range of infectious diseases during their life [1, 2]. In this sense, especially the hookworms and the fact that they are identified as the most prevalent in these animals, as demonstrated in several parasitological surveys in Brazil and in the world [3–8]. The hookworms may cause intestinal disorders in dogs, leading to manifestation of symptoms such as anemia, weight loss, irritability, and abdominal pain and even result in death. They are also able to trigger pathological processes in humans such as cutaneous larva migrans and eosinophilic enteritis [9]. One of the most important steps to control hookworm is the adoption of antiparasitic treatment of infected dogs. However, despite the widespread availability of allopathic drugs for this purpose, there is a clear difficulty in decreasing the prevalence of this parasite in canine host [10]. Such issue can be attributed mainly to poor hygienic and alimentary habits of these animals and to the high environmental contamination. It is possible
References
[1]
M. B. Labruna, H. F. J. Pena, S. L. P. Souza et al., “Prevalência de endoparasitas em c？es da area urbana do Município de Montenegro, Rond？nia,” Arquivos do Instituto de Biologia, vol. 73, no. 2, pp. 183–193, 2006.
[2]
D. N. Baxter and I. Leck, “The deleterious effects of dogs on human health: 2. Canine zoonoses,” Journal of Public Health, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 185–197, 1984.
[3]
M. R. Funada, H. F. J. Penna, R. M. Soares, M. Amaku, and S. M. Gennari, “Freqüência de parasitos gastrintestinais em c？es e gatos atendidos em hospital-escola veterinário da cidade de S？o Paulo,” Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, vol. 59, no. 5, pp. 1338–1340, 2007.
[4]
G. Lorenzini, T. Tasca, and G. A. de Carli, “Prevalence of intestinal parasites in dogs and cats under veterinary care in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do sul, Brazil,” Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Research and Animal Science, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 137–145, 2007.
[5]
O. Jones, N. Kebede, T. Kassa, T. Tilahun, and C. Macias, “Prevalence of dog gastrointestinal parasites and risk perception of zoonotic infection by dog owners in Wondo Genet, Southern Ethiopia,” Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology, vol. 3, no. 11, pp. 550–555, 2011.
[6]
M. A. K. Mahdy, Y. A. L. Lim, R. Ngui et al., “Prevalence and zoonotic potential of canine hookworms in Malaysia,” Parasites & Vectors, vol. 5, article 88, 2012.
[7]
S. E. Little, E. M. Johnson, D. Lewis et al., “Prevalence of intestinal parasites in pet dogs in the United States,” Veterinary Parasitology, vol. 166, no. 1-2, pp. 144–152, 2009.
[8]
L. A. Menelaos and K. E. Smaragda, “Prevalence of hookworm parasites in dog from the area of Thessaloniki and their zoonotic importance,” Buletin USAMV-CN, vol. 63, pp. 297–303, 2006.
[9]
J. K. Landmann and P. Prociv, “Experimental human infection with the dog hookworm, Ancylostoma caninum,” The Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 178, no. 2, pp. 69–71, 2003.
[10]
D. M. Capuando and G. M. Rocha, “Ocorrrência de parasitos com potencial zoonótico em fezes de c？es coletadas em áreas públicas do Município de Ribeir？o Preto,” Revista Brasileira de Epidemiologia, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 81–86, 2006.
[11]
R. T. Fujiwara, B. Zhan, S. Mendez et al., “Reduction of worm fecundity and canine host blood loss mediates protection against hookworm infection elicited by vaccination with recombinant Ac-16,” Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 281–287, 2007.
[12]
S. R. Kopp, G. T. Coleman, J. S. McCarthy, and A. C. Kotze, “Phenotypic characterization of two Ancylostoma caninum isolates with different susceptibilities to the anthelmintic pyrantel,” Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, vol. 52, no. 11, pp. 3980–3986, 2008.
[13]
M. G. V. Pinto, C. M. A. P. Franz, U. Schillinger, and W. H. Holzapfel, “Lactobacillus spp. with in vitro probiotic properties from human faeces and traditional fermented products,” International Journal of Food Microbiology, vol. 109, no. 3, pp. 205–214, 2006.
[14]
T. C. G. Oliveira-Sequeira, C. M. Ribeiro, and M. I. F. V. Gomes, “Potencial bioterapêutico dos probióticos nas parasitoses intestinais,” Ciência Rural, vol. 38, no. 9, pp. 2670–2679, 2008.
[15]
C. A. S. Pereira, Avalia？？o do Efeito de Microrganismos Probióticos Sobre Eimeria Spp em Rattus Norvegicus [Ph.D. thesis], Department of Biotechnology, Escola de Engenharia de Lorena, Universidade de S？o Paulo, Lorena, Brasil, 2007.
[16]
T. S. Countinho, Avalia？？o do Efeito de Microrganismos Probióticos Sobre Cryptosporidium Parvum em Camundongos C57BL/6 Imunossuprimidos [M.S. thesis], Escola de Engenharia de Lorena, Universidade de S？o Paulo, Lorena, Brasil, 2008.
[17]
Brasil, Regulamento Técnico de Substancias Bioativas e Probióticos Isolados em Alega？？o de Propriedades Funcionais e/ou de Saúde, Resolu？？o RDC no. 2, de 7 de Janeiro de 2002.
[18]
I. B. M. Sampaio, “Aspectos importantes da experimenta？？o em parasitologia,” Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia Veterinária, vol. 13, pp. 178–179, 2004.
[19]
H. H. A. Willis, “Simple levitation method for detection oh hookworm ova,” The Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 8, pp. 375–376, 1921.
[20]
H. M. L. Gordon and A. V. A. Whitlock, “New technique for counting nematode eggs in sheep feces,” Journal Council Scientific Industry Research, vol. 12, pp. 50–52, 1959.
[21]
D. E. Jacobs, A. Arakawa, C. H. Courtney et al., “World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (W.A.A.V.P.) guidelines for evaluating the efficacy of anthelmintics for dogs and cats,” Veterinary Parasitology, vol. 52, no. 3-4, pp. 179–202, 1994.
[22]
M. V. Santos and C. B. Carvalho, “Varia？？es no hemograma de c？es submetidos experimentalmente a processo inflamatório e tratados com escina sódica (Reparil),” Revista da Faculdade de Zootecnia, Veterinária e Agronomia, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 60–71, 1994.
[23]
E. M. Mussi, D. G. Mattos Jr., and L. M. C. Balthazar, “Associa？？o de febantel, pamoato de pirantel, praziquantel e probiótico em c？es (Canis familiaris) naturalmente infectados por ancilostomídeos. Pubvet,” Publica？？es em Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, vol. 2, no. 18, 2008.
[24]
F. Martínez-Gómez, R. Santiago-Rosales, and C. R. Bautista-Garfias, “Effect of Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain intraperitoneal administration in CD1 mice on the establishment of Trichinella spiralis adult worms and on IgA anti-T spiralis production,” Veterinary Parasitology, vol. 162, no. 1-2, pp. 171–175, 2009.
[25]
M. R. Silva, G. Dias, C. L. L. F. Ferreira, S. C. C. Franceschini, and N. M. B. Costa, “Growth of preschool children was improved when fed an iron-fortified fermented milk beverage supplemented with Lactobacillus acidophilus,” Nutrition Research, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 226–232, 2008.
[26]
K. Sakai, A. Ohta, M. Takasaki, and T. Tokunaga, “The effect of short chain fructooligosaccharides in promoting recovery from post-gastrectomy anemia is stronger than that of inulin,” Nutrition Research, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 403–412, 2000.
[27]
S. G. Bell, “An introduction to hemoglobin physiology,” Neonatal Network, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 9–15, 1999.
[28]
N. E. Kline, “A practical approach to the child with anemia,” Journal of Pediatric Health Care, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 99–105, 1996.
[29]
H. S. Gill, “Probiotics to enhance anti-infective defences in the gastrointestinal tract,” Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology, vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 755–773, 2003.
