Survey for filarial helminth infections of domestic dogs in Mahikeng North West Province South Africa

Abstract

There is a dearth of information pertaining to the occurrence and prevalence of filarial helminth infections of dogs and cats in several provinces in South Africa. In this context the dissertation is a pilot survey that was conducted to determine the occurrence and prevalence of filarial helminth infections of dogs in the greater Mahikeng Local Municipality of North West province. The incentive for the choice of this location in the North West province was a reported high overall prevalence of 18 % of canine filariosis in the town of Gaborone in neighbouring Botswana. EDTA blood samples were collected from 100 live dogs between the ages of 1-11 years (53 males and 47 females). Only dogs that had not received treatment with macrocyclic lactone actives during the previous 12 months were included in the survey. A total of 13 different dog breeds were involved in the survey and the crossbreed animals were the most abundant (59 %) followed by the Boerboel (9 %). Blood samples were screened for the presence of microfilariae by means of the membrane filtration technique. There was no evidence of filarial infections in the 100 dogs sampled.