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THE INCIDENCE OF ECTOPARASITIC ARTHROPODS OF

DOGS IN COSMOPOLITAN PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS


STATE, NIGERIA.
LeBari Barine Gboeloh* and Kemka Humphrey Ogbonda
(*Corresponding Author:E-mail:lgboeloh@yahoo.com. Phone(+2348030335178)

Department of Biology, Rivers State University of Education, Rumuolumeni, P.M.B 5047, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

ABSTRACT

Ectoparasitic arthropods in dogs were investigated in some urban areas (GRA, Diobu and Town) and rural
peripheries (Choba, Akpajo, Elelenwo, Igwuruta, Omagwa and Eleme) of Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers state,
South-South Nigeria. A total of 329 dogs (164 males, 165 females) were examined by combing the entire body
surfaces with specific attention to the head, neck, abdomen, back and limbs between February, 2008 and
October, 2009. Out of 329 dogs investigated, 307(93.3%) were positive for one or more ectoparasitic arthropods
and a total of 325 ectoparasites were collected from the dogs examined. Rhipicephalus sanguineus showed the
highest incidence (37.0%, P< 0.001) followed by Haemophysalis leachii (20.6%), Ctenocephalides
canis(17.3%), C.felis(11.5%), Trichodetes canis(7.9%) and Damalina sp(4.2%). The incidence of the infection
was statistically significant (p< 0.05) among dogs in rural areas and R. sanguineus was the most abundant
species in both rural and urban dogs. The infection rate in female dogs was statistically higher than in male dogs
(p<0.001). The commonest double infections were Ctenocephalis + Haemophysalis while the commonest triple
infections were Rhicephalus+ Ctenocephalis+ Haemophysalis. Result could help to explain the epidemiology of
arthropod parasites of dogs in Port Harcourt areas.

Key words: Ectoparasites, Dogs, Arthropods, Infection, Incidence, Port Harcourt.

INTRODUCTION

Dogs are regarded as the most domesticated animals worldwide. They have good relationship
with man and have contributed to the well-being of their owners (Dohoo et-al, 1998). In
Africa especially Nigeria, domestic dogs are used as pets, house-guards and for hunting
particularly in the rural areas. In Nigeria, there is no adequate legislation governing pet
ownership and its public health implication. Certain ectoparasitic arthropods live on or
burrow into the surface of dog’s epidermis for food and shelter, causing damage to the skin
and sub-cutaneous tissues. They may also cause abnormal behaviour such as increased
scratching and self wounding (Weeks et al, 1995).The wounds caused may serve as avenues
for the transmission of many pathogenic organisms. (Geden et al, 1990; Shaw et al, 2001;
Dagnone et al, 200).

Several studies have been conducted on ectoparasites of domestic dogs and related animals in
Nigeria. Ugochukwu and Nnadozie (1985) reported that 30% of dogs investigated in mid-
western Nigeria were infested by ticks, 13.29% by mites, 27.56% and 25.85% were infested
by lice and fleas respectively. Uade et al (2008) reported that out of 396 domesticated dogs
examined in Ilorin, Central Nigeria, 155(39.1%) were infested by fleas, 94(23.7%) by ticks,
51(12.9%)by mites and 42(10.6%) by lice. Agbolade et al (2008), reported that out of 202
dogs investigated in Ijebu communities, Southwest Nigeria, 199(98.5%) had one or more
ectoparasitic arthropods. James-Rugu and Iwuala(2002) reported that 65.7% of dogs
examined in Jos, Central Nigeria were infected by tick and 28.3% had fleas. From available
record, no similar report on the incidence of ectoparasites of dogs exists in Port Harcourt
areas, South-South, Nigeria. Thus, in this study, we report the incidence of ectoparasites of
domestic dogs in some randomly selected areas of Port Harcourt. This will help to explain the
epidemiology of the infections.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study Area: Port Harcourt city spreads within two local government areas. Port Harcourt
Local Government Area and Obio/Akpor Local Government Area. The city is situated on the
Bonny River within the Niger Delta, South-South Nigeria. It lies between latitude 4 0 40I and
latitude 70 10I to longitude 70 55I east of Greenwich meridian. It is situated some 60km from
the open sea, which is immediately where the coastal marshes give way to the land of the
interior(Ogba, 2002).

The city has an area of over 664km2. It is bordered on the east by Oyigbo, Tai, and Eleme
Local Government Areas; north, by Ikwere, Etche and Omuma Local Government Areas;
south, by Okirika and Degema; and west, by Emohua Local Government Area
(Akpoghomeh, 2001). Port Harcourt city is situated within the subequatorial region. It enjoys
the tropical monsoon climate characterized by high temperature, low pressure and high
relative humidity all year round. It has a mean temperature of about 30 0(860F) and a relative
humidity of between 80% and 100% and a mean annual rainfall of 2,300mm (Ashton and
Jones, 1998; Mmom, 2003).

Sampling Areas: Port Harcourt city is made up of urban areas and several rural peripheries.
The areas sampled for this study were Government Residential Area (GRA), Diobu, Town
area, Choba, Akpajo, Elelenwo, Igwuruta, Omagwa and Eleme.

Collection of Samples: A total of 329 dogs (164 males, 165 females) were examined for the
presence of ectoparasites between February 2008 and October, 2009. Each dog was
thoroughly examined for ectoparasites by combing out the entire body surfaces with specific
attention to the head, neck, abdomen, back and limbs, on a clear sheet of white paper. The
dogs were rubbed with a piece of cotton wool soaked in ether to facilitate the extraction of
the parasites. Specimens extracted from each dog were counted, recorded and preserved in
well labelled specimen bottles containing 70% (v/v) alcohol. The specimens were taken to the
laboratory for examination and identification Laboratory Examination: The specimens were
washed with distilled water to remove the fixative, cleared in 10% potassium hydroxide
solution overnight to make the body transparent and then dehydrated in ascending strengths
of alcohol(30,50,70,90 and 100%)for 5 minutes. The specimens were mounted in Canada
balsam and then examined for identification under the microscope using X40 objective.

Statistical Analysis: Data were expressed in percentage and Chi-square statistic used to
compare result from rural and urban centres.

RESULTS

Table 1 shows the incidence of ectoparasitic arthropods of dogs in relation to urban and rural
areas. Table 2 shows the incidence of ectoparasitic arthropods in relation to sex of dogs while
Table 3 outlines the incidence of ectoparasitic arthropods in relation to sex of the dogs
investigated. Out of 329 dogs investigated, 307(93.3%) had at least one ectoparasitic
arthropod and a total of 325 ectoparasites were collected from the infected dogs. Six
ectoparasite species belonging to four taxa were identified. The results indicated that
190(58.4%), 95(29.2%), 26(8.0%) and 14(4.3%) of the identified parasites were tick, flea,
lice and mite respectively (Table 1).In all, the ectoparasitic arthropod species identified were
Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Ctenocephalides canis, Ctenocephalides felis, Trichodetes canis,
Haemophysalis leachii, Damalina sp. Dogs in rural areas had higher infection rate (211,
100%) than dogs in urban area (96, 81.3%). Similarly, dogs in rural area were more
commonly parasitized by double and triple infections than dogs in urban area (Table 1). Out
of 307 infected dogs, 153(49.8%), 98(31.9%) and 56(18.2%) had single, double and triple
infections respectively. Triple infection, Rhicephalus + Ctenocehalides + Heamophysalis was
statistically significant. The incidence of double infections involving Ctenocephalides +
Heamophysalis was significantly higher than Haemophysalis + Rhicephalus (11%, P<0.001)

The incidence of the ectoparasites among females (152/329, 46.2%) was higher than in males
(98/329, 29.8%).The summary of the results is shown in Table 2.

Table 3 outlines the occurrence and distribution of ectoparasites in relation to body parts of
infected dogs. Out of 241 dog owners interviewed, 171(70.9%), 41(17.0%), 19(7.9%) and
10(4.1%) of the respondents kept dogs for hunting, security, pet and for no specific reason
respectively. 168(69.7%) allowed their dogs to roam freely while 73(30.3%) caged their
dogs.
TABLE 1: INCIDENCE OF ECTOPARASITE OF DOGS IN RELATION TO URBAN AND RURAL AREAS.

URBAN AREA

No. Examined 118

No. infected 96

Number of ectoparasite (%) collected

Tick Fleas Lice Mite

R. sanguneus H. leach C. canis C. felis T. Canis D. canis TOTAL

GRA 47 11(9.0) 7(10.3) 2(3.5) 4(10.5) 0(0) 0(0) 24

Diobu 31 7(5.7) 2(2.9) 0(0) 2(5.3) 2(7.7) 0(0) 13

Town 40 12(9.8) 3(4.4) 2(3.5) 7(18.4) 0(0) 0(0) 24

RURAL AREA

No. Examined 211

No. Infected 211

Choba 62 20(16.4) 9(13.2) 12(21.0) 12(31.6) 10(38.5) 3(21.4) 66

Akpajo/Elelenwo 56 30(24.6) 14(20.6) 10(17.5) 9(23.7) 7(26.9) 9(64.3) 79

Igwurita/Omagwa 44 19(15.6) 16(23.5) 20(35.0) 4(10.5) 3(11.5) 0(0) 62

Eleme 49 23(19.8) 17(25.0) 11(19.3) 0(0) 4(15.4) 2(14.3) 57

TOTAL 122(37.5) 68(20.9) 57(17.5) 38(11.6) 26(8.0) 14(4.3) 325

TABLE 2: INCIDENCE OF ECTOPARASITIC ARTHROPODS IN RELATION TO SEX OF DOGS


No. of positive cases (%)

MALE FEMALE TOTAL

No. Examined 164 165 329

No. Infected (%) 98(29.8) 152(46.2) 76

TABLE 3: INCIDENCE OF ECTOPARASITIC ARTHROPODS IN RELATION TO BODY PARTS


Head/Neck Abdomen Back Limb TOTAL

R. sanguineus 81 (66.4) 15(12.3) 20(16.4) 6(4.9) 122

H .leachii 40 (58.8) 14(20.6) 4(5.9) 10(14.7) 68

C. canis 17(29.9) 21(36.8) 13(22.8) 6(10.5) 57

C. felis 10(26.3) 10(26.3) 8(21.0) 10(26.3) 38

T. canis 11(42.3) 6(23.1) 7(26.9) 2(7.7) 26

D. canis 6(42.9) 2(14.2) 0(0) 6(42.9) 14

165(50.8) 68(20.9) 52(16.0) 40(12.3) 325

DISCUSSION
The study indicated that the burden of ectoparasitic arthropods on dogs is high and constitute

a major public health issue and could illicit a serious health hazard in dogs and other animals

including man (Shaw et al, 2001; Aguiar et al, 2007). For instance, Rhipcepalus ticks have

been described to parasitize humans (Dantas-Torres et al, 2006) and have been implicated in

the transmission of rickettsial disease and visceral leishmania in man (Coutinho et al, 2005).

Fleas may transmit human plague and trypanosome and serve as intermediate hosts for D.

caninum-dog tapeworm ( Soulsby 2006 and Zanatta-Coutinho et al, 2007).

The parasites identified in this study have been reported in previous studies in other parts of

the world and in various regions of Nigeria. Choosar et al (2005) reported the occurrence of

Ctenocephalides canis and Rhipicephalus sanguineus in Mueang District of Thailand; Bryson

et al (2000) identified several species of ixodid ticks, flea and lice from dogs in South Africa.

Several authors have reported the occurrence of various ectoparasites in dogs including R.

sanguineus, H. leachii, C. canis, and T. cani in Nigerian dogs (UgoChukwu and Nnadozie,

1985; James-Rugu and Iwuala ,2002; Agbolade et al ,2008; Uade et al, 2008).

The incidence of ectoparasitic arthropods (93.3%) is slightly lower than the 98.5% recorded

by Agbolade et al (2008) in Ijebu communities, Southwest Nigeria and higher than the 60.4%

reported by Uade et al (2008) in Ilorin, central Nigeria. The high incidence (93.3%) could be

attributed to poor knowledge of animal management, lack of veterinary care, poor sanitary

condition of the area, host habitat/climatic factors such as moisture, temperature and

sampling period, which are known to affect the growth and reproduction of the parasites

( Choosar et al, 2005 and Uade et al, 2008).Dogs in rural areas had higher infection rate and

more commonly parasitized by double and triple infections than dogs in urban area than dogs

in urban area(Table 1). This observation agrees with the figure (77.9%) recorded by Uade et

al (2008) in rural dogs in Ilorin. This could be attributed to low resistance of dogs to the

parasite species and partly to poor healthcare and animal management practices that exist in
the rural communities. Urban dog owners are closer to veterinary clinics which are absent in

rural areas. The differences in infection rate could also be due to variation in local

environmental conditions affecting spatial aggregation and infective stage of parasites

(Durden et al, 2005; Gracia et al, 2008). The result may also reflect the level of sanitary

condition and environmental contamination of rural and urban areas, disparity in the

knowledge, attitude and practice of dog owners in urban and rural areas and the degree of

illiteracy of rural and urban dog owners. According to Gracia et a l (2008), accumulation of

organic waste and the presence of other pet animals in the rural areas may influence the

survival and abundance of ectoparasites, especially fleas. This may explain the occurrence of

Damilina sp. in rural dogs. Damilina sp. is normally found in other animals such as sheep

and goat. In rural areas, dogs are often in contact with other domestic animals such as sheep,

goats, rats and pigs (Obasaju and Otesile, 1980). R. sanguineus showed the highest

percentage occurrence in dogs from both rural (34.8%) and urban (49.1%) areas compared to

other indentified parasites, an indication that dogs are more susceptible to R. Sanguineus than

other indentified parasites.

The occurrence of mixed infections in the study area collaborated previous report by Szabo et

al (2001) and suggested the occurrence of similar epidemiological conditions that favour the

development and transmission of the parasites in the study areas.

The incidence of the ectoparasites among females was higher than in males (Table 2). This

suggested that female dogs may be more susceptible to ectoparasitic infestation than their

male counterparts. The closeness of female dogs to the puppies may account for this

observation; younger dogs (1-5years old) harbour more ectoparasites than adults (Clooser et

al, 2005 and Uade et al, 2008).

The study revealed that the head/neck harboured more ectoparasites than other parts of the

body(Table 3). Similarly, R. sanguineus had statistically higher occurrence on the head/neck
of infected dogs (66.3%, P<0.01). No particular reason could be advanced for this behaviour

of the parasites. However, an observation that more parasites were collected from the

crevices of the ear could account for this development.

The response to questionnaire demonstrates that more dogs are used for hunting (70.9%) and

69.7% roam freely, having direct contact with the environment and other host animals

(Obasaju and Otesile, 1980); hence they harbour more ectoparasites than other dogs. The

results also showed that 152(63.1%) of dog owners hardly bathe their dogs and had not

vaccinated or treated the dogs while 89(36.9%) bathe and vaccinate their dogs regularly. This

is an indication that dog owners need adequate education on animal management and the

epidemiology of parasites of dogs.

Acknowledgement: The authors are grateful to the owners of dogs for their cooperation

throughout the period of the research work.

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