Received: AugAccepted: Published: June 10, 2022Ĭopyright: © 2022 Milstein et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 16(6):Įditor: Monique Léchenne, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute: Schweizerisches Tropen- und Public Health-Institut, SWITZERLAND (2022) A mixed-methods approach to understanding domestic dog health and disease transmission risk in an indigenous reserve in Guyana, South America. Our questionnaire data revealed that the Waiwai engage in husbandry practices that may promote Waiwai dog health.Ĭitation: Milstein MS, Shaffer CA, Suse P, Marawanaru A, Heinrich DA, Larsen PA, et al. On physical exam, we observed ectoparasites on all dogs, however, few pathogens were detected with diagnostic screening. In this study, we performed physical examinations, collected biological samples, and administered questionnaires to assess dog health and understand the role of dogs as potential bridges of disease transmission from wildlife to humans among indigenous Waiwai in the Konashen Community Owned Conservation Area, Guyana. Therefore, understanding what pathogens domestic dogs harbor can inform both wildlife and human health. Additionally, dogs can help in the early detection of wildlife and human diseases. They can serve as bridges, moving diseases between unconnected populations. Dogs can harbor numerous diseases that can be transmitted to other domestic and wildlife species, and human populations. Our study provides important data on the health of dogs and the potential for disease transmission to humans in a zoonotic hotspot.ĭomestic dogs are found throughout the world and interact closely with both wildlife and humans. 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. 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. 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. All dogs (n = 20) were seronegative for: canine distemper virus, Brucella canis, Leptospira serovars, Trypanosoma cruzi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum/platys and Borrelia burgdorferi. Ten percent of dogs were seropositive for Ehrlichia canis/ewingii, 10% were positive for Dirofilaria immitis, and one dog was seropositive for Leishmania infantum. We observed ectoparasites on all dogs (n = 20), including: fleas (100%), ticks (15%), botflies (30%), and jigger flea lesions ( Tunga penetrans) (80%). 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. 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. 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.
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