People, Pets, and Parasites: One Health Surveillance in Southeastern Saskatchewan

Janna M. Schurer Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada; National Reference Centre for Parasitology, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Canada

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Momar Ndao Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada; National Reference Centre for Parasitology, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Canada

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Helen Quewezance Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada; National Reference Centre for Parasitology, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Canada

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Stacey A. Elmore Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada; National Reference Centre for Parasitology, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Canada

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Emily J. Jenkins Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada; National Reference Centre for Parasitology, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Canada

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Residents of remote and Indigenous communities might experience higher exposure to some zoonotic parasites than the general North American population. Human sero-surveillance conducted in two Saulteaux communities found 113 volunteers exposed as follows: Trichinella (2.7%), Toxocara canis (4.4%), Echinococcus (4.4%), and Toxoplasma gondii (1.8%). In dogs, 41% of 51 fecal samples were positive for at least one intestinal parasite, 3% of 77 were sero-positive for Borrelia burgdorferi, and 21% of 78 for T. gondii. Echinococcus exposure was more likely to occur in non-dog owners (odds ratio [OR]: 11.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2–107, P = 0.03); while T. canis was more likely to occur in children (ages 4–17) (OR: 49, 95% CI: 3.9–624; P = 0.003), and those with a history of dog bites (OR: 13.5, 95% CI: 1.02–179; P = 0.048). Our results emphasize the use of dogs as sentinels for emerging pathogens such as Lyme disease, and the need for targeted surveillance and intervention programs tailored for parasite species, cultural groups, and communities.

Author Notes

* Address correspondence to Janna M. Schurer, 52 Campus Drive, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. E-mail: jschurer@gmail.com

Financial Support: Research was funded by a Community Network Research grant held jointly by E. Jenkins (University of Saskatchewan) and D. Kakakaway from the Indigenous Peoples' Health Research Centre, a Discovery Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, and the Presidents NSERC research fund of the University of Saskatchewan. Graduate student stipend was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Strategic Training Program in Public Health and the Agricultural Rural Ecosystem (PHARE), and an NSERC Collaborative Research and Training Experience grant to the University of Saskatchewan for an integrated training program in infectious diseases, food safety, and public policy.

Authors' addresses: Janna M. Schurer, Stacey A. Elmore, and Emily J. Jenkins, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, E-mails: jschurer@gmail.com, sae752@mail.usask.ca, and emily.jenkins@usask.ca. Momar Ndao, National Reference Centre for Parasitology, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Canada, E-mail: momar.ndao@mcgill.ca. Helen Quewezance, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, E-mail: helenquewezance@yahoo.ca.

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