A survey of taeniid cestodes in farm dogs in mid-Wales

In 1983-1988, dogs on 315 farms in Powys, mid-Wales, were purged once with arecoline acetarsol and the faecal purges were examined for cestodes. A few dogs were examined by autopsy. Ninety-seven farms had at least one infected dog, and cestodes were found in 161 of the 882 dogs examined. The ovine strain of Echinococcus granulosus was found in 41 dogs on 25 farms. Taenia hydatigena, T. pisiformis, T. multiceps, T. serialis, T. ovis and Dipylidium caninum were recovered from 85, 35, 15, 3, 19 and 29 dogs respectively. The results are compared with those of previous surveys in Powys and in other regions of Wales.