An epidemiological study on Schistosoma japonicum in domestic animals in Leyte, Philippines

An epidemiological study of Schistosoma japonicum in domestic animals in two municipalities of the Eastern coastal plain of Leyte, Philippines, showed that pigs and dogs have the highest rates of prevalence. Dogs had the highest mean 24-hour egg output, and pigs the proportion of hatchable eggs. However, dogs serve an important role in maintaining the transmission of the parasite as indicated by a high transmission potential and the close habitual contact of the animals to human. Although necropsy of 49 dogs and 35 pigs which were coprologically and serologically negative revealed 10 dogs and 6 pigs with adult schistosomes in the mesenteric and portal veins, statistical analysis showed a positive correlation (p less than 0.05) between merthiolate iodine formalin concentration technique and circumoval precipitin test indicating the usefulness of the two tests in field diagnosis of schistosomiasis in domestic animals.