[Occurrence of the nematode Uncinaria stenocephala in dogs from the Warsaw region]

Uncinaria stenocephala is the most important and widely distributed species of hookworm nematode in Poland. The distribution of this hookworm in dogs in Warsaw region was investigated. We found that percentage of house pets infected with U. stenocephala is much lower (from 2.7 to 4.1%) than that of dogs living in shelters for homeless animals (from 10.1 to 47.7%). Particularly high percentage of infected dogs was found in Celestynów, where the density of population was higher and the shelter is surrounded by a forest. It is suggested that environmental conditions may be very important for the distribution of U. stenocephala infections.