Evidence of canine intestinal parasites and associated fecal bacteria among urban and rural dog parks in central Appalachia U.S.

Abstract

Public dog parks provide opportunities for exercise and socialization, benefiting both dogs and their owners. However, dog parks can serve as reservoirs for gastrointestinal (GI) parasitic helminths, posing risks to canine and public health. This study investigated the presence of three common GI parasites, hookworm (Ancylostoma spp.), roundworm (Toxocara canis), and whipworm (Trichuris vulpis), in abandoned fecal samples from nine dog parks in Central Appalachia, comparing rural and urban environments. We also examined the relationship between parasite presence and fecal bacterial community composition using 16S rRNA sequencing. A total of 346 fecal samples were collected during 43 visits to parks in Tennessee and Kentucky. Centrifugal flotation (1.2 spg) revealed evidence of parasitic infection in 26.9 % of samples, with a higher percentage found in samples from rural parks (40.7 % of 135 samples) compared to urban parks (18.0 % of 211 samples; p < 0.0001). Hookworm was the most common parasite identified (18.8 %), with greater numbers of eggs in rural parks. Mixed infections were observed in 6.9 % of samples and found more often in rural dog parks. 16S rRNA sequencing indicated that bacterial diversity and community composition were influenced by park location and parasite presence. Rural parks exhibited more diverse bacterial communities and higher proportions of Actinomycetota, while urban parks showed higher levels of Fusobacteriota. Parasite-positive samples had greater bacterial diversity and were associated with specific taxa, such as Clostridia, linked to GI issues.

Our findings highlight the increased potential of GI parasitic helminth contamination in rural dog parks and highlight the potential for parasites to alter canine gut microbiomes. These results emphasize the need for public health education on routine anthelmintic treatments to reduce zoonotic risks. The study further underscores the importance of a One Health approach to managing parasite transmission in communal canine spaces. Future work should explore the mechanisms underlying GI parasite-microbiome interactions and extend these findings to other geographic regions.