Find in Library

<i>Trichuris vulpis</i> is a parasite of the large intestine of canids and has a global distribution. Despite its well-established epidemiology, the question of its pathogenicity in dogs remains debated. It has been suggested that younger age and concurrent infection with <i>Ancylostoma caninum</i> may be responsible for more severe clinical presentations. This retrospective study aimed to describe the clinical and diagnostic features of <i>T. vulpis</i>-infected dogs and to compare these findings with dogs infected with both <i>T. vulpis</i> and other intestinal parasites (poly-infected dogs). Forty-five dogs were included, with twenty-five being solely infected by <i>T. vulpis</i> and twenty poly-infected dogs. Only weight loss was more frequent (<i>p</i> = 0.006) in poly-infected dogs compared to <i>T. vulpis</i> mono-infected dogs. No significant differences were observed in laboratory abnormalities between mono-infected and poly-infected dogs. Only diarrhea was more frequent (<i>p</i> = 0.007) in younger dogs compared to adults. The egg shedding pattern was significantly higher (<i>p</i> = 0.04) among adult dogs compared to young ones, and there was a significant positive correlation between egg shedding and age (r = 0.41; <i>p</i> = 0.005). These findings suggest that <i>T. vulpis</i> might be responsible for both clinical signs and laboratory abnormalities in dogs, irrespective of the host’s age and the presence of other intestinal parasites.