Multiple Zoonotic Pathogens Identified in Canine Feces Collected from a Remote Canadian Indigenous Community

Abstract

Five genera of potentially zoonotic bacteria and parasites were detected in environmentally collected fecal samples from a remote indigenous community in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada. Organisms identified include Toxocara canis, Echniococcus granulosus, Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., and Campylobacter spp. The prevalence and intensity of Giardia spp. and Campylobacter spp. in fecal samples was particularly remarkable. Three-quarters of samples tested contained at least one zoonotic species of Campylobacter, and C. jejuni-containing feces had an average of 2.9 x 10(5) organisms/g. Over one-half of samples tested contained Giardia spp. with an average of 9,266 cysts/g. Zoonotic G. duodenalis Assemblage A was the only Giardia spp. genotype identified. These data suggest that canine feces have the potential to pose a significant health risk to Canadians in rural and remote indigenous communities.