Determining the occurrence of the Uncinaria stenocephala and Ancylostoma caninum nematode invasion in dogs in Poland, with special emphasis on the Lublin region

Apart from roundworms, Ancylostomatidae nematodes are presently the most frequently observed nematodes in dogs in Poland, with two species described so far: Uncinaria stenocephala and Ancylostoma caninum. The study aimed to determine the hookworm species found in dogs in Poland, with special emphasis on the Lublin region. The study material consisted of fecal samples collected from 500 dogs from the area of the Lublin voivodeship. With the use of microscope methods, parasite eggs were found in 56.4% of the samples, dominated by the Ancyclostomidae nematode (26.8%). The isolated hookworm eggs were subject to morphometric measurements, giving a mean length of 77.60 mu m and width of 44.25 mu m (+/- SD +/- 6.01 and +/- 4.54 respectively) within the range 67-91 x 36-56 mu m. The hookworm larvae that hatched from the samples were subject to molecular analysis (72 samples) and all were identified as U. stenocephala. In the area of the Lublin voivodeship U. stenocephala is the dominant hookworm species in dogs.