Original Scientific Article
Prevalence, risk factors, and zoonotic potential of intestinal parasites in shelter dogs in North Macedonia: a cross-sectional study
Bojana Chapkunovska
,
Ljubica Rashikj
,
Ivana Shikoska
,
Iskra Cvetkovikj
,
Jane Vlahov
,
Betim Xhekaj
,
Elena Atanaskova Petrov
,
Jovana Stefanovska
,
Aleksandar Cvetkovikj
*
Abstract
Intestinal parasites in shelter dogs present significant health risk to animals and humans. This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence, risk factors, and zoonotic implications of intestinal parasites in 156 shelter dogs across all eight regions of North Macedonia. Fecal samples were analyzed using fecal smears and flotation techniques. The overall prevalence was 70.51%, with hookworms (Ancylostomatidae) (36.54%), Giardia spp. (24.36%), and Trichuris spp. (21.79%) identified as the most prevalent parasites. Significant risk factors included young age, mixed breed, and regional variations. Although the treatment reduced infection rates, regional disparities remained. These findings underscore the urgent need for standardized deworming protocols and One Health strategies to mitigate zoonotic risks
Keywords: Ancylostomatidae, anthelmintics, Giardia spp., Trichuris spp., zoonosis
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Copyright
©2026 Chapkunovska B. This is an open-access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declared that they have no financial or non-financial conflict of interest regarding authorship and publication of this article.
Citation Information
Macedonian Veterinary Review. Volume 49, Issue 1, Pages i-xii, e-ISSN 1857-7415, p-ISSN 1409-7621, DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/macvetrev-2026-0012