Advances in Animal and Veterinary Sciences

Review Article
Adv. Anim. Vet. Sci. 3 (11): 594 - 604
http://dx.doi.org/10.14737/journal.aavs/2015/3.11.594.604
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Magudeswara Moorthi Senthil Murugan1*, Kandasamy Arunvikram2, Selvaraj Pavulraj3, Arockiasamy Arun Prince Milton4, Dharmendra Kumar Sinha1, Bhoj Raj Singh1

1Division of Epidemiology; 2Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology; 3Equine Pathology Laboratory, ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines (ICAR-NRCE), Hisar, Haryana-125001, India; 4Division of Veterinary Public Health, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly (UP)–243122, India.

*Correspondence | Magudeswara Moorthi Senthil Murugan, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, India; Email: drsenvets@gmail.com


Abstract
Recent emergence of zoonotic-parasitic diseases in humans are due to evolution of microbes or parasites with alterations of host ranges, vector system, infectivity, virulence and/or re-occurrence of an unreported infection. Although, zoonotic parasitic diseases of companion animal origin are very familiar and deliberately studied in American and European countries, they are under prioritized areas of human health concern in developing countries like India. Circumstances prevailing in developing countries are favourable for easy and diffuse transmission and surfacing of zoonotic parasitic infections viz. toxoplasmosis, giardiasis, toxacariasis, echinoccosis, leishmaniasis, etc. However, with the implementations of personal hygiene and sanitary measures, appearance and spread of such zoonotic parasitic infections from companion animals can be prevented. Pet owners must be educated in a right way about the potential zoonotic risks, mode of transmission of these infections from their pets. It has been concluded that veterinarians need to play an immense role in educating and creating awareness on transmission and prevention of companion animal zoonoses in humans. This review discusses about the common parasitic zoonoses of companion animals. The primary focus of this review is mostly about canine and feline parasitic zoonoses that were the major threat in the developing nations.

Keywords | Companion animals, Zoonoses, Emergence, Parasitic infections, Transmission

Editor | Kuldeep Dhama, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Received | April 14, 2015; Revised | April 17, 2015; Accepted | September 18, 2015; Published | October 21, 2015

Citation | Murugan MMS, Arunvikram K, Pavulraj S, Milton AAP, Sinha DK, Singh BR (2015). Companion animals: A potential threat in emergence and transmission of parasitic zoonoses. Adv. Anim. Vet. Sci. 3(11): 594-604.

ISSN (Online) | 2307-8316; ISSN (Print) | 2309-3331

Copyright © 2015 Murugan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.