Academic Journal
Soil-transmitted helminth eggs in public areas of Azores archipelago, Portugal.
| Τίτλος: | Soil-transmitted helminth eggs in public areas of Azores archipelago, Portugal. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Teixeira R; CIISA - Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal; Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal. Electronic address: romanateixeira@edu.ulisboa.pt., Lozano J; CIISA - Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal; Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal. Electronic address: jlozano@fmv.ulisboa.pt., Flor I; Laboratory of Parasitology, Regional Veterinary Laboratory, Vinha Brava, 9700-236 Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal., Pinto C; Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal. Electronic address: carlos.a.pinto@uac.pt., Pomba MC; CIISA - Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal; Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal. Electronic address: cpomba@fmv.ulisboa.pt., de Carvalho LM; CIISA - Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal; Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal. Electronic address: madeiradecarvalho@fmv.ulisboa.pt. |
| Πηγή: | Parasitology international [Parasitol Int] 2026 Apr; Vol. 111, pp. 103166. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Sep 05. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 9708549 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-0329 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 13835769 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Parasitol Int Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Amsterdam ; New York : Elsevier, c1997- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Soil*/parasitology , Helminths*/isolation & purification , Helminthiasis*/transmission , Helminthiasis*/epidemiology , Helminthiasis*/parasitology, Azores/epidemiology ; Portugal/epidemiology ; Toxocara/isolation & purification ; Trichuris/isolation & purification ; Ancylostomatoidea/isolation & purification ; Animals ; Parasite Egg Count ; Parks, Recreational ; Prevalence |
| Περίληψη: | In the Azores archipelago, data regarding environmental contamination by soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) is inexistent till the moment. The current study aimed to assess the environmental contamination with helminth eggs, in soil samples collected from public parks/gardens and beaches from three islands belonging to the Azores archipelago (Portugal): Faial, Terceira and São Miguel. Between June-December 2024, a total of 37 soil samples were collected from 26 public parks/gardens and 11 public beaches, and processed using the Mini-FLOTAC method to calculate parasites' prevalences and burdens (eggs/oocysts per gram of soil, EPG/OPG). Overall, a total of 35 % of the sampled sites were contaminated with helminth eggs, with the environmental contamination being higher in public parks or gardens (46 %), in comparison with beach areas (9 %). The majority of positive sites were contaminated with Toxocara spp. eggs (30 %), followed by Ancylostomatidae (11 %) and Trichuris spp. (11 %) eggs. São Miguel and Terceira islands presented higher rates of soil contamination, when compared to Faial Island. The overall helminth egg intensity was the following: Toxocara spp. (157 EPG), Trichuris spp. (59 EPG) and Ancylostomatidae (38 EPG). Faial island presented the lowest EPG levels, regarding all parasite species, being Toxocara spp. EPG levels significantly lower than the remaining islands surveyed (p = 0.02). The present study provides new and relevant data concerning environmental contamination by STHs with zoonotic potential in the Azores archipelago, and revealed that the analysis of soil samples is an important approach to be included in integrated pet parasite control programs. (Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest related to this study. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Azores; Parasites; Public health; Soil contamination; Zoonoses |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Soil) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20250907 Date Completed: 20251204 Latest Revision: 20251204 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.parint.2025.103166 |
| PMID: | 40915596 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1873-0329 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.parint.2025.103166 |