Parks and playgrounds are a hotspot for dangerous dog parasite
The roundworms of dogs (Toxocara canis) and cats (Toxocara cati) can cause hard-to-diagnose disease in people
New research from zoologists at Trinity College Dublin has pinpointed park entrances and playgrounds in Dublin as hotspots for roundworm eggs, with subsequent analysis strongly implying they have come from dog poop.
While unsavoury, the findings do pinpoint these locations for targeted interventions to reduce the risk of human infection
The roundworms of dogs (Toxocara canis) and cats (Toxocara cati) can cause hard-to-diagnose disease in people. While most people do not become ill after coming into contact with them, the worms can spread to parts of the body such as the liver, lungs or eyes, where they can occasionally cause serious problems such as difficulty breathing or loss of vision. Other research has also linked asthma, epilepsy and cognitive decline to this parasite.
The new research — just published in international journal — sought to identify the levels of contamination (numbers of roundworm eggs) in the soils of 12 Dublin parks; the most common species (indicating whether dog or cat poop was to blame); and the hotspot locations.
The key results included:
- Eggs were found in 9/12 (75%) parks that were sampled
- Most eggs were located at park entrances, with playgrounds the next-most common hotspot
- The majority of eggs were potentially infective
- Most were identified as Toxocara canis, linking their origins to dog (rather than cat) poop
Dr Jason Keegan, from Trinity’s School of Natural Sciences, is first author of the published research article. He said: “Toxocara is one of the most common parasitic infections across the globe and while there are many potential routes of infection, it is widely believed that the most common one for people is coming into contact with soil containing infective eggs and then accidentally ingesting them."
“This new research specifically pinpoints the hotspots in Dublin’s public parks where egg counts are highest in soil samples, and that tells us where we need to target our intervention efforts. By providing more signage, bins and a means to clean up after dogs in these locations, we could reduce the level of contamination — and that’s the next step in the research.
“With that in mind, it is important to underline that many dog-fouling reduction interventions are not assessed for their effectiveness after implementation, so it’s imperative that such an assessment is built into any plan in the future. Of the assessments that have been completed, we know posters made by schoolchildren can be useful, perhaps underlining that involving the local communities most impacted by dog faeces in their recreational areas could be an opportunity worth exploring.”
The study notes that: "Many owners have anecdotally reported that their dogs often defecate as soon as they reach the park, and the findings of this study would support those statements, with the vast majority of eggs being found around park entrances. Other authors have also detected higher levels of dog fouling around park entrances and near car parks attached to parks. This suggests that park entrances could be an important place to target with specific dog waste bins and signage."
The research was funded by Research Ireland (formerly by the Irish Research Council).
