Prevalence of intestinal helminths of dogs and foxes from Jordan

Necropsy of 340 stray and semi-stray dogs (Canis familiaris) and nine red f oxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Jordan revealed that 239 dogs (70.3%) and all fox es were infected with at least one intestinal helminth species. No trematod es were found in the intestine of these hosts. The overall infection rates with cestodes, nematodes and acanthocephalans in dogs were 66.8%, 4.4% and 2.9%, respectively. The following cestodes were identified: Echinococcus gr anulosus (9.4%), Taenia pisiformis (11.8%), T. hydatigena (7.4%), T. ovis ( 4.4%), T. multiceps (3.8%), T. taeniaeformis (2.9%), Dipylidium caninum (19 .4%), Joyeuxiella (3.2%), Diplopylidium (2.4%), and Mesocestoides (0.9%). O ther intestinal worms in dogs were Toxascaris (2.6%), Toxocara canis (1.2%) , and Protospirura (0.6%) nematodes, and gigantorhynchiid acanthocephalans (2.9%). Intestinal helminths found in foxes included cestodes (D. caninum, Joyeuxiella, Diplopylidium, Mesocestoides), nematodes (Protospirura, Uncina ria stenocephala and Oxynema) and an acanthocephalan (Macracanthorhynchus). In both hosts, most helminths were recovered from the second intestinal se gment of four equally divided segments.