Prevalence of and risk factors for gastrointestinal parasites in dogs from two Nunavik (Québec) communities

Dogs in Nunavik (northern Québec, Canada) play an important role in local communities and may act as sentinels for zoonotic, food-borne, and environmentally transmitted parasites. This study assessed the prevalence, diversity, and risk factors for gastrointestinal parasites (GIPs) in two communities, Kuujjuaq and Inukjuak. Fecal samples were collected from individual, owned dogs ( n = 61) in Kuujjuaq accompanied by owner questionnaires, and unidentified individual canid fecal samples were collected from the environment in both communities ( n = 55) in 2016 and 2017. Samples were kept frozen until analysis using fecal flotation and immunofluorescence assay (IFA) for protozoans Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Quantitative PCR was used to screen all 2017 samples for taeniid cestode speciation, and conventional PCR was used for the detection and genotyping of Giardia spp. in a subset of samples positive on IFA. Echinococcus canadensis was detected in dogs in Kuujjuaq and Inukjuak, and Giardia duodenalis Assemblage B was detected in dogs in Kuujjuaq, both of which are zoonotic. Parasite richness was higher in environmental samples from Inukjuak than in those from Kuujjuaq. The prevalence of the non-zoonotic northern ascarid, Toxascaris leonina , and parasites acquired by dogs from consumption of fish and wildlife such as cestodes ( Dibothriocephalus spp. and Taenia spp.) and protozoans ( Sarcocystis spp.) was also higher in Inukjuak. Cryptosporidium spp. and Cystoisospora spp. (intestinal coccidia specific to dogs) were detected at low prevalence in owned dogs in Kuujjuaq. Notably, we did not detect other parasites of significance for canine and human health, such as Toxocara canis and Echinococcus multilocularis . Working status, intact reproductive status, outdoor feeding, and contact with ravens (possibly at the local landfill) were associated with higher GIP presence, while deworming was protective. These findings provide baseline data to guide future surveillance and intervention efforts in Nunavik communities.