Prevalence of echinococcus granulosus determined with polymerase chain reaction in dogs in aydin district

Echinococcosis is one of worldwide zoonotic diseases. E. granulosus and the other Echinococcus species cause diseases in human and animals leading to huge economical losses.In this study, it was aimed to determine prevalence of E. granulosus in Aydın district. Clean and fresh feces samples at ground were collected from owned dogs (n=100; 25 female, 75 male) with the range of 6-16 months old. These faces samples were obtained at 13 villages from five different locations (Center, Söke, Çine, Bozdoğan, Kuyucak) of Aydın district. Prevalence of E. granulosus was investigated with PCR, and presence of this disease was determined in only one dog (%1; 1/100). Prior to applications of molecular techniques, feces samples were investigated with macroscopic and flotation methods, and these procedures reveal the presence of Toxocara canis (%11), Ancylostoma caninum (%3), Taenia spp. (%2) and Capillaria spp. (%1) eggs.Current prevalence (%1) of E. granulosus in this study is lower than the other studies conducted at different parts of Turkey. Determination of E. granulosus with PCR in feces without determining any parasites with neither macroscopical nor microscopical examinations could indicate the potential risk of dog feces for animal owners, veterinarians and parasitology laboratory technicians.Key words: Aydın, Echinococcus granulosus, dog, prevalence