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Ana Ferreira [1] and Ana Margarida Alho [1] and David Otero [1] and Lídia Gomes [1] and Rolf Nijsse [2] and Paul A. M. Overgaauw [3] and Luís Madeira de Carvalho [1]

Academic Editor: Brian Buckley

1, CIISA, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal, ulisboa.pt

2, Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Postbus 80165, 3508 TD Utrecht, Netherlands, uu.nl

3, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Division of Veterinary Public Health, Utrecht University, Postbus 80163, 3508 TD Utrecht, Netherlands, uu.nl

Received Dec 30, 2016; Revised Mar 2, 2017; Accepted Jul 25, 2017

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

1. Introduction

In modern-day society, the human-animal bond has become stronger with pets playing an important role as a source of companionship, emotional support, and recreation. Dogs encourage easier social interactions between people and promote the physical and psychological health of their owners [1, 2]. Despite the positive effects that pets can have on people’s lives, this close bond may also compromise human health due to allergic reactions, trauma, and infectious diseases [2]. Dogs have been implicated in the transmission of more than 60 zoonotic infectious diseases [1], some of which are due to canine intestinal parasitic infections and are of serious concern. For instance, Toxocara spp. are responsible for visceral larva migrans (VLM), ocular larva migrans (OLM), covert toxocariasis, and neurological and atopic signs [3]. Some hookworms can cause cutaneous larva migrans (CLM) and eosinophilic enteritis [4]. Assemblages A and B in the protozoan genus Giardia are considered to have a zoonotic potential [5], and the risk of human infection by Cryptosporidium sp. from dogs, though limited, has not been excluded [6]. Until now, children, pregnant women, elderly, and immunocompromised people are all at a higher risk of disease resulting from parasitic zoonoses [7].

Dog parks (i.e., enclosed areas for domesticated dogs to play off-leash and socialise with other canines in a controlled environment) enable owners to spend quality time with their dogs. These areas promote social interactions among dogs and offer a safe setting for regular exercise in...
 

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