INFECÇÕES POR Cryptosporidium spp. EM CÃES DE ARAÇATUBA, SP, BRASIL

Fecal samples from 420 dogs were examined in order to detect Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts by means of Kinyoun acid-fast stain and Sheather techniques. The Cryptosporidium spp. antigens were detected by direct ELISA technique. Out of the 420 samples, 10 (2.4%) were positive by the ELISA technique and 4 (1.0%) by the Kinyoun acid-fast stain and Sheather techniques. Despite the use of three different diagnostic methods, occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. in the dogs of this study was low. Such low incidence, associated to the absence of symptoms, suggests that this protozoa has no clinical relevance for the dogs in studied areas.