Don E. Eyles

Amebio Infections in Dogs.

Fecal specimens from a series of 143 dogs were examined for amebae by this laboratory as a part of a larger epidemiologic study of intestinal parasites in the Memphis, Tennessee area. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the dog might serve as a reservoir from which man could acquire infections, particularly of Endamoeba histolytica, in this region. Secondarily, the study was designed to provide additional information on the amebic parasites of the dog. A review of the available literature shows that the dog has been found infected naturally with E. histolytica in a number of areas. Isolated instances of canine infection have been reported from India, Manchuria, Egypt, Panama, China, IndoChina, and the United States; however, studies which provide prevalence data are less frequent. In this country Swartzwelder and Avant (1952) reported 10 per cent of 70 dogs examined in New Orleans to be naturally infected. Frye and Meleney (1932) examined 22 dogs at New Hope in Jackson County, Tennessee but found no infections. No reports of other systematic investigations of dog populations were found.