The mini-FLOTAC, a comparison with the CSF, McMaster and passive flotation technique for coproscopical examination of dog feces

Abstract

The canine gastrointestinal parasite Toxocara canis forms a threat to the public health and this parasite forms the foundation for the European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP) to advice dog owners to treat their dogs at least 4 times a year. Anthelmintic therapy is usually carried out without coproscopical examination, which could result in unnecessary shedding of anthelmintic residues that could enhance anthelmintic drugs resistance. As anthelmintic resistance is a growing problem in different veterinary fields, an easy to use and sensitive coproscopical examination technique is needed. Recent studies about the mini-FLOTAC technique, from the FLOTAC family, indicate that this technique could improve canine coproscopical examination in both the veterinary practice and the laboratory. The aim of this study is to examine if the mini-FLOTAC is a suitable alternative to use in laboratories and/or veterinary practices for the coproscopical examination of dog feces. To answer this question the sensitivity, repeatability, user-friendliness and the costs made for the CSF (labelled as the golden standard), were compared to the mini-FLOTAC, the passive flotation and the McMaster technique. The results showed no significant difference in the detectionlimit of the mini-FLOTAC compared to the CSF and the mini-FLOTAC showed an equal repeatability. The findings of this study indicate that the mini-FLOTAC is a promising technique for canine coproscopical examination in the veterinary practice or low-budget laboratory.