The use of detector dogs in the diagnosis of nematode infections in sheep feces |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, C/ Julian Claveria s/n, 33006 Oviedo, Spain;2. Marine Science and Technology Centre, Klaipeda University, H. Manto 84, LT 92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania;3. Coastal and Freshwater Group, Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax Street East, 7010 Nelson, New Zealand;4. Unit of DNA Analysis, Scientific-Technical Services, University of Oviedo, Edificio Severo Ochoa, Campus del Cristo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain;5. Atlantic Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography, Kaliningrad, Russia;1. Department of Environmental Chemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Chemistry, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 7 Gagarin St, 87-100 Toruń, Poland;2. Institute of Genetics and Animal Breeding of Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Animal Behaviour, Postępu 36A, Jastrzębiec, 05-552 Magdalenka, Poland;1. Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Conservation Genetics Group, Clamecystraße 12, 63571 Gelnhausen, Germany;2. Technische Universität Dresden, Chair of Forest Zoology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Pienner Straße 8, 01737 Tharandt, Germany;3. Bavarian Forest National Park, Department of Conservation and Research, Freyunger Straße 2, 94481 Grafenau, Germany;4. University of Freiburg, Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Tennenbacher Straße 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany |
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| Abstract: | This study was conducted to assess a dog's ability to differentiate between nematode-infected and uninfected sheep feces. Two German shepherd bitches were trained for scent detection over a 6-month period using operant/clicker conditioning. On completion of the training, testing was undertaken with 9 paper bags containing uninfected and 1 with infected feces, placed randomly around a circle. The dog and handler were not able to observe the placement of the bags. The 10th bag contained feces from sheep infected with either Teladorsagia circumcincta, Trichostrongylus vitrinus, Haemonchus contortus, or a mixed infection of all 3 species. Over 80 trials the dog had a mean success rate of greater than 80% in the detection of T. circumcincta- or T. vitrinus-infected feces and H. contortus-infected feces was detected with a slightly lower reliability of 76%, but mixed infections were detected at 92% reliability (one-proportion binomial analysis, P < 0.05). Trials were then undertaken to determine the time after administration of infective larvae that the dog was first able to differentiate T. circumcincta infection in sheep feces. At 7 days postinfection (dpi), the dog was capable of identifying T. circumcincta at least 85% of the time. These trials demonstrate that dogs are able to detect the common parasite infections in sheep with reliability equal to immunological assays. The results suggest that diagnostics based on odor detection using dogs to identify signature odors which could then be used to create sensitive detection devices might allow parasite detection on-farm and on all sheep in a flock. |
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