03169: Characterization of Hookworm Resistance in Dogs with a Novel Diagnostic Test for Early Intervention
Grant Status: Open
Abstract
The dog hookworm is the most common worm parasite of dogs in the United States. It can cause disease, resulting in suffering and even death in both young and old dogs of all breeds and mixed breeds. Dog hookworms can also infect humans who come into contact with hookworm larvae present in dog stool contaminated areas. Hookworm infections in people will cause cutaneous larval migrans, a painful skin condition. Dogs must be dewormed monthly to prevent the ill effects of acquiring hookworms. While these medications were very effective 20-30 years ago, recently they have stopped being fully effective in many cases. This is because hookworms have become resistant. To know if a dog has resistant hookworms, veterinarians have to use tests performed at a diagnostic lab. The test that is currently used takes 14 days to complete.
In this project, the investigators will create a new diagnostic test that can be performed in less than a day. This new test will let the veterinarian know if the medication that they are using against the hookworms will work or not. This project will add to the knowledge about how much resistance can be expected in hookworms from dogs that live in the U.S. Knowing how much resistance to expect in a geographical area and knowing how many hookworms within a dog patient are specifically resistant will help veterinarians make important treatment decisions quickly.
Publication(s)
Help Future Generations of Dogs
Participate in canine health research by providing samples or by enrolling in a clinical trial. Samples are needed from healthy dogs and dogs affected by specific diseases.
