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• Helminths cause impacts on dog breeding and pose a significant zoonotic risk. • Chemical products generate waste that impacts animal, human and environmental health. • Alternative methods are needed to control helminthiasis. • Helminthophagous fungi are potential tools for controlling helminths. • A. robusta and M. thaumasium are suitable candidates for helminth control. Helminths are a major challenge in dog breeding, particularly affecting young animals and posing a significant zoonotic risk. The widespread use of anthelmintics to treat gastrointestinal helminth infections in companion animals is common. However, these chemical products generate residues that can have adverse effects on animal, human and environmental health. In addition to the challenge of parasite resistance to treatment, there is an urgent need to explore and discuss complementary and sustainable methods of controlling helminthiases in these animals. In this context, nematophagous or helminthophagous fungi have emerged as a potential tool for the control of environmental forms of helminths. The purpose of this review is to emphasize the importance of these fungi in the control of free-living forms of helminth parasites in companion animals by highlighting the research that has been conducted for this purpose. In vitro experiments demonstrated the efficacy of fungi like Pochonia chlamydosporia, Arthrobotrys robusta , and Monacrosporium thaumasium in trapping and reducing helminth infective forms. These findings, along with soil contamination studies, suggest the feasibility of using helminthophagous fungi as a sustainable and effective strategy for environmental control. The current literature supports the potential of these fungi as an environmentally friendly solution for managing helminthiasis in dogs, benefiting both animal health and public welfare. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three out of 10 Colombian schoolchildren carried gastrointestinal parasites. • Seven out of ten infection were caused by protist species. • Gastrointestinal infections were associated with stunting, malnutrition, and anaemia. • Relevance of recording anthropometric measurements and clinical signs. Gastrointestinal protist (GP) and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections cause significant morbidity among children in poor-resource settings of tropical and sub-tropical countries including Colombia. Few prospective transversal studies investigating how GP and STH infections affect growth development and nutritional status during childhood have been conducted in this country, none of them in the Antioquia Department. This microscopy-based study estimated the prevalence of GP and helminth (including STH) infections in faecal samples from schoolchildren (n = 384) collected during April-May 2019 in three municipalities of the Antioquia Department. Demographic, epidemiological, and household data were elicited through face-to-face interviews. Parasite detection was carried out by direct microscopic examination of both fresh smears and concentrated faecal material. Children (aged 6–15 years) also had their haemoglobin (Hb) levels, height and weight data collected, and BMI estimated. Data were analysed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Overall, 60.7 % (233/384) of schoolchildren were infected by at least one intestinal parasitic species. Among GPs, Blastocystis sp. was the most common species found (47.7 %, 95 % CI: 42.6–52.8), followed by G. duodenalis (15.9 %, 95 % CI: 12.4–19.9). Cryptosporidium spp. and Cyclospora cayetanensis were sporadically identified (0.3 %, 95 % CI: 0.1–1.4 each). Among helminths, the most prevalent species found were Trichuris trichiura (6.0 %, 95 % CI: 3.8–8.9) and Enterobius vermicularis (1.0 %, 95 % CI: 0.3–2.6). Hookworms, Ascaris lumbricoides , and Strongyloides stercoralis were found at prevalence rates <1 %. Underweight, overweigh, or obese schoolchildren had 1.2 times greater chance of being infected with intestinal parasites than their counterparts with a healthy weight (P -value: 0.015). Variables significantly associated with an increased likelihood of being infected by intestinal parasites include living in a household with unfinished flouring, not wearing shoes, being in close proximity to rodents, and having improper waste disposal. Relatively simple interventional measures directed towards the improvement of household conditions, access to sanitary toilets, and promoting shoe wearing can significantly reduce childhood infections by GP and helminths in the Antioquia Department. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]