ESTUDO DA CONTAMINAÇÃO AMBIENTAL POR PARASITOS ZOONÓTICOS NO ENTORNO E INTERIOR DE ESCOLAS MUNICIPAIS NO EXTREMO SUL DO BRASIL.

The aim of this study was to identify the presence of eggs, cysts and oocysts of potentially zoonotic parasites, in fecal samples from dogs and cats in the vicinity of municipal schools in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil and in sand samples from their recreational squares. The material collected came from 41 schools in the city's seven neighborhoods. Stool samples were analyzed using the coproparasitological techniques of Willis Mollay, Faust and Hoffmann, Pons and Janer. The sand, in turn, through the techniques of centrifugal flotation and Rugai. The results showed that of the 167 fecal samples analyzed, 71.3% (119/167) were positive for parasites. Ancylostoma was the most prevalent genus, identified in 52.1% of the samples, followed by Trichuris vulpis (19.8%), Giardia spp. (15.0%), Toxocara spp. (9.0%), Dipylidium caninum (4.8%), Cystoisospora spp. (2.4%) and Spirometra sp. (2.4%). In the sands, there was a predominance of Toxocara spp., And Ancylostoma spp, observed in 18.7% and 14.8%, respectively, in recreational areas. These results show the need for practices that prevent and control parasitic infections, such as responsible guarding of dogs and cats living in the home and control of semi-domesticated or abandoned animals, as the presence of these parasites in and around schools is a public health problem, due to the possibility of zoonoses transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]