Anthroponotic and Zoonotic Hookworm DNA in an Indigenous Community in Coastal Ecuador: Potential Cross-Transmission between Dogs and Humans

Resumen

Humans can be infected with anthroponotic (<i>Ancylostoma duodenale</i> and <i>Necator americanus</i>) and with zoonotic (<i>Ancylostoma ceylanicum</i>, <i>A. caninum</i>, <i>A. braziliense</i>, and <i>Uncinaria stenocephala</i>) hookworms from dogs. Anthroponotic species are usually thought not to infect dogs. We used the internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS1) gene in a quantitative PCR to detect anthroponotic and zoonotic hookworm species in fecal samples from 54 children and 79 dogs living in an indigenous community in tropical Northwestern Ecuador. Hookworm DNA was detected in 59.3% of children and 92.4% of dogs. Among samples from children, zoonotic hookworms were detected in 24.1% (<i>A. ceylanicum</i> 14.8%, <i>A. caninum</i> 11.1%<i>,</i> and <i>A. braziliense</i> 1.9%), whilst in dog samples, anthroponotic species were detected in 19.0% (<i>N. americanus</i> 12.4% and <i>A. duodenale</i> 6.3%). Sanger sequencing was performed successfully on 60 qPCR-positive samples (16 from children and 44 from dogs), and consensus sequences were obtained with >98% homology to GenBank references for hookworm spp. Phylogenetic analysis showed a close relationship between anthroponotic and zoonotic <i>Ancylostoma</i> species and no heterogeneity between <i>A. duodenale</i> and <i>A. caninum</i>; in human samples, we found <i>A. ceylanicum</i> but not <i>A. braziliense</i> sequences and we were unable to identify <i>N. americanus</i> in the dog samples. No infections with <i>U. stenocephala</i> were detected. Our data provide evidence for high rates of hookworm infections in indigenous children and dogs in a marginalized rural setting in coastal Ecuador. We also found evidence for potential cross-transmission of hookworm spp. between humans and dogs that represent a potential domestic reservoir for zoonotic and anthroponotic hookworms.