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Study found roundworm eggs from animal faeces were found in nine-out-of-12 parks in Dublin
Park entrances and playgrounds have been identified as potential hotspots for roundworm, with dog faeces the biggest cause of the parasite, a new Irish study has found.
Zoologists at Trinity College Dublin studied parks and open recreational facilities in the capital, and uncovered the areas as significant sites for roundworm eggs, with subsequent analysis strongly implying they have come from dog poop.
The roundworms of dogs (Toxocara canis) and cats (Toxocara cati) can cause hard-to-diagnose disease in people. While most people do not become ill after coming in to contact with them, the worms can spread to parts of the body such as the liver, lungs or eyes, where they can occasionally cause serious problems like difficulty breathing, or a loss of vision. Other research has also linked asthma, epilepsy, and cognitive decline to this parasite.
The new research, just published in international journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Disease, sought to identify the levels of roundworm contamination in the soils of 12 Dublin parks.
The paper found that roundworm eggs were found in nine in 12 parks. Most eggs were located at park entrances, with playgrounds the next-most common hotspot.
The majority of eggs were potentially infective, and most were identified as Toxocara canis, linking their origins to dogs.
“Toxocara is one of the most common parasitic infections across the globe, and while there are many potential routes of infection, it is widely believed that the most common one for people is coming into contact with soil containing infective eggs, and then accidentally ingesting them,” said author Dr Jason Keegan.
“This new research specifically pinpoints the hotspots in Dublin’s public parks where egg counts are highest in soil samples, and that tells us where we need to target our intervention efforts. By providing more signage, bins, and a means to clean up after dogs in these locations, we could reduce the level of contamination – and that’s the next step in the research,” he added.
“With that in mind, it is important to underline that many dog-fouling reduction interventions are not assessed for their effectiveness after implementation, so it’s imperative that such an assessment is built into any plan in the future. Of the assessments that have been completed, we know posters made by schoolchildren can be useful, perhaps underlining that involving the local communities most impacted by dog faeces in their recreational areas could be an opportunity worth exploring.”