A survey of ectoparasite infestations in stray dogs of Gwang-ju City, Republic of Korea

This study was designed to investigate the incidence of ectoparasite infestation among stray dogs in Gwang-ju City, Republic of Korea. A total of 103 stray dogs collected in the Animal Shelter of Gwang-ju City from November 2003 to August 2005 were investigated in this study. Ectoparasites of one or more genera were detected in 45.6% (47/103) of the dogs examined for dermatologic lesions and/or skin scrapings (from 3-5 affected areas). Otodectes cynotis was found to be the most frequent parasite (22.3%, 23/103), followed by Sarcoptes scabiei var canis (19.4%, 20/103), Ctenocephalides canis (6.8%, 7/103), Demodex canis (4.9%, 5/103), and Trichodectes canis (1.0%, 1/103). Monospecific infestation was found in 83.0% (39/47) of the affected dogs, whereas concurrent infestations with 2 or more ectoparasites per animal were found in 17.0% (8/47) of the affected dogs. Trichodectes canis is reported for the first time in the Republic of Korea. Dogs less than 1 yr old were more heavily infected than other age groups (66.7%), and small-sized dogs of less than 3 kg body weight were more heavily infected than larger dogs (41.7%).