Apart from roundworms, Ancylostomatidae nematodes are presently the most frequently observed nematodes in dogs in Poland, with two species described so far: Uncinaria stenocephala and Ancylostoma caninum. The study aimed to determine the hookworm species found in dogs in Poland, with special emphasis on the Lublin region. The study material consisted of fecal samples collected from 500 dogs from the area of the Lublin voivodeship. With the use of microscope methods, parasite eggs were found in 56.4% of the samples, dominated by the Ancyclostomidae nematode (26.8%). The isolated hookworm eggs were subject to morphometric measurements, giving a mean length of 77.60 µm and width of 44.25 µm (±SD ±6.01 and ±4.54 respectively) within the range 67-91 × 36-56 µm. The hookworm larvae that hatched from the samples were subject to molecular analysis (72 samples) and all were identified as U. stenocephala. In the area of the Lublin voivodeship U. stenocephala is the dominant hookworm species in dogs.
Reliable determination of hookworm nematode parasite species from dogs can be carried out post-mortem by microscopical examination of the buccal cavity of adult worms isolated from the host small intestine. In order to allow a proper diagnosis of the hookworm infection in a living host, we developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Using DNA extracted from hookworm eggs and an oligonucleotide set designed on the basis of the DNA sequence of a cysteine proteinase AcCP1 gene, Ancylostoma caninum and Uncinaria stenocephala DNA can be discriminated from each other.