One hundred fecal samples from male and female dogs of several ages and breeds were collected in kennels of Uberlândia in Minas Gerais, Brazil. These samples were analyzed to determine the frequency of Giardia spp. using two different diagnostic methods: zinc sulfate flotation technique and merthiolate-iodine-formaldehyde concentration (MIFC). The frequency of giardiasis was 41%. Dogs, which were less than 12 months of age, were the most parasitized (68.4%). No difference between male and female frequency of giardiasis (31.4% and 46.1%, respectively) was observed. MIFC detected 38% of positive samples and zinc sulfate flotation technique 29%. Giardia spp. is present in dogs of Uberlândia's kennels in a high frequency.
Giardia spp.; giardiasis; dog; zinc sulfate flotation technique; MIFC
