Prevalence of zoonotic and other gastrointestinal parasites in police and house dogs in Alexandria, Egypt.

Materials and Methods The dog was the first domesticated animal. Dogs perform many roles for people such as hunting, pulling loads protection, assisting police, military work, companionship and more recently aiding handicapped individuals. This impact on human society has given them the nickname "Man's Best Friend" in the western world. The use of dogs in the Egyptian police began early last century, when their ability to distinguish smells that cannot be detected by humans was realized. In many parts of the world, the intestinal parasites of dogs receive considerable attention because dogs serve as reservoirs, carriers and transmitters of several pathogens, including parasites, which are considered zoonotic and a number of them are of significant public health concern [1, 2]. Nowadays, dogs are living with humans in houses all over the world. Children are at special risk of infection because of their closer direct and indirect contact to dogs as compared to adults. The most common enteric parasites of dogs are