Comment on: Occurrence of Hookworm and the First Molecular and Morphometric Identification of Uncinaria stenocephala in Dogs in Central Europe

TL;DR

This comment discusses a study on identifying hookworm species in dogs in Central Europe using molecular and morphological methods.

Contribution

The paper proposes a two-step strategy for diagnosing hookworm infestations in dogs.

Findings

Differentiating hookworm species like Uncinaria stenocephala and Ancylostoma caninum is difficult using coproscopic examination.

Molecular diagnostics are recommended for accurate identification of hookworm species in dogs.

A two-step morphology–molecular analysis strategy was developed for identifying Ancylostomatidae family members in dogs.

Abstract

Hookworms are blood-feeding nematodes that infect millions of people and animals worldwide. The most common species infecting dogs in Europe are representatives of the family Ancylostomatidae, which differ in invasiology, biology and morphological features. However, the differentiation of invasions of species such as Uncinaria stenocephala and Ancylostoma caninum based on a coproscopic examination is problematic. For this reason, it is recommended to use molecular diagnostics for this purpose. The authors of the article investigated the prevalence of U. stenocephala in dogs kept in various living conditions in Slovakia and developed a two-step morphology–molecular analysis-based strategy to identify the genus and the species of eggs and larvae of the Ancylostomatidae family in dogs.

In our opinion, this work is very much needed as it shows how to effectively diagnose hookworm infestations. However, we do not agree with the information in the title of the article because such studies have already been carried out in Central Europe by other authors.