Intestinal parasites, including cestodes like Dipylidium caninum, are common in dogs in the United States of America (USA), but fecal flotation consistently, and, at times, dramatically, fails to identify many of these infections. To determine the extent to which including coproantigen testing for D. caninum would improve the identification of dogs infected with this cestode, we evaluated fecal samples from 877 dogs (589 pet and 288 from municipal shelters) from six USA states using zinc sulfate (specific gravity 1.24) fecal flotation with centrifugation along with coproantigen detection for Giardia sp., hookworms, ascarids, and Trichuris vulpis. For D. caninum, PCR of perianal swabs was included. Intestinal parasite infections were identified, using centrifugal fecal flotation or coproantigen, in 265 dogs (13.2 % pet, 64.9 % shelter). Dipylidium caninum infection was detected in 5.6 % of dogs with the combination of coproantigen and centrifugal fecal flotation, and 7.3 % of dogs when perianal swab results were included; prevalence varied by diagnostic method, population, and geographic region. In pet dogs, D. caninum infection was identified by fecal flotation (0), coproantigen (2.2 %), or perianal swabs (1.2 %). The same methods revealed infection in 0.3 %, 12.5 %, and 11.1 % of shelter dogs, respectively. Frequent use of praziquantel in shelter dogs (116/288; 40.3 %) may have reduced prevalence. Positive and negative agreement of D. caninum coproantigen with perianal swab PCR in pet dogs was 85.7 % and 98.8 %, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis accounting for region, population, and age found D. caninum infection to be more common in shelter dogs relative to pet (adjusted OR 4.91 [2.48, 10.24]) and in the Southcentral and Southeast regions relative to North (adjusted OR 9.59 [1.92, 174.13] and 17.69 [3.67, 318.09] respectively). Coproantigen testing also enhanced the detection of other intestinal parasites over fecal flotation alone, including Giardia sp. (14.7 % vs 3.3 %), hookworms (13.8 % vs 8.4 %), ascarids (2.9 % vs 2.2 %), and T. vulpis (2.9 % vs 1.4 %). Together, these data indicate that the coproantigen assay employed increases detection of D. caninum infections several fold, supporting the use of this test in clinical practice, and add to a growing body of research documenting enhanced diagnosis through implementation of multiple laboratory-based methods.

肠道寄生虫，包括像犬复孔绦虫这样的绦虫，在美国的狗中很常见，但粪便漂浮始终无法识别出许多此类感染，有时甚至是戏剧性的。为了确定对犬绦虫进行粪抗原检测能在多大程度上提高对感染这种绦虫的狗的识别，我们使用硫酸锌（比重1.24) 通过离心进行粪便浮选，并检测贾第鞭毛虫、钩虫、蛔虫和鞭毛虫的粪抗原。对于犬 D. caninum ，包括肛周拭子的 PCR。使用离心粪便漂浮或粪抗原，在 265 只狗（13.2% 宠物，64.9% 庇护所）中发现了肠道寄生虫感染。结合粪抗原和离心粪便气浮法，犬复孔菌感染的检出率为 5.6%，肛周拭子结果为 7.3%；患病率因诊断方法、人群和地理区域而异。在宠物狗中，通过粪便漂浮 (0)、粪抗原 (2.2%) 或肛周拭子 (1.2%) 来鉴定犬支原体感染。同样的方法显示，收容所犬只的感染率分别为 0.3%、12.5% 和 11.1%。收容所犬经常使用吡喹酮（116/288；40.3%）可能会降低患病率。宠物狗肛周拭子 PCR 检测的犬 D. 犬粪抗原的阳性和阴性一致性分别为 85.7 % 和 98.8 %。考虑地区、人口和年龄的多元逻辑回归分析发现D. 与宠物相比，犬寄生虫感染在庇护犬中更为常见（调整后的 OR 4.91 [2.48, 10.24]），在中南部和东南部地区相对于北部地区更常见（调整后的 OR 9.59 [1.92, 174.13] 和 17.69 [3.67, 318.09]） 。与单独粪便漂浮相比，粪抗原检测还增强了对其他肠道寄生虫的检测，包括贾第鞭毛虫。 （14.7 % vs 3.3 %）、钩虫（13.8 % vs 8.4 %）、蛔虫（2.9 % vs 2.2 %）和T. vulpis （2.9 % vs 1.4 %）。总之，这些数据表明，所采用的粪抗原测定使犬D. 犬感染的检测增加了几倍，支持了该测试在临床实践中的使用，并增加了越来越多的研究记录通过实施多种基于实验室的方法来增强诊断。