Dog deworming for control of echinococcosis by smart collar versus manual work: A 24-month field application and efficacy evaluation from a prospective, randomized, double masked, manual deworming-controlled trial

Abstract

Background Echinococcosis is a significant parasitic disease that affects multiple species and poses both public health risks and substantial socio-economic burdens. Regular deworming to dogs is a highly effective control measure advocated by the WHO. In this study we aimed to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness on delivery of praziquantel (PQZ) baits to dogs via smart collar and manpower.Methods We conducted a prospective, randomized, double masked, manual deworming-controlled field trial in Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County (Tianzhu County), a cystic echinococcosis endemic area, Gansu Province, China. Cluster random sampling was adopted at the township level to address smart collar deworming group (SCDG) and manual deworming group (MDG). In SCDG the smart collars were used to deliver the praziquantel (PQZ) baits to dogs once a month automatically, and the dogs in MDG were dewormed by manual delivery of PQZ baits in the usual way. The allocation of interventions was concealed from veterinarians between these two groups. The examination and result evaluation of fecal samples were also kept undisclosed to both laboratory personnel and evaluation experts. The positive rates of Echinococcus antigen in dog feces, which was one of the primary endpoints, was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and SPSS 27.0 software was used to process the data, and generalized estimation equation (GEE) were used to evaluate odds ratios versus manual deworming for smart collar deworming to analyze the deworming effect. The field trial was conducted over a 24-month period to gather data on the installation and recycling of smart collars, the frequency of dog deworming, as well as the collection and detection of dog fecal samples.Results Between June 1, 2021, and July 30, 2023, we recruited 1920 domestic dogs and obtained consent orally from their owners to advance our program, of them 800 were assigned to smart deworming schedule and 1120 to manual deworming schedule.