Spatial Distribution of Canine Sporotrichosis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1998–2018) and Its Correlation with Socioeconomic Conditions

Abstract

Canine sporotrichosis is a poorly described global disease and a spatial approach has not yet been used to assess the disease in dogs. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the occurrence of canine sporotrichosis in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1998 to 2018 and its correlation with socioeconomic characteristics using exploratory spatial data analysis. A total of 295 cases of canine sporotrichosis were identified and 249 were georeferenced. There was a higher concentration of cases in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, as well as along the border of the city and the adjacent municipalities in the great metropolitan area. The cases occurred in areas where most of the dwellings are houses. Moreover, no focus of disease density was found in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro city over the period studied, possibly due to better socioeconomic conditions. Areas with a high concentration of canine sporotrichosis cases coincided with regions that possessed a low proportion of households without paving, suggesting that the disease is not necessarily linked to extreme poverty. The mapping of areas with a greater density of cases is fundamental to formulate targeted and strategic plans in order to implement effective public health prevention and control measures.