Scientists at Trinity College in Ireland led the research,publishedlate last month in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
The worms eggs will often be ingested by other dogs, quickly restarting the cycle.
And other times,non-compatible hosts like humanswill swallow the eggs, stopping the cycle dead in its tracks.
A pug dog in the middle of pooping.© Nukul Chanada via Shutterstock
Humans can also become accidental hosts for the related cat roundworm (Toxocara felis).
They collected and analyzed soil samples from 12 dog parks throughout the city of Dublin.
The researchers also looked more closely at a proportion of the recovered eggs, finding that most wereT.
caniseggs, though some wereT.
In Ireland and around the world, the widespread contamination of public places with the eggs ofToxocaraspp.
represents a potential risk to public health, the study researchers wrote.
The findings are limited to parks in Dublin.
Its very possible that the situation varies by region.
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