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Parasites & Vectors Sep 2022The local distribution of helminths in dogs and cats and the evaluation of risk of contamination represent an important challenge for veterinarians due to their effects...
BACKGROUND
The local distribution of helminths in dogs and cats and the evaluation of risk of contamination represent an important challenge for veterinarians due to their effects on animal health and their potential zoonotic risk. The overall goal of this study was to estimate the prevalence of the digestive and respiratory helminths infecting client-owned dogs and cats in France.
METHODS
Faecal samples were collected from 414 pet dogs and 425 pet cats at 20 study sites during 2017-2018 and analysed by coproscopy. The samples included specimens collected from animals of both genders and various breeds and ages from a variety of living environments, and with different lifestyles and feeding regimes. Associations between parasitic infection and qualitative factors were explored.
RESULTS
Overall, 125 (14.9%) samples (15.2% in dogs and 14.6% in cats) were positive for at least one of the species of helminths identified. Infection rates were highest for Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati (8.5% and 11.3%, respectively), while Toxascaris leonina was found only in one cat (0.2%). The apparent prevalence of Ancylostoma caninum and Uncinaria stenocephala in dogs was 1.7% and 4.3%, respectively. No hookworms were found in cats. Whipworms (Trichuris vulpis) were identified in 2.7% of the dogs. Tapeworms (Dipylidium caninum and Taeniidae) were rarely found (< 1% in dogs and < 3% in cats). The prevalence of Angiostrongylus vasorum Crenosoma vulpis, and Strongyloides stercoralis in dogs, Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in cats and Eucoleus spp. / Capillaria spp. in both dogs and cats was < 1%. Significantly higher fecal parasite emission rates were identified in young individuals, in animals with outdoor access, in animals living in the countryside and in intact animals (especially in cats). In addition, cats not fed exclusively with commercial diets and living with other animals (dogs and/or cats) were at higher risk for parasites. For dogs, hunting/herding and walking off-leash were found to be additional risk factors. Furthermore, pets with no reported history of deworming or dewormed > 1 year before the study were positive for parasites significantly more often than pets dewormed < 1 year before study participation.
CONCLUSIONS
The overall prevalence of helminths (some of which are zoonotic), the risk factors and the reportedly low deworming frequencies identified in this study (20.5% animals having never been dewormed and only 26.4% dewormed ≥ 3 times/year) illustrate the need for improving pet owners' adherence to anthelmintic guidelines in France.
Topics: Animals; Cat Diseases; Cats; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Feces; Female; Helminths; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Male; Metastrongyloidea; Parasites; Prevalence
PubMed: 36068597
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05368-7 -
Mitochondrial DNA. Part B, Resources Jul 2019The cucumber tapeworm (Cestoda, Dilepididae) is a common intestinal parasite of dogs and cats and can cause dipylidiasis in humans, especially in infants and children....
The cucumber tapeworm (Cestoda, Dilepididae) is a common intestinal parasite of dogs and cats and can cause dipylidiasis in humans, especially in infants and children. In this study, the complete mitogenome of this tapeworm was sequenced using next-generation sequencing technology. The entire genome was 14,226 bp in size and encoded 36 genes, including 12 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. The phylogeny revealed that grouped with other species from the order Cyclophyllidea and separated from species of Pseudophyllidea. Within the Dipylidiidae, both dog-originated were phylogenetic distinctiveness from cat-originated , suggesting that may represent a species complex. Altogether, the complete mitogenome of sequenced here should contribute to a better understanding of the phylogenetic and taxonomic placement of this species.
PubMed: 33365676
DOI: 10.1080/23802359.2019.1644236 -
Revue Scientifique Et Technique... Dec 1994Over 2,000 species of fleas parasitize mammals and birds. A simplified study of their morphology indicates for the main identification criteria. After listing the main... (Review)
Review
Over 2,000 species of fleas parasitize mammals and birds. A simplified study of their morphology indicates for the main identification criteria. After listing the main families of fleas, the author outlines the identification of species most often encountered by veterinarians. Knowledge of the different types of flea parasitism and their life cycles is essential for effective control measures. Control is justified by the direct and indirect pathogenic roles of fleas (transmission of plague, tularaemia, myxomatosis, Dipylidium caninum). Effective agents are organochlorine compounds, organophosphorus compounds, pyrethroids and insect growth regulators, available in various formulations to destroy parasitic fleas on animals or in the environment. A novel method is to administer a systemic growth regulator to dogs and cats, which persists in the bloodstream and inhibits the reproduction of fleas which feed on a treated animal. Advantages and disadvantages of each formulation are presented.
Topics: Animals; Birds; Ectoparasitic Infestations; Female; Insect Control; Male; Mammals; Siphonaptera
PubMed: 7711303
DOI: No ID Found -
Revista Chilena de Infectologia :... Dec 2008Dipylidiasis is a zoonotic parasitic infection caused by the dog tapeworm Dipylidium caninum; it affects both feline and canine species and accidentally, humans. In... (Review)
Review
Dipylidiasis is a zoonotic parasitic infection caused by the dog tapeworm Dipylidium caninum; it affects both feline and canine species and accidentally, humans. In Chile, as well as in other countries, it is an uncommon infection. A case of a 2 year old child from Casablanca, (a city located in the Valparaíso Region), with an infection by D. caninum, is presented. Clinical manifestations are reviewed, as well as epidemiology in domestic and wild animals, cases among the published national literature and its treatment and prevention strategies.
Topics: Animals; Anthelmintics; Cats; Cestoda; Cestode Infections; Child, Preschool; Dogs; Feces; Humans; Male; Praziquantel
PubMed: 19194613
DOI: No ID Found -
Parasites & Vectors Oct 2018Dipylidium caninum is a common tapeworm of dogs contracted from ingestion of fleas containing the infective cysticercoid stage. Fluralaner is a systemically distributed... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Dipylidium caninum is a common tapeworm of dogs contracted from ingestion of fleas containing the infective cysticercoid stage. Fluralaner is a systemically distributed isoxazoline class insecticide that delivers highly effective activity against fleas and ticks for up to 12 weeks after a single oral or topical treatment. This study evaluated the impact of this flea insecticidal efficacy on the transmission of D. caninum to dogs.
METHODS
Dogs were weighed and treated with a cestocide and then randomly assigned to 3 groups of 8. Fluralaner was administered topically (at the commercial dose) to one group and orally to another group while the third received topically administered sterile water. All dogs were subsequently infested with about 100 D. caninum infected Ctenocephalides felis at 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, 77 and 83 days after treatment. Visual proglottid inspections and counts were conducted daily from 35 to 113 days post-treatment. Post-treatment D. caninum incidence was calculated for each group and compared between treated and untreated groups.
RESULTS
All 8 dogs in the placebo-treated group became infected with D. caninum while no shed proglottids were observed at any point during the post-treatment period from any dog in either fluralaner treated group.
CONCLUSIONS
The insecticidal efficacy of a single treatment of either orally or topically administered fluralaner prevented D. caninum transmission from infected fleas to susceptible dogs for up to 12 weeks following administration.
Topics: Administration, Oral; Administration, Topical; Animals; Anticestodal Agents; Cestode Infections; Ctenocephalides; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Female; Insect Vectors; Isoxazoles; Male; Single-Blind Method
PubMed: 30359284
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-3140-x -
Veterinary Parasitology, Regional... Dec 2018Cats can be infected by various intestinal parasites, some that are zoonotic. Although surveys of parasite prevalence in owned and shelter cats have been published, none...
Cats can be infected by various intestinal parasites, some that are zoonotic. Although surveys of parasite prevalence in owned and shelter cats have been published, none addressed free-roaming, wild-trapped, domestic cat (Felis catus) populations. An opportunity to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites in wild-trapped, free-roaming cats in northcentral Oklahoma, United States occurred through a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program conducted at Oklahoma State University, Boren Veterinary Medical Hospital, between February 2015 and April 2016. Approximately 1 g to 5 g of feces was collected from 846 free-roaming cats either from cage traps, when available, or rectally using disposable fecal loops and examined by centrifugal fecal flotation tests with 33% zinc sulfate solution. Parasite infections were confirmed by microscopic detection of eggs, cysts, or oocysts and visual detection of proglottids. Approximately 63.9% (541/846) of free-roaming cats were infected by at least one parasite, and 24.9% (211/846) of cats were infected by multiple parasites. The most common intestinal parasite infections detected were: Toxocara cati (44.6%; 377/846), followed by Alaria (13.4%; 113/846), Ancylostoma (11.2%; 95/846), Cystoisospora (9.7%; 82/846), taeniids (7.7%; 65/846), Dipylidium caninum (4.5%; 38/846), Physaloptera (2.2%; 19/846), Eucoleus aerophilus (1.4%; 12/846), Giardia (1.2%; 10/846), and a small (10-12 μm in diameter) Toxoplasma-like oocyst (0.1%; 1/846). A few ectoparasites, Demodex gatoi (0.5%; 4/846) and Cheyletiella (0.1%; 1/846), were also detected by fecal flotation. Our findings indicate that a higher prevalence of parasite infections occurs in free-roaming cats in Oklahoma than in owned cats, and these free-roaming cats contribute to contamination of the environment with several zoonotic parasites. Regional data on the prevalence of parasites in free-roaming cats can aid in the justification for parasite control programs in owned cats since both can share the same environment and supports the current practice of routine broad-spectrum anthelmintic and ectoparasite treatments for owned cats.
Topics: Animals; Animals, Wild; Cats; Feces; Female; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Male; Oklahoma; Parasites; Prevalence; Surveys and Questionnaires; Toxocara; Toxocariasis; Zoonoses
PubMed: 31014736
DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2018.08.008 -
Parasites & Vectors Feb 2019Fleas (Siphonaptera) are the most clinically important ectoparasites of dogs and cats worldwide. Rising levels of pet ownership, climate change and globalisation are...
BACKGROUND
Fleas (Siphonaptera) are the most clinically important ectoparasites of dogs and cats worldwide. Rising levels of pet ownership, climate change and globalisation are increasing the importance of a detailed understanding of the endemicity and prevalence of flea-borne pathogens. This requires continued surveillance to detect change. This study reports a large-scale survey of pathogens in fleas collected from client-owned cats and dogs in the UK.
METHODS
Recruited veterinary practices were asked to follow a standardised flea inspection protocol on a randomised selection of cats and dogs brought into the practice in April and June 2018. A total of 326 practices participated and 812 cats and 662 dogs were examined. Fleas were collected, identified to species and pooled flea samples from each host were analysed for the presence of pathogens using PCR and sequence analysis.
RESULTS
Overall, 28.1% of cats and 14.4% of dogs were flea infested. More than 90% of the fleas on both cats and dogs were cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis felis. Fleas of the same species from each infested host were pooled. DNA was amplified from 470 of the pooled flea samples using conventional PCR, 66 of which (14% ± 95% CI 3.14%) were positive for at least one pathogen. Fifty-three (11.3% ± 95% CI 2.85%) of the pooled flea DNA samples were positive for Bartonella spp., 35 were from cats and 4 from dogs, the remainder had no host record. Seventeen of the Bartonella spp. samples were found to be Bartonella henselae, 27 were Bartonella clarridgeiae (of two different strains), 4 samples were Bartonella alsatica and one was Bartonella grahamii; 4 samples could not be identified. Fourteen (3% ± 95% CI 1.53%) of the flea DNA samples were found to be positive for Dipylidium caninum, 10 of the D. caninum-infected samples were collected from cats and one from a dog, the other 3 positive flea samples had no host species record. Only 3 flea samples were positive for Mycoplasma haemofelis or Mycoplasma haemocanis; 2 were collected from cats and one had no host species record. Three fleas were positive for both D. caninum and Bartonella spp. One flea was positive for both Bartonella spp. and M. haemofelis or M. haemocanis.
CONCLUSIONS
This study highlights the need for ongoing flea control, particularly given the relatively high prevalence of Bartonella spp., which is of concern for both animal welfare and human health. The study demonstrates the ongoing need to educate pet owners about the effects of both flea infestation and also the pathogen risks these fleas present.
Topics: Animals; Bartonella; Cat Diseases; Cats; Ctenocephalides; DNA, Bacterial; Disease Vectors; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Flea Infestations; Mycoplasma; Pets; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Prevalence; United Kingdom
PubMed: 30728050
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3326-x -
Case Reports in Pediatrics 2020We report a female toddler who presented repetitively with a chief complaint of motile white worms seen in her diapers. Symptoms of perianal itching and visualization of...
We report a female toddler who presented repetitively with a chief complaint of motile white worms seen in her diapers. Symptoms of perianal itching and visualization of visible motile worms persisted for 6 months despite being treated with multiple courses of albendazole causing a lot of frustration and distress to the caregivers. The characteristics of the worms by inspection along with the presence of 3 pet dogs are consistent with .
PubMed: 32206366
DOI: 10.1155/2020/4716124 -
Annals of Parasitology 2020Three hundred and sixty fecal samples of stray dogs were collected between July and December 2018, from open grounds of Shendi city and two suburbs (Gulia and Musiab),...
Three hundred and sixty fecal samples of stray dogs were collected between July and December 2018, from open grounds of Shendi city and two suburbs (Gulia and Musiab), River Nile State, Sudan, and were examined for helminthic infections. The results showed 43 (11.9%) of the samples were positive for at least one species of helminth. A total of four helminth species were identified, including two nematodes (Ancylostoma caninum and Trichuris vulpis) and two cestodes (Dipylidium caninum and Taenia spp.). Taenia spp. was found to be the most common helminth infection in stray dogs (6.7%) followed by D. caninum (3.1%), while the least was the nematode, A. caninum (0.8%). The prevalence of infection among stray dogs in the suburbs was found to be higher than those in the city; however, there was no statistical significance (P = 0.07). In conclusion, stray dogs in Shendi area were found to be harboring several important zoonotic helminthes such as A. caninum and Taenia spp.; this shows the necessity of stray dog population management in this area as they present a health risk to the community.
Topics: Animals; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Feces; Helminthiasis, Animal; Helminths; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Prevalence; Sudan
PubMed: 32199004
DOI: 10.17420/ap6601.246 -
Infectious Disease Reports Jul 2020Relationship between humans and cats has negative impact associates with zoonotic diseases. It is the reason why studies on the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI)...
Relationship between humans and cats has negative impact associates with zoonotic diseases. It is the reason why studies on the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) parasites in cats are important. Some of zoonotic GI parasites in cats are spp, sp, and . The current study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of GI parasites in owned and stray cats in Lumajang East Java Indonesia. One hundred and twenty fecal samples were collected from owned and stray cats on November 2018 to January 2019. The samples were examined by direct smears, sedimentation and flotation techniques. Identification of parasites was determined based on the morphology of worm eggs and protozoan cysts. The results showed that gastrointestinal parasites were found in 68.33% (82/120) examined samples, respectively, 48.33% (29/60) and 88.33% (53/60) from owned cats and stray cats. We found 7 genera of parasites, 4 genera of worm eggs and 2 genera protozoan oocyst. The egg worm were (40 %), . (10.33%), sp. (18.33%), sp. (3.33%) and (1.67%). The protozoan oocyst were (27.5%), (13.33%) and spp. (8.33%). , sp. (hookworm), sp. and were zoonotic parasites. Rate infection in younger and older cat were no significant difference. One cat can be infected one or more parasite. To conclude, the prevalence of zoonotic GI parasites both in owned and stray cats were high. It is necessary to plan a program to control this zoonotic parasites.
PubMed: 32874473
DOI: 10.4081/idr.2020.8747