Host Associations and Transmission Between Hosts
- Trematode infections are acquired by consumption of intermediate or paratenic hosts (or, in the case of H. americana, by direct skin penetration of cercariae) and are not directly transmitted between dogs and cats.
- Both dogs and cats are susceptible to infection with P. kellicotti following ingestion of crayfish or paratenic hosts infected with metacercariae.
What is a trematode in dogs?
What is the life cycle of a trematode?
What is the fluke of cats?
How are Alaria spp. infections acquired?
What is the name of the cyst in the lung of a dog?
Which stage of the trematode miracidium infects the second intermediate host?
How are tematode infections transmitted?
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How do dogs become infected with trematodes?
infections are acquired by dogs and cats via ingestion of a wide variety of intermediate or paratenic hosts (particularly frogs and snakes) that harbor immature flukes. Nanophyetus salmincola metacercariae are present in the muscle of salmonid fish; dogs and cats are infected upon ingestion of uncooked fish.
What are trematodes in dogs?
Lung flukes are parasitic organisms called trematodes. The most common lung fluke that affects dogs in North America is called the Paragonimus kellicotti, also known as the North American lung fluke. Other species of lung flukes can infect dogs in other areas of the world but are they are rarely found in North America.
How are trematodes transmitted?
Foodborne trematodes cause infection in humans via the consumption of contaminated food (raw fish, crustaceans or vegetables). Infection can result in severe liver and lung disease and together these diseases are estimated to cause 2 million life years lost to disability and death worldwide every year.
How do dogs get fluke?
Dogs become infected by eating raw crayfish or crabs that contain the encysted parasite. The young flukes eventually migrate to the lungs where they become established. Infected animals may have a chronic, deep, intermittent cough and eventually become weak and lethargic, although many infections pass unnoticed.
What is the most common dog parasite?
Roundworms are some of the most common intestinal worms in dogs. ... Tapeworms are an intestinal parasite that dogs acquire by eating infected fleas or by consuming wild animals infested with tapeworms or fleas. ... Hookworms are intestinal parasites that cause anemia in dogs and can be fatal in puppies if left untreated.More items...
Are trematodes contagious?
Transmission of trematodiases can occur through the consumption of water and food that is contaminated with trematodes in the larval stages of their life cycle. In a host organism, eggs of trematodes can spread through faeces, and sputum if the host is infected by a lung fluke.
How do I get rid of trematodes?
Praziquantel remains the drug of choice for all trematode infections except fascioliasis, for which triclabendazole is the drug of choice.
Where can trematodes be found?
Human infections are most common in Asia, Africa and Latin America. However, trematodes can be found anywhere where untreated human waste is used as fertilizer. Humans can be infected by trematodes either by consuming undercooked contaminated fish or plants, or by ingesting contaminated water.
What is the infective for most trematodes parasite?
Trematoda miracidia are mainly infective to molluscan intermediate hosts which are slow moving and aquatic or semiaquatic, while cercariae in contrast mainly infect the definitive mammalian hosts which are nonaquatic and warm blooded with sporadic presence in the environment that the propagules are released into.
Where do dogs get parasites from?
Parasites are usually transmitted when an animal inadvertently ingests parasite eggs or spores in contaminated soil, water, feces or food. In the case of tapeworms, they can also be transmitted when a dog eats an infected flea. Puppies, on the other hand, usually get intestinal parasites from their mother.
Can humans get flukes from dogs?
While whipworm is an important cause of disease in dogs, cases of whipworm passing from dogs to people are very rare and the parasite poses little risk to humans. A different species of whipworm, Trichuris trichiura, affects humans but this is not the same as the canine whipworm and is not transmitted by dogs.
Can parasites from a dog be transmitted to a human?
Other illnesses that humans can acquire from dog contact include ringworm, diarrheal disease (salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, and intestinal parasites), leptospirosis, brucellosis, Q fever, visceral larva migrans, and echinococcosis.
What are the symptoms of trematode?
Symptoms can include fever, nausea, swollen liver, skin rashes and severe abdominal pain. The chronic phase begins when the worms reach the bile ducts, mature and start producing eggs. These eggs are released into the bile then reach the intestine before being evacuated in faeces.
What is the treatment of trematodes?
Praziquantel remains the drug of choice for all trematode infections except fascioliasis, for which triclabendazole is the drug of choice.
What are trematodes in animals?
Trematodes are flatworms with female and male reproductive organs in the same individual, and with an incomplete digestive tract. Trematodes significant for dogs belong to the Digenean subclass with a mollusk intermediate host mandatory in the life cycle.
Are trematodes tapeworms?
Cestodes are parasitic worms of the taxonomic class of Cestoda and include tapeworms. Trematodes, commonly called flukes, are parasitic worms of the taxonomic class Trematoda. Both are in the kingdom Animalia and phylum Platyhelminthes. Both are bilaterally symmetrical and multicellular animals.
What is a trematode in dogs?
Alaria spp . *Trematodes are commonly referred to as “flukes. Trematodes of dogs and cats have indirect life cycles that require one or two intermediate hosts to reach the infective stage. A representative trematode life cycle is that of P. kellicotti.
What is the life cycle of a trematode?
Trematodes of dogs and cats have indirect life cycles that require one or two intermediate hosts to reach the infective stage. A representative trematode life cycle is that of P. kellicotti. Dogs and cats infected with adult P. kellicotti shed eggs in their feces. The eggs hatch in water, and a ciliated form, the miracidium, emerges.
What is the fluke of cats?
Platynosomum fastosum is a liver fluke of cats in Florida, other areas of the southeastern United States, and Hawaii. Chronic infection with Pla. fastosum leads to development of enlarged bile ducts and gall bladder, biliary epithelial hyperplasia, and ultimately, liver failure.
How are Alaria spp. infections acquired?
Alaria spp. infections are acquired by dogs and cats via ingestion of a wide variety of intermediate or paratenic hosts (particularly frogs and snakes) that harbor immature flukes.
What is the name of the cyst in the lung of a dog?
Paragonimus kellicotti adults develop in cysts in the lung of both dogs and cats; animals infected with P. kellicotti may be asymptomatic or can present with a variety of respiratory signs, including coughing, dyspnea, pneumothorax, bronchiectasis, and hemoptysis.
Which stage of the trematode miracidium infects the second intermediate host?
The ciliated trematode miracidium is the form that hatches from the egg and infects a snail as its first intermediate host. The trematode cercaria is the stage that infects the second intermediate host. Encysted metacerciae are shown in the tissues of an intermediate host.
How are tematode infections transmitted?
americana, by direct skin penetration of cercariae) and are not directly transmitted between dogs and cats.
How are sporocysts formed?
Sporocyst of Fasciola hepatica. Sporocysts are formed after miracidia penetrate soft tissues of aquatic snails. Essentially a mass of undifferentiated cells, sporocysts may be over 1 mm in length before they differentiate into rediae. Miracidium of Fasciola hepatica.
What is the pathogenesis of paramphistomum cervi?
Paramphistomum has both an anterior and posterior sucker and the genital pore opens ventrally. Pathogenesis is due to migration of the immature fluke from the duodenum to the rumen, presenting as hemorrhagic enteritis.
How does Miracidium hatch?
The miracidium hatch from the egg when exposed to the appropriate warm temperature, moisture, light, and salinity. Using cilia that cover its ectoderm, the miracidium will swim to find an appropriate host and bore its way into the aquatic snail, shedding its cilia and becoming a sporocyst as it enters.
What is the fluke in pigs?
Dicrocoelium dentrticum adult. This fluke infects the bile ducts of animals including domestic and wild ruminants, pigs, dogs, horses, and rabbits. This photomicrograph was taken of an original slide from the 1940s in the Dr. Wendell Krull collection.
Can a deer have a parasite?
However, wild ruminants, especially white-tailed deer, are definitive hosts and maintain F. magna cycles in wild environments. Infections of F. magna in domestic animals do not become patent and the parasite is either completely encapsulated or migrate through liver parenchyma until the infected host dies or is euthanized.
What is the path of Mesocestoides spp.?
Mesocestoides spp. parasites have cats, dogs, and foxes as final hosts. The route of transmission is by ingesting larval stages of the parasite present in the tissue of prey animals. The patent period of the disease is several years, following a pre-patent period of 4-10 weeks.
What parasites are found in companion animals?
Trematodes, or also known as flukes represent a class of parasites that can be rarely found in companion animals. They usually raid the small intestines where they cause minimal damage unless there is a large infestation causing mild pathology. The trematodes are a class of worms whose morphology is characterized by flat and oval-shaped bodies. More than 10.000 species of flukes are known with worldwide distribution. Their size can range from about 5 mm to couple cm, but most of them do not exceed 1 cm. Most of the trematodes parasitize in turtles, frogs, and fish.
What is the Proglottid of Mesocestoides sp. Unstained?
Unstained. Mesocestoides spp. parasites have cats, dogs, and foxes as final hosts. The route of transmission is by ingesting larval stages of the parasite present in the tissue of prey animals. The patent period of the disease is several years, following a pre-patent period of 4-10 weeks.
Can alaria alata be found in dogs?
Flukes. Alaria alata infections don’t show any evident clinical signs and the parasites can be found in dogs, cats, wild carnivores and very rarely humans as final hosts. The final diagnosis is achieved using flotation method evaluating the presence of eggs in feces.
Can dogs get alveolar echinococcosis?
There is a major public health concern regarding this parasite, as humans can develop alveolar echinococcosis after accidental ingestion of eggs shed by dogs and cats (rarely). This condition can lead to death if untreated. Dogs, pigs, and horses can suffer from cystic internal formations as well.
Do tapeworms attack single hosts?
Some species of tapeworms have the ability to attack single hosts , while others have life-cycles that require one or couple intermediate hosts and a final host. Morphologically cestodes are bilaterally symmetrical and consist of either only one body segment (long) or a series of identical ones (proglottids).
How to find parasites in dogs?
A complete blood profile will be conducted, but the most definitive way to find the parasite is by taking a stool sample and examining it microscopically.
What Is Heterobilharzia, or the Flatworm Parasite in Dogs?
Heterobilharzia americana is a flatworm (or fluke) parasite that swims or wades in freshwater, including ponds, lakes, swamps, canals, etc.).
What stage do sporocysts leave snails?
The sporocysts, as they are called, multiply in turn, again asexually, to become cercariae, the next larval stage of the heterobilharzia americanum flatworm. It is in this stage that the larvae leave the snail to search for a warm-blooded host.
Where do parasites reproduce?
The parasite follows a cycle that begins with sexual reproduction in the intestine, where the eggs are laid so that they can be carried out of the infected animal by way of the fecal discharge.
Where do eggs go in the body?
Most eggs are carried to the intestinal wall, where they erode their way into the intestines to be passed in the feces, but often there will be some eggs that travel through the bloodstream to the liver and other organs, causing disease.
Can PetMD answer pet health questions?
Note: PetMD isn’t able to respond to pet health questions or to offer veterinary advice.
Can a dog be hospitalized for deworming?
Your dog will probably be hospitalized while in the process of being dewormed.
What is a trematode?
Also known as flukes, trematodes are a group of parasitic flatworms (leaf-shaped). Although they are mostly associated with such aquatic fauna as fish and mollusks, they also affect various vertebrates as part of their indirect life cycle.
How many species of trematodes are there?
They are organisms of veterinary and medical importance (given that they infect and affect both human beings and animals). With over 20,000 species in the class Trematoda, trematodes can be found in various habitats across the globe.
What are the two major groups of Trematoda?
Aspidogastrea and digenean trematodes make up the two major groups of Trematoda. The two groups are distinguished based on their structures and development process.
What are trematodes morphological features?
Morphology. While different trematode species may possess features that are absent in others, they share a number of morphological features. For instance, like most platyhelminths, trematodes are defined by dorsoventrally flattened (unsegmented) bodies that are bilaterally symmetrical. They have a leaf-shaped body.
How many hosts do trematodes need?
Depending on the species, trematodes may depend on one or several hosts to complete their life cycle.
How big do trematodes get?
While a majority of species are small, only measuring a few millimeters in length, some species can grow to up to 10 centimeters long.
What organs do turtles use for anchorage?
Rather, they are a phylogenetically distinct group of platyhelminths that are characterized by a posterior holdfast organ known as the opisthaptor they use for anchorage. Most of the species in this group are fish parasites but some species have been found to infect turtles.
Where are trematodes found?
Opisthorchis felineus is parasitic in the bile duct, pancreatic duct, and small intestine of dogs and cats in Italy, eastern Europe, and parts of Asia. O viverrini is seen in dogs as well as in domestic and wild cats in southeast Asia. They are small (9 × 2 mm) and elongate.
How do cercariae develop?
Cercariae emerge from the snails, penetrate tadpoles, and develop into mesocercariae. Frogs, snakes, and mice then acquire infection by eating tadpoles; the mesocercariae transfer to their tissues and remain as this life-cycle stage. Dogs and other definitive hosts become infected by feeding on these animals.
What is the treatment for a dog with a fluke in the bile duct?
Carcinomas in the liver or pancreas have been seen in chronic and severe cases. Treatment of Opisthorchis spp infections in dogs may be attempted with fenbendazole (200 mg/kg/day, PO, for 3 days) or praziquantel (20 mg/kg, PO, once). Treatment of C sinensis infections in dogs may be attempted with praziquantel (30 mg/kg/day, PO, for 3 days). All these treatments are extra-label.
How long does fenbendazole last in dogs?
Praziquantel (20–30 mg/kg, PO or SC, once) and fenbendazole (50 mg/kg/day, PO, for 10–14 days) are both effective, but not approved, treatments for dogs. Alaria alata, A canis, and other Alaria spp are small (2–6 mm) flukes usually found in the small intestine of dogs, cats, foxes, mink, and wild carnivores in the western hemisphere, ...
What organs do flukes migrate through?
The young flukes migrate through various organs of the definitive host, including the diaphragm and lungs, before reaching the small intestine. Although the flukes are generally considered to be nonpathogenic, large numbers may cause pulmonary hemorrhages during migration or enteritis when they mature in the small intestine.
Where do cercariae migrate?
From the snail intermediate host, cercariae escape into water and penetrate the skin of dogs and other definitive hosts, migrate to the liver, mature, and move to the mesenteric vessels. Granulomas form around the eggs in the wall of the intestine, the liver, and other parts of the body.
Where are salmon poisoning flukes found?
Intestinal Flukes. Nanophyetus salmincola, the “salmon poisoning” fluke, is a small (~0.5 × 0.3 mm), oval fluke found in the small intestine of dogs, cats, and many wild fish-eating mammals in the northwestern USA, southwestern Canada, and Siberia. The eggs, which pass in the feces of infected hosts, are light brown, 72–97 × 35–55 μm, ...
What is a trematode in dogs?
Alaria spp . *Trematodes are commonly referred to as “flukes. Trematodes of dogs and cats have indirect life cycles that require one or two intermediate hosts to reach the infective stage. A representative trematode life cycle is that of P. kellicotti.
What is the life cycle of a trematode?
Trematodes of dogs and cats have indirect life cycles that require one or two intermediate hosts to reach the infective stage. A representative trematode life cycle is that of P. kellicotti. Dogs and cats infected with adult P. kellicotti shed eggs in their feces. The eggs hatch in water, and a ciliated form, the miracidium, emerges.
What is the fluke of cats?
Platynosomum fastosum is a liver fluke of cats in Florida, other areas of the southeastern United States, and Hawaii. Chronic infection with Pla. fastosum leads to development of enlarged bile ducts and gall bladder, biliary epithelial hyperplasia, and ultimately, liver failure.
How are Alaria spp. infections acquired?
Alaria spp. infections are acquired by dogs and cats via ingestion of a wide variety of intermediate or paratenic hosts (particularly frogs and snakes) that harbor immature flukes.
What is the name of the cyst in the lung of a dog?
Paragonimus kellicotti adults develop in cysts in the lung of both dogs and cats; animals infected with P. kellicotti may be asymptomatic or can present with a variety of respiratory signs, including coughing, dyspnea, pneumothorax, bronchiectasis, and hemoptysis.
Which stage of the trematode miracidium infects the second intermediate host?
The ciliated trematode miracidium is the form that hatches from the egg and infects a snail as its first intermediate host. The trematode cercaria is the stage that infects the second intermediate host. Encysted metacerciae are shown in the tissues of an intermediate host.
How are tematode infections transmitted?
americana, by direct skin penetration of cercariae) and are not directly transmitted between dogs and cats.
