Cestodes Flashcards
What are the definitive hosts of Dipylidium caninum? Where do they reside within the host?
dog and cat
small intestine
What clinical signs are indicative of Dipylidium caninum?
- perianal irritation causes the pet to scoot
- non-specific GI symptoms
it is common to see no clinical signs
How is Dipylidium caninum transmitted?
ingestion of infected IH, fleas or lice, which become infested when they ingest eggs from gravid proglottids in pet’s feces
How is Dipylidium caninum diagnosed?
visualization of proglottid segments in feces and/or around the perineal area –> confirmed by breaking open proglottids, adding saline, and looking under the microscope to identify packets +/- eggs
- identification of egg packets on fecal flotation is rare since the proglottid must break open and eggs do not consistently float
How can Dipylidium caninum infections prevented?
prevent ingestion of IH by making sure the pet is receiving adequate flea and lice control
Dipylidium caninu summary:
What Taeniid species most commonly infect dogs and cats?
DOGS = T. pisiformis
CATS = T. taeniaeformis
What are some clinical signs indicative of Taenia infections in dogs and cats?
- perineal irritation causes pet to scoot
- gastrointestinal impaction
no clinical signs may be noted
How are the Taenia species that infect dogs and cats transmitted?
T. pisiformis - ingestion of IH (rabbit) tissue that contain cysticerci
T. taeniaeformis - ingestion of IH (rodent) tissue that contain strobilocerci
What are 2 possible ways to diagnose Taenia infection?
- identification of proglottids on fecal material
- fecal float - high specific gravity, not always seen because proglottids are not evenly distributed through fecal material and eggs do not float consistently
How can Taenia infections be prevented?
elimination of predatory behavior
- rabbits (dogs)
- rodents (cats)
Taenia spp. summary:
What leads to clinical signs of Echinococcus infections?
development of alveolar echinococcosis
What is the definitive host of Echinococcus granulosus? How is it transmitted? Diagnosed?
dogs –> small intestine
IH ingests gravid proglottids shed in feces of DH and develop hydatid cysts –> DH ingests IH containing cysts
high specific gravity fecal flotation
What are the definitive hosts of Echinococcus multilocularis and multiloculari? Where are they found within the host?
- E. multilocularis = dogs
- E. multiloculari = cats
small intestine
Echinococcus summary:
