Dogs and cats protozoa Flashcards

1
Q

C/s of giardia in pets

A

Subclinical very common

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2
Q

Prevelance of giardia in pets

A

Dogs 7-40%, cats 8-10%

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3
Q

Risk factors for giradia

A

Young animals (<1 year)
Suboptimal environment
stressed/immunocompromised
Reinfection very common

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4
Q

Life cycle of giardia

A

Cysts in enviro can survive for months and are immediately infective
Feces have a few tz, millions of cysts
Minimum infective dose as low as 10 cysts
Shedding is intermittent
May last for months
Host has trophozoites, attach to enterocytes, divide by binary fission

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5
Q

Clinical signs of giardiasis

A

Most often asymptomatic
Diarrhea +/- mucous or fat, rarely blood
May be acute, chronic or recurring
Flatulence, vomiting (occasionally), nausea
Abdominal pain
Lethargy, decreased appetite, weight loss
Food allergies: dermatitis due to increased permeability of GIT wall to food antigens

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6
Q

Diagnosis of giardia

A

Only test diarrheic animals or high risk households
Multiple fecal samples (can be intermittent shedding of cysts)
3 samples over 2-3 day intervals
Diagnostic test options
Direct, fresh fecal smear (trophozoites, cysts)
Zinc sulfate floatation (cysts)
ELISA SNAP test (cyst antigen)- test of choice in clinic
Immunofluorescent assay (IFA)(cyst antigen)- test of choice to order from diagnostic lab

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7
Q

Control of giardia

A

Only treat if diarrheic animals or high risk households
Goals of Tx: decrease clinical signs and environmental contamination
Not elimination of infection
Re-testing is not likely to be helpful
Inform clinics of zoonotic risk (both ways!)
Sanitation- clean environment and bathe dog
Heat, dry, bleach or other disinfectants
Metronidazole, fenbendazole, ronidazole (off label use)

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8
Q

Protozoa of cats

A

Mucosoflagellates
Tritrichomonas blagburni (foetus) (Cat strain)

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9
Q

Characteristics of Tritrichomonas blagburni

A

Shed and infective stage
Not environmentally resistant
No cysts

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10
Q

Pathogenesis, diagnosis and control of Tritrichomonas blagburni

A

Cats <1 year old, catteries, carriers
Chronic, large bowel diarrhea
Diagnosis
Fecal smear (saline)
Culture and microscopy (InPouchTM TF-feline)
PCR
No labelled treatment
Ronidazole, metronidazole

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11
Q

Dog and cats protozoa

A

Apicomplexans
-Coccidia (gastrointestinal- one host)
Cystoisopora, Cryptosporidium
-Coccidia (tissue cyst - 2 or more hosts)
Toxoplasma, neospora, sarcocytis
Highly host specific, and even GIT location specific NOT zoonotic

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12
Q

Coccidia of dogs

A

Cystoisospora canis
Cystoisospora ohioensis
Cystoisospora burrowsi

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13
Q

Coccidia of cats

A

Cystoisospora felis
Cystoisospora rivolta

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14
Q

Cystoisospora spp, life cycle

A

Asexual reproduction (2 or more rounds)(merogony)
Sexual reproduction(gemetogony)
Sporulated cysts in poop
Cat can ingest the cysts or a PH can

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15
Q

Pathogenesis of coccidiosis

A

Pups and kittens (breeders and shelters)
Often asymptomatic
Stress (weaning, concomitant disease)
Heavily contaminated environment
Destroy epitliial cells in prepatent period
Diarrhea, dehydration, poor growth
Watery, sometimes bloody, diarrhea (even in PPP)

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16
Q

Diagnosis of coccidiosis

A

Diagnosis
Clinical appearance
Fecal flotation: numbers of oocytes significant

17
Q

Diagnosis and control of coccidiosis

A

Supportive (hydration)
Environmental decontamination
Goal of tx: reduce shedding ( deceased clinical signs?)
Sulfonamides, furazolidone (coccidiostatic)
Toltrazuril, ponazuril (coccidiocidal)
High risk shelters/kennels: treat dogs at weeks 3,5,7

18
Q

Apicomplexans can cause

A

Tissue cysts (2 or more IHs, 1 DH)
Toxoplasma gondii
Filed only definitive hosts
Wide range of vertebrates serve as intermediate hosts (including cats, dogs, and people)

19
Q

Toxoplasma sporulated oocysts are produced when

A

Oocytes produced for only a few weeks once in cats lifetime; can be 100s of millions/cat; survive in moist soil for 1 year, water 5 years

20
Q

Pathogenesis of toxoplasmosis

A

In any cat- first time infection is the only time infected
Self limiting diarrhea, fever, oocysts in feces
Transplacental transmission to litter of queen infected for first time in pregnancy
Most severe in congenitally infected kittens
Anorexia, lethargy, diarrhea, pneumonia, icterus, encephalitis, ocular lesions (uveitis)
In IH, often asymptomatic; can transmit through carnivry and vertically
A few hosts when acutely infected in pregnancy may abort

21
Q

Diagnosis of toxoplasmosis

A

Fecal flotation (oocysts only shed for 2 weeks)
Serology, immunohistochemistry, PCR

22
Q

control of toxoplasmosis

A

Clean litter boxes daily (before sporulation)
Keep cats indoors (out of gardens, away from prey)
Feed only commercial, cooked or frozen diets
Goal of treatment is primarily to reduce transmission (congenital or oocyst shedding)
Clindamycin, pyrimethamine, trimethoprim sulphas
Freeze at -18*C for at least 3 days

23
Q

Mitigation of T.gondii for pregnant owners

A

Blanket recommendations
Avoid cleaning the litter box
Gardening
Consumption of undercooked egg
Raw milk
Unwashed produce and unfiltered water
<1% of cats shedding at any given time: young, outdoor
For highly concerned owner: serology followed by 4 fecal exams at weekly intervals
Keep cat indoors, feed only commercial diet or cooked or frozen diets

24
Q

Neospora caninum is

A

Neospora caninum
DH: dogs and wild canids
IH: cattle, wild ungulates other carnivores including cats
Not zoonotic
IH not infected through carnivory

25
Life cycle of Neospora caninum
Eggs in feces of DH sporulates in 1-3 d patency 3 weeks Ingested by IH Tissue cysts or placenta abortus is eaten by DH
26
Pathogenesis of Neospora
Oten asymptomatic Not all pups infected with tissue cysts and not all infected show signs Can infect subsequent litters Most severe in congenitally infected puppies: neurological and skeletal muscle (progressive hindlimb paralysis, dysphagia) Older dogs: encephalitis, myopathy, ulcerative dermatitis
27
Diagnosis Neospora in dogs
Clinical appearance Serology (serum, CSF): IFAT, ELISA histology/cytology and IHC; PCR
28
control of Neospora in dogs
Do not allow dogs to eat placenta, fetus or dead calves Do not breed seropositive female dogs Sulphonamides, clindamycin
29
Sacocytis sp life cycle
Sporocysts with 4 sporozoites in feces Immedialty infective Devleop in IH for >2 months (merogony) Sarcocysts with bradyzoites in tissue Eaten by DH now have Gemtrogony and progony
30
Sarcocystis- pet perspective
Pathogenesis: none as DH Diagnosis Fecal flotation Control Do not feed raw meat and organs
31