protozoa 2 dogs and cats Flashcards
Tissue cyst of coccidia
-Toxoplasma
-Neospora
Toxoplasma gondii
-Felids only DH
-Wide range of vertebrates serve as facultative intermediate hosts
-seroprevalence 15-30%
Toxoplasma oocysts
-oocysts produce for only a few weeks once in a cats lifetime
-100s of millions per cat
-survive in soil for 1 yr, water for 5yrs
Tachyzoites
-located in peritoneal fluid
-fast dividers
Bradyzoites
-located in brain and muscle
-thin walled tissue cysts
Toxoplasma reproduction in felid
- Merogony
- Gametogony
- Unsporulated oocysts pass in feces
Route of feline infection- fecal oral route
-fecal-oral route
-PPP:21 days
- Eggs shed in feces from felid
- Sporulation 1-3 days
- Cat ingests
Ingestion of oocysts by intermediate hosts
- Intermediate hosts ingest eggs from cat feces
- Become tachyzoites that then cyst in tissues as bradyzoites
PPP=3-8 days
Transplacental transmission of toxoplasma to litter
*occurs if queen is infected for first time in pregnancy
SEVERE DISEASE
Tachyzoites will be shed that passes on
Symptoms to kittens: ocular lesions, neurological lesions
Pathogenesis of Toxoplasmosis
Adult cats: self limiting diarrhea, fever
Kittens: most severe when congenitally infected (anorexia, lethargy, diarrhea, pneumonia, icterus, encephalitis, ocular lesions)
Intermediate hosts: often asymptomatic; can transmit vertically and through carnivory
Ex. dogs infected in pregnancy= may abort
**Reinfection may occur
How long does shedding of toxoplama last?
2 weeks
Diagnosis of toxoplasmosis
-Fecal flotation (oocysts only shed 2 weeks)
-Serology, immunohistochemistry, PCR
Control of Toxoplasmosis
-clean litter boxes daily before sporulation
-keep cats indoors
-feed pets only commercial, cooked or frozen (-18 for 3 days) diets
Treatment for toxoplasmosis
-Only for acute disease; some drugs
-reduce risk of congenital transmission
-treat and avoid reinfection
Risk mitigation for owners
-Avoid cleaning litter boxes
-Gardening
-consumption of undercooked meat
-raw milk
-unwashed produce and unfiltered water
-less than 1% of cats shedding at any given time