Common Intestinal Parasites

Submitted to-Dr Sujata Thakur

Submitted by- Anish Garg
(l-2014-v-05-B)
 Tapeworms

 Scientific Name:
Dipylidium caninum
 Common parasites of
both dogs and cats.
 Morphology- scolex
pyriform shaped.
 rose thorn
shaped hooks in
rostellum.
 cucumber
seed shaped gravids.
Dipylidium caninum

 Double pored tapeworm of dog.

 It inhabits small intestine and
obstructs lumen of food canal.
 . Dipylidium caninum eggs are
round to oval and contain an
oncosphere that has 6 hooklets.
Proglottids of D. caninum contain
characteristic egg packets that
are round to ovoid and contain 5
to 15 or more eggs each.
Life cycle
Tapeworm inside intestine
 Clinical signs

 Anal pruritus occurs in

dogs due to passage of
gravid segments through
the anus
 Taenia sp.

 Scientific Name: Taenia

sp.
 Commonly found in both
dogs and cats
 Not usually seen on a
fecal flotation
 Diagnosis and treatment

 Diagnosis is based on finding Proglottids or eggs in

faeces.
 Treatment-for dogs and cats fenbendazole and
praziquantel is given for taenia spp and epsiprantel
,praziquantel for D.caninum.
 Hookworms

 Scientific Name:
Ancylostoma caninum
 Common parasites of both
dogs and cats.
 Morphology- bent head
 ventral, sub
ventral Centro lateral teeth
 eight embryonic cell found
in egg.
Life cycle
 Life cycle

 Dogs become infected with hookworms by ingesting

these larvae, by ingesting vertebrate hosts or
cockroaches with infective larvae in their tissues, or
by having the larvae penetrate their skin. As with
roundworms, the larvae can migrate throughout the
body. Some hookworm larvae may migrate and
remain dormant in the dog’s tissues.
 Pathogenesis

 Once in the gut A. caninum attaches to and ingests

the mucosal lining along with some consumption of
blood.
 This damage to the mucosa compromises the body's
defence and can result in secondary infections by
microbes.
 A caninum utilizes certain anti coagulant proteins for
its feeding which causes anemia in the infected host.
 Clinical signs

 Lethargy, weight loss, weakness, roughness of the

hair coat and pale mucous membranes indicative of
anemia.
 Diarrhea is rare but stools are typically black due to
the blood-derived hemoglobin present in them.
 In dogs, dermatitis due to larval invasion of the skin
may be seen with any of the hookworms.
 Diagnosis

 Analysis of faeces is the

definitive method by
which a suspected A.
caninum infection is
confirmed.
 Treatment

 In dogs, fenbendazole, moxidectin, and pyrantel are

approved for treatment of A caninum.
 For cats, drugs approved for treatment of A
tubaeforme include , fenbendazole, ivermectin,
milbemycin, moxidectin, pyrantel, and selamectin.
 Whipworms

 Scientific Name: Trichuris

vulpis
 Common worm in dogs
 Morphology- long,
slender anterior portion
and a thick posterior
portion.
Life cycle
 Clinical signs

 No signs are seen in light

infections, but as the worm
burden increases and the
inflammatory (and occasionally
hemorrhagic) reaction in the
cecum and colon becomes
more pronounced, weight loss
and diarrhea become evident.
Fresh blood may be seen in the
feces of heavily infected dogs,
and anemia occasionally
follows.
 Diagnosis and treatment

 “plug” or operculum at
both ends of the egg and
thick brown shell.
 Treatment-
 febantel, fenbendazole,
milbemycin.
 Roundworms

 Scientific Name: Toxacara canis

 T. canis is commonly found in both dogs and cats.
 Most common in puppies.
 Life cycle

 In puppies, the usual mode of infection with T canis is trans

placental transfer.
 If pups <3 mo old ingest embryonated infective eggs, the hatched
larvae penetrate the intestinal mucosa, reach the lungs via the liver
and bloodstream, are coughed up, swallowed, and mature to egg-
producing adults in the small intestine.
 However, when infective eggs of T canis are swallowed by older
dogs, the larvae hatch, penetrate the intestinal mucosa, and
migrate to the liver, lungs, muscles, connective tissue, kidneys, and
many other tissues, where development is arrested.
 .

 .
 In pregnant bitches

 In pregnant bitches, these dormant larvae mobilize

and migrate into the developing fetus; they can be
found in the intestine of puppies as early as 1 wk after
birth.
 Some larvae migrate to the mammary gland, so pups
may also be infected via the milk.
 Clinical signs

 The first indication of infection in young animals is lack of

growth and loss of condition. Infected animals have a dull
coat and often are “potbellied.” Worms may be vomited
and are often voided in the feces. In the early stages,
migrating larvae may cause an eosinophilic pneumonia,
which can be associated with coughing. Diarrhea with
mucus may be evident.

 In puppies with severe infections, verminous pneumonia,

ascites, fatty liver, and mucoid enteritis are common.
Cortical kidney granulomas containing larvae may be seen.
 Diagnosis

 Infection in dogs and cats

is diagnosed by detection
of eggs in feces.
Distinguishing the
spherical, pitted-shelled
eggs of Toxocara spp .
 Drugs commonly used for
deworming

 Febental-15mg/kg
 Pyrantel pamoate-14.4mg/kg
 Praziquentel-5mg/kg
 Available preparations-
 kiwoff plus- pyrantel pamoate—144mg
 febental—150mg
 praziquental-50mg
 Drugs cont.

 3-8kg dog-1/2 tab

 10-15kg dog- 1+1/2 tab
 30 kg dog-3+1/2 tab
 Other preparations kiwof puppy suspension
(pyrantel+febental) @1ml/kg
 Fentas plus- fenbendazole 1.5%
 praziquentel-0.5%
 Ipraz- praziquentel+ivermectin 1 tab/10kg