Ollulanus tricuspis
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| Ollulanus tricuspis | ||||||||||||
| Leuckart , 1865 |
Ollulanus tricuspis is in cats in the stomach parasites living nematode . Occasionally it can also be found in pigs or dogs .
Morphology and development
Male stomach worms are about 0.7 to 0.8 mm long, female 0.8 to 1 mm long. The latter have 5 short pointed appendages at their rear end.
The worms live in the fundus region of the stomach, in the mucus or in the gland openings of the gastric mucosa . O. tricuspis is viviparous. All development takes place within the host. The larva III released by the females molt to larva IV and this to the adult worm.
The oral ingestion of vomit plays a role in the spread between different animals, which is why stray cats are more at risk, as they ingest vomit more often because they are hungry. There is no excretion in the faeces.
distribution
O. tricuspis is distributed worldwide. Recent studies show that the parasite is also much more widespread in Central Europe than previously assumed. In stray cats it was found in up to 38% of the animals, and in indoor cats in 3–6% of the animals.
Clinical picture (ollulanosis)
The disease-causing effect of O. tricuspis appears to be only minor in domestic cats. Often the only symptom is occasional vomiting. In wild cats, big cats and pigs, on the other hand, severe symptoms with vomiting often occur. This often leads to unwillingness to eat, emaciation and dehydration.
Evidence of the disease is made by microscopic examination of the vomit. However, only about 70% of cases are detected in this way. The examination of the flushing fluid from a gastric lavage has a higher diagnostic reliability.
Treatment can be with levamisole , ivermectin or oxfendazole , but no preparations with these active ingredients are currently approved for domestic cats in Germany.
See also
literature
- Regine Ribbek and Steffen Rehbein: Ollulanosis (stomach worm infestation) . In: Marian C. Horzinek et al. (Ed.): Diseases of the cat . Enke-Verlag, 4th edition 2005, pp. 326–327. ISBN 3-8304-1049-2