An endoparasite. *
lice
ticks
tapeworms
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Answers
Endoparasites
In the UK dogs and cats most commonly suffer from two types of worm, round worms and tape worms.
Currently the most clinically relevant round worms are:
Intestinal (gut) round worm (Ascarids), are transmitted from mother to offspring through the milk. When the larval/immature worms are ingested by the puppies/kittens some develop into adults in the intestines and some go into the tissues where they remain dormant. The dormant larvae will mature into adult worms throughout the dog or cats life. Adult worms produce eggs themselves that will become larvae to infect future generations. Adult dogs and cats with intestinal round worms often do not have any symptoms. Puppies and kittens can become very unwell with round worm infestation, they can suffer diarrhoea, poor weight gain and, in some cases, there can be severe damage to the intestine which can be life-threatening. Young children and immunocompromised individuals can be infected by roundworm larvae.
Lungworm in dogs (Angiostrongylus vasorum) is another form of roundworm which is becoming increasingly common in the UK. The distribution of lungworm is not uniform throughout the country and collection of data is ongoing. A regularly updated map of reported cases has been made available for pet owners by the drug company Bayer who make Advocate spot on (Bayer Map). Dogs become infected with lungworm when they eat a slug, snail or their slime, or frogs that are carrying lungworm larvae. The immature worm travels through the dog’s body to get to the heart where it can mature into an adult. The adult worms produce larvae which the dog coughs up and then swallows, larvae are then pass out in the faeces to infect more slugs and snails and so on. Infected dogs may appear normal, they can develop a cough and exercise intolerance, problems with bleeding and/or larval migration can cause an array of symptoms depending on the area of the body affected, including neurological signs. Lungworm infection can be fatal.
Other less common roundworm species in the UK include whipworms and hookworms. Heartworm is a potentially fatal roundworm that is transmitted by mosquitos in endemic parts of the world including southern Europe, although it is not currently present in the UK prevention is important in pets travelling to affected areas. In rare incidences heartworm can affect humans.
Tapeworms
tape worms
Tapeworms are acquired when a dog or cat ingests infected raw meat, prey or fleas. The head of the worm attaches to the intestines where it feeds whilst producing body segments containing eggs. The worm will intermittently shed segments which are passed out of the animal’s rectum to go on to infect an intermediate host (e.g. Sheep, cow, mouse) for the cycle to continue. In the dog and cat tapeworm infection can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and weight loss. Echinococcus tapeworm species are potentially zoonotic which means they can infect people, of these the most clinical concern comes from Echinoccocus multilocularis which, although not currently found in the UK, could be brought in by pets travelling from abroad. Taenia species of tapeworm do not affect human but can have a large impact on sheep
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