13. Coenurosis of animals Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is the class of Coenurosis of animals?
Cestoda
Cestoda is a class of parasitic flatworms known as tapeworms.
What is the definitive host (FH) for Taenia multiceps?
Dog, canids – SI
SI refers to the small intestine.
What is the intermediate host (IH) for Taenia multiceps?
Ru – Brain & spinal cord
‘Ru’ refers to ruminants, commonly sheep.
What is the maximum size of Taenia multiceps?
Up to 1 m
Describe the life cycle of Taenia multiceps.
Adults shed gravid proglottids with eggs in faeces. Embryonated eggs ingested by IH, oncosphere hatches in SI, larva burrows into intestinal wall, enters blood stream, migrates to CNS, develops into coenurus
This process takes about 7-8 months.
What are the acute symptoms of coenurus cerebralis?
Reddish purulent tracks in brain, meningoencephalitis
Symptoms may appear 10 days after infection.
What are the clinical signs seen in chronic form of coenurus cerebralis?
Depression, unilateral blindness, circling, altered head position, incordination, paralysis and lies down
Cysts can grow large and lead to severe neurological issues.
What are the clinical signs associated with coenurus infection?
Ataxia, blindness, stumbling, paralysis, asymptomatic FH, painless nodules in IH
What is human coenurosis (cerebralis) characterized by?
Cestodosis characterized by meningoencephalitis from Taenia multiceps
It affects the brain and spinal cord.
What are the three stages of human coenurosis?
- Stage 1 - meningoencephalitis
- Stage 2 - Asymptomatic
- Stage 3 - deterioration of health condition
What is the treatment for human coenurosis?
Surgical removal and albendazole
What measures can be taken for the control of coenurosis?
- Ensure dogs do not access heads of slaughtered sheep or goats
- Bury all sheep carcasses promptly
- Regular deworming of dogs every 6-8 weeks
How is coenurosis diagnosed?
Necropsy of the brain or biopsy of the coenurus, serology, CT/MRI
Postmortem findings include cysts in cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum, spinal cord.
Who can be an accidental intermediate host for Taenia multiceps?
Humans
What is the definitive host (FH) for Taenia serialis?
Dogs, foxes
Taenia serialis may also cause human coenurosis.
What is the intermediate host (IH) for Taenia serialis?
Lagomorphs
What is the maximum size of Taenia serialis?
Up to 1 m
How does the life cycle of Taenia serialis compare to Taenia multiceps?
Life cycle is close to T. multiceps with lagomorphs as IH
Coenurus serialis larvae can be found in various tissues.
What are the clinical signs of coenurus serialis?
No apparent symptoms, skeletal muscle cysts can compromise mobility of rabbits
How is coenurus serialis diagnosed?
Palpation of subcutaneous cysts, post-mortem findings
