Small Animal Intestinal Parasites

Question 1

What is zoonosis?

Answer 1

The transmission of a disease from an animal to a human.

Question 2

Which class of intestinal parasites are most common in large animals?

Answer 2

Trematodes

Question 3

What are the three types of Nematodes? How are they diagnosed?

Answer 3

Roundworms
Hookworms
Whipworms.

Diagnosed via fecal flotation with zinc centrifugation

Question 4

What is the most common roundworm? What zoonotic disease does it cause? Where do they live?

Answer 4

Toxocara canis. Causes ocular larval migrans, Live in small intestine.

Question 5

Roundworms are commonly treated with which medications?

Answer 5

Piperazine, pyrantel, and fenbendazole

Question 6

What are the most common routes of transmission for roundworms?

Answer 6

Fecal-oral, trans-placental

Question 7

What are the two most common hookworms? What zoonotic disease do they cause? How do they travel in the body?

Answer 7

Ancylostoma and Uncinaria stenocephala. Cause cutaneous larval migrans.

Travel from skin > lungs > small intestine

Question 8

Hookworms are commonly treated with which medications?

Answer 8

Fenbendazole and pyrantel

Question 9

How are hookworms transmitted? What ailment can they cause?

Answer 9

Fecal-oral, transmammary, percutaneous infection. Cause severe hemorrhagic anemia

Question 10

What is the scientific name of the whipworm? What will severe infection lead to?

Answer 10

Trichuris vulpis. Causes hyperkalemia and hyponatremia

Question 11

Where do whipworms live? How are they treated?

Answer 11

Large intestine. Treated with fenbendazole.

Question 12

What is the unique characteristic of whipworm eggs?

Answer 12

Bipolar ends

Question 13

What is the common cestode?

Answer 13

Tapeworm

Question 14

What are the two most common types of tapeworms? How are they ingested?

Answer 14

Dipylidium caninum - ingestion of fleas (primary host)

Echinococcus granulosus and Taenia - ingestion of hydatid cysts

Question 15

Describe the anatomy of tapeworms

Answer 15

Flat and segmented. Segments (also called proglottids) contain eggs.

Question 16

How are tapeworms treated?

Answer 16

Praziquantel (Drontal, Profender)

Question 17

What are the three most common types of Trematodes?

Answer 17

Flukes
Giardia
Coccidia

Question 18

What is the most common fluke? Alternate name? How is it treated?

Answer 18

Fasciola hepatica. Liver fluke (found in hepatic bile ducts). Treated with albendazole.

Question 19

Flukes are seen most commonly in which animals?

Answer 19

Cattle and sheep

Question 20

Flukes require ____ as an immediate host.

Answer 20

Snails

Question 21

Giardia is comparable to which organism?

Answer 21

Flagellated protozoan (trophozoites)

Question 22

How is giardia treated?

Answer 22

Fenbendazole (Panacur) and Metronidazole (Flagyl)

Question 23

What are the three ways to test a fecal sample for giardia?

Answer 23

Fecal float (cysts), Giardia ELISA, Fecal smear (trophozoites)

Question 24

What is the most common coccidia in dogs and cats? Birds and rabbits?

Answer 24

Isospora in dogs and cats, Eimeria in birds and rabbits.

Question 25

How are coccidia treated?

Answer 25

Sulfadimethoxine (Albon)

Question 26

How are coccidia diagnosed?

Answer 26

Fecal float and fecal smear