Contribution to the knowledge of the metazoa parasites of the domestic cat in the Department of Montevideo, Uruguay

Abstract

The parasitological result from 22 necropsies of domestic cats from Montevideo are provided. The animals were found dead in public spaces of the city, or their carcasses of gastrointestinal tracts were sent by various veterinary clinics to the Departments of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary of Montevideo. Helminth parasites were present in the digestive tract of one a half of the cats, and included the following taxa: the cestode Dipylidium caninum (in seven cats) and the nematodes Trichuris sp. (in six cats), Toxocara cati (in eight), Toxacaris leonina (in one) y Ancylostoma sp. (in three cats). Furthermore, the lung nematode Aelurostrongylus abstrasus was found in two of eight cats whose lungs were available. Eleven cats were examined for ectoparasites, nine of which were infected with Ctenocephalides felis, one with Felicola subrostratus and other with Rhipicephalus sanguineus male. Finally, a nematode orally expelled by a feline, remited by a veterinary clinic, was identified as belonging to the genus Physaloptera, which must be considered in the future for the differential diagnosis of cats and dogs presenting chronic vomiting. This is the first published record of Toxascaris leonina and Physaloptera sp. parasitizing domestic cats in Uruguay.