Treatment for feline hookworms in humans

Other sources of human infection are raw/undercooked meat from intermediate hosts (e.g. The eggs of Toxocara cati are not infective immediately after excretion in the faeces, as 2вЂ“6 weeks are necessary for the complete development of an infective larva. The infection in people usually relies on the ingestion of eggs present in soil or in contaminated food. To date, Toxocara canis has been implicated in most cases of human infections but the role of Toxocara cati has probably been underestimated. It is well known that roundworm species found in pets cause human infections worldwide. While adult cats usually show milder clinical signs, severe infections can cause the stomach to perforate leading to the life-threatening condition peritonitis. The expulsion of masses of, usually live, worms in vomit is also quite common. Severe infections in kittens may result in: Obviously, a kitten with thick and, in some cases, up to 10 cm-long worms living in the small intestine is a sick animal, regardless of the presence of evident clinical signs. Many people wrongly believe that it is normal for kittens to have intestinal worms and that there is nothing really dangerous for a kitten in having the typical вЂpot-bellyвЂ™. At the moment little is known about its epidemiology and clinical impact in Asia or other regions, and no information is available on a potential zoonotic (meaning that they can be transmitted to, and cause disease in humans) role. Toxocara malaysiensis has been described in cats from some Asiatic regions. Toxocara leonine, an ascarid able to infect both cats and dogs, has minor disease causing potential in cats compared with Toxocara cati and is not transmissible to humans. Kittens have higher parasitic burdens, egg output and infection rates than adults, but intestinal infections occur in cats of all ages.ДЄlthough infected cats usually harbour Toxocara cati, other roundworms may also infect cats. However, cats are exposed to roundworm infections throughout their life вЂ“ for example, adult cats may ingest environmental eggs through self-grooming. There is a tendency to consider вЂintestinal wormsвЂ™ as a health problem of kittens and that adult cats are resistant. Toxocara cati has an incubation period of 8 weeks after ingestion of eggs from the environment or larvae from intermediate hosts, while the faecal excretion of eggs following transmission via milk starts after 6вЂ“7 weeks. Most larvae ingested via the milk (or with intermediate hosts) continue their development to adult worms in the intestinal tract. Infection of cats with the eggs of Toxocara cati occurs when ingested larvae penetrate the stomach wall and migrate through the liver, lungs and trachea until they reach the small intestine where they develop into adults. invertebrates, rodents, birds) harbouring encysted larvae.

Cats can also acquire the infection, regardless of their age, when they ingest eggs from the environment (which are passed in the faeces and can remain viable in the environment for several years) or intermediate hosts (e.g. Conversely, Toxocara cati does not infect animals via the placenta but rather transmission occurs via the colostrum and milk during the first days of nursing only, when infection of the queen takes place during late pregnancy. For instance, Toxocara canis can be transmitted via the placenta, as well as colostrum and milk for weeks after birth in the dog. Although many similarities exist between dog and cat roundworms caused by Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati respectively, these parasites have a different biology. Toxocara cati is a parasitic roundworm (ascarid) infecting cats, with multiple routes of infection.

While Toxocara canis (the roundworm species found in dogs) has been implicated in most cases of human infections, Toxocara cati also has potential to transmit to humans and may be an underestimated source of human disease. Regular routine faecal examinations and treatment, when necessary, for roundworms is recommended throughout a catвЂ™s life. Roundworms, and in particular Toxocara cati, are the most common intestinal parasites in cats and occur in cats of all ages throughout the world.

Treatment for feline hookworms in humans