Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Skin parasites called Cercopithifilaria common in dogs worldwide
By Bezerra-Santos, Marcos Antonio et al.·Published in Parasites & vectors·2023·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cercopithifilaria spp. of dogs: little known but prevalent filarioids beneath the skin.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog infected with Cercopithifilaria, a type of parasite transmitted by ticks, may show symptoms like skin irritation, chronic joint pain, or lumps under the skin. These parasites are often overlooked by veterinarians, making diagnosis challenging. Treatment options are limited, but addressing the tick infestation and managing the dog's symptoms can help improve their condition. Increased awareness of these parasites is crucial for better diagnosis and treatment in affected dogs.
People also search for: dog skin problems from ticks · dog joint pain treatment · why does my dog have lumps under the skin
Abstract
Filarioids of the genus Cercopithifilaria are little studied, yet widespread parasites, that are relatively unique in being one of the very few nematodes transmitted by hard ticks. These filarioids live in the subcutis while microfilariae are found in the dermis. Definitive hosts include domestic dogs as well as a wide range of vertebrates, such as ruminants, non-human primates, murids, marsupials, porcupines, viverrids, bears and lagomorphs. The genus Cercopithifilaria contains three taxa (i.e. C. bainae, C. grassii and a yet undescribed species, namely Cercopithifilaria sp. II) that are known to infect dogs worldwide, with their occurrence overlapping the distribution of the main tick vector, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato. In recent decades, more attention has focused on these filarioids since they have been associated with clinical signs of infection, such as dermatitis, chronic polyarthritis and cutaneous cysts, and possibly with facilitating infections caused by other tick-borne pathogens. Nevertheless, these parasites remain largely underdiagnosed in clinical practice due to the lack of awareness of veterinary practitioners and to major obstacles to their diagnosis. In this review, we have assessed currently available data on Cercopithifilaria spp. infecting dogs worldwide and discussed the biological, clinical and epidemiological aspects of these filarioids, with the overall aim to gain a better understanding of their potential role in skin diseases.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37880799/