Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
First dog case of Crenosoma vulpis lung worm in Italy
By Rinaldi, L et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2007·Dipartimento di Patologia e Sanità, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Crenosoma vulpis in dog: first case report in Italy and use of the FLOTAC technique for copromicroscopic diagnosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old dog in Italy was diagnosed with a chronic cough caused by a lungworm infection called Crenosoma vulpis, which is typically found in foxes. This was the first reported case of this infection in a dog in Italy. The vet used a new diagnostic method called the FLOTAC technique, which was more effective than traditional methods in detecting the lungworm larvae in the dog's feces. After treatment with a single dose of milbemycin oxime, the dog's cough improved and the larvae were no longer present.
People also search for: dog cough treatment · lungworm in dogs · Crenosoma vulpis symptoms · milbemycin oxime for dogs · dog respiratory disease diagnosis
Abstract
Crenosoma vulpis is a metastrongylid nematode that infects the bronchi, bronchioles, and trachea of wild and domestic canids and various other carnivores. It is endemic in the red fox population in the north-eastern parts of North America and in Europe, including Italy. Dogs are susceptible to infection with clinical signs consisting primarily in a chronic cough. The present paper reports-to the authors' knowledge-the first case of spontaneous C. vulpis infection in a dog in Italy. In addition, it also reports, for the first time, the use of the FLOTAC technique for C. vulpis diagnosis in canine fecal samples, with results compared to the following four standard copromicroscopic techniques: the Baermann technique, the McMaster technique, the simple flotation technique, and the Wisconsin technique. The results showed that the FLOTAC technique produced mean larvae per gram of feces greater than that produced by the other more widely used diagnostic tools. After the treatment of the C. vulpis infected dog with a single oral dose of 0.5mg/kg milbemycin oxime, the clinical signs resolved and the shedding of larvae ceased. In conclusion, the discovery of C. vulpis for the first time in a dog in Italy indicates that the fox lungworm should be considered in the differential diagnosis of respiratory disease in dogs; in addition, the findings of the comparison study showed that the FLOTAC technique may improve the ability to accurately diagnose canine lungworm infections.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17805573/