Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with cancer and FeLV found to have widespread muscle parasite
By John F. Edwards et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1988·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: Disseminated sarcocystosis in a cat with lymphosarcoma.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 1.5-year-old cat with lymphosarcoma (a type of cancer) was found to have cysts from a parasite called Sarcocystis in its muscles and heart. This cat was also positive for feline leukemia virus (FeLV), which can weaken the immune system and may have allowed the parasite to thrive. The presence of these cysts was unusual and different from what has been seen in other cases. Unfortunately, the cat's condition was serious due to the combination of cancer and the parasitic infection.
People also search for: cat lymphosarcoma treatment · FeLV positive cat care · cat parasite symptoms
Abstract
Cysts of the protozoan Sarcocystis sp were found in skeletal and cardiac musculature in a 1.5-year-old cat with lymphosarcoma. The cat was FeLV-positive and had grossly visible neoplastic involvement of the spinal cord, mediastinum, bone marrow, and kidneys. Ultrastructural examination of the parasitic cyst wall suggested that the species in this case was different from that described in the only other reported case. It was hypothesized that immunosuppression from FeLV infection permitted an aberrant life cycle with encystment of Sarcocystis sp in this cat.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/3142827