Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Two cats in Korea with vomiting and tapeworm infection Spirometrosis
By Kim, Joohyung et al.·Published in The Korean journal of parasitology·2021·Shinsegae Animal Medical Center, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: First Clinical Cases of Spirometrosis in Two Cats in Korea.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Two cats in Korea were brought to the vet after they started vomiting and seemed very tired and not interested in food. Surprisingly, they didn't have diarrhea, which is usually a common sign of the tapeworm infection called spirometrosis. The vet diagnosed the cats with a fecal test and found long segments of the tapeworm in their stool. Both cats were treated successfully with a medication called praziquantel, and it's a reminder for pet owners to keep up with regular health checks and deworming, even if their pets seem healthy.
People also search for: cat vomiting and lethargy · spirometrosis in cats · praziquantel for cat tapeworms
Abstract
This study reports the first two clinical cases of spirometrosis caused by Spirometra sp. in cats in Korea. In these two cases, the cats vomited, and long proglottids of tapeworm were recovered. The sick cats presented with anorexia and lethargy. However, they unexpectedly showed no diarrhea, which is the main symptom of spirometrosis. Based on a fecal floatation test as well as morphological and molecular analyses, the parasite was diagnosed as Spirometra sp. The 2 cases were treated with praziquantel. This study suggests regular monitoring of health and deworming in companion animals, even when animals are well cared for, with regular preventive medication. Additionally, spirometrosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis in cases of gastrointestinal symptoms in Spirometra endemic areas.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33951771/