Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog in Israel has eye worms - what to know about Onchocerca lupi
By Rojas, A et al.·Published in Parasitology·2020·Koret School of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: First report offrom Israel and confirmation of two genotypes circulating among canine, feline and human hosts.
Plain-English summary
A 13-year-old dog in Israel was brought to an eye specialist with severe problems in and around the right eye. During surgery, thin worms were found in the eye and identified as Onchocerca lupi, a parasite that can affect both dogs and humans. This case highlights the presence of two different genetic types of this parasite, with the one found in this dog being similar to those seen in the USA. The dog received treatment for the infection, and the specific details of the recovery were not mentioned, but the identification of the parasite is crucial for proper management.
People also search for: dog eye problems · Onchocerca lupi treatment · dog eye worm infection · canine ocular disease · zoonotic parasites in dogs
Abstract
Onchocerca lupi is a parasitic filarioid and the causative agent of canine ocular onchocercosis, a zoonotic disease of domestic dogs with sporadic reports in humans. A 13-year-old dog with no travel history outside of Israel was presented to an ophthalmology veterinary clinic in Israel with severe right ocular and periocular disease. After surgical exploration, thin helminths were removed from the dorsal sclera of the eye and identified as Onchocerca lupi by polymerase chain reaction according to the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1), reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 5 (nad5) and 12S rRNA genes. Phylogenetic trees and haplotype networks of the cox1 and nad5 genes confirmed the circulation of two genotypes: genotype 1 with worms from dogs, cats and humans from both the Old and New Worlds, and genotype 2 with specimens from Portugal and Spain. The Israeli sequences clustered in genotype 1 and were identical to O. lupi from the USA. Evidence of two genotypes separated geographically sheds light on the phylogeography and evolution of this zoonotic pathogen, and suggests a diverse pathology observed in different regions of the world.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32829715/