Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
First case of canine oriental eyeworm infection found in Romania
By A. Mihalca et al.·Published in Parasites & Vectors·2015·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: Further spreading of canine oriental eyeworm in Europe: first report of Thelazia callipaeda in Romania
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A German Shepherd in Romania was brought to the vet for a long-term eye problem, specifically chronic conjunctivitis (inflammation of the eye). Upon examination, the vet discovered tiny worms in the dog's eye, which were identified as Thelazia callipaeda, a type of eyeworm. This case is significant because it's the first time this parasite has been reported in Romania, suggesting it may be spreading locally. The dog had not traveled outside its home area, indicating that the parasite could be transmitted by local insects.
People also search for: dog eye problems · German Shepherd conjunctivitis treatment · Thelazia callipaeda in dogs
Abstract
BackgroundDespite the increasing number of reports of autochthonous cases of ocular thelaziosis in dogs in several European countries, and the evident emergence of human cases, the distribution and spreading potential of this parasite is far for being fully known. In Romania, despite intensive surveillance performed over recent years on the typical hosts of T. callipaeda, the parasite has not been found until now.MethodsIn October 2014 a German Shepherd was presented for consultation to a private veterinary practice from western Romania with a history of unilateral chronic conjunctivitis. Following a close examination of the affected eye, nematodes were noticed in the conjunctival sac. The specimens collected were used for morphological examination (light microscopy) and molecular analysis (amplification of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene, followed by sequencing).ResultsThirteen nematodes were collected, all identified morphologically as T. callipaeda. The history of the dog revealed no travel outside Romania, and during the last year, not even outside the home locality. The BLAST analysis of our sequence showed a 100% similarity T. callipaeda haplotype h1.ConclusionsThis is the first report of T. callipaeda in Romania, which we consider to be with autochthonous transmission. These findings confirm the spreading trend of T callipaeda and the increased risk of emerging vector-borne zoonoses.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/25623605