Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Eye worm infection causing chronic conjunctivitis in Romanian dog
By Mihalca, Andrei Daniel et al.·Published in Parasites & vectors·2015·Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases·View original on PubMed →
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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 chronic eye irritation and redness in one eye. Upon examination, the vet found tiny worms in the dog's eye, which were identified as Thelazia callipaeda, a type of eyeworm. This is the first time this parasite has been reported in Romania, indicating it may be spreading locally. The dog had not traveled outside its home area, suggesting that the parasite can be transmitted within the region. Treatment options for eyeworms typically involve medication to eliminate the parasites, and the dog likely received appropriate care to address the infection.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Despite 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. METHODS: In 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). RESULTS: Thirteen 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. CONCLUSIONS: This 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 PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25623605/