Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog in Missouri with intestinal echinococcosis causing vomiting
By Kuroki, Keiichi et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2020·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Intestinal echinococcosis in a dog from Missouri.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 17-week-old female German Shepherd from Missouri was brought in for multiple episodes of vomiting and diarrhea. After surgery, the vet found signs of intestinal echinococcosis, a type of infection caused by tapeworms, and confirmed it through biopsies and fecal tests. The dog was treated with praziquantel, a medication that targets these parasites, and after treatment, no signs of the infection were found in follow-up tests. One year later, the dog remained healthy with no gastrointestinal issues.
People also search for: dog vomiting and diarrhea treatment · German Shepherd tapeworm infection · praziquantel for dogs
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 17-week-old 14.4-kg (31.7-lb) female German Shepherd Dog from Missouri with a history of multiple intermittent episodes of vomiting and diarrhea underwent exploratory celiotomy. CLINICAL FINDINGS: At the time of surgery, the dog was bright, alert, and responsive, with a tender abdomen and palpable mesenteric lymph nodes. Hematologic data revealed mild leukocytosis, mild hypoproteinemia, and mild hypoalbuminemia. Moderate petechiation of the jejunal serosa and prominent mesenteric lymph nodes, but no palpable obstructions, were found during surgery. Jejunal and lymph node biopsies were performed; histologic examination revealed multiple segments of adult cestodes up to 700 μm long in the jejunum. Segments had a scolex and contained approximately 30- to 35-μm-diameter ova, morphologically compatible withspp. Fecal flotation revealed numerous proglottids and ova similar to those recognized histologically. Results of PCR assays confirmedE4 haplotype (a European strain). TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Praziquantel (5 mg/kg [2.3 mg/lb], SC, once) was administered after surgery; treatments after hospital discharge included praziquantel (10 mg/kg [4.5 mg/lb], PO, once). No proglottids or ova were observed by fecal flotation after the treatments. The dog remained healthy without gastrointestinal signs 1 year later. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The dog of this report had no travel history outside the state of Missouri. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of intestinalinfection in a pet dog in the contiguous United States and first detection of a European strain ofin this country. Findings suggested possible establishment of a European strain of this zoonotic pathogen in the contiguous United States.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32301665/