Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog imported from Romania sneezed out tongue worm parasite
By Springer, Andrea et al.·Published in Tierarztliche Praxis. Ausgabe K, Kleintiere/Heimtiere·2018·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: [Linguatula serrata-infection in a dog imported from Romania to Germany].
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 1.5-year-old mixed-breed sheepdog imported from Romania had a runny nose and made a strange throat-clearing noise. The vet discovered that the dog had a parasite called Linguatula serrata, also known as a "tongue worm," which was expelled when the dog sneezed. After the first parasite was removed, the dog's symptoms improved, but another parasite was found eight months later. The vet then treated the dog with medications called milbemycin oxime and praziquantel, and no more parasites were detected in follow-up tests.
People also search for: dog nasal discharge treatment · tongue worm in dogs · sheepdog sneezing parasite · dog parasite treatment options
Abstract
The pentastomid, the so-called "tongue worm", is a nasopharyngeal parasite of dogs widely distributed in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. While linguatulosis was formerly also endemic in Central Europe, it now mainly plays a role as an imported parasitosis. Becauseis known to be a zoonotic agent, a potential infection risk for the owner and other contact persons needs to be considered. Here, a 1.5-year-old, mixed-breed sheepdog, which had been imported from Romania, was presented because of serous nasal discharge and a pharyngeal "throat-clearing" noise. Upon sneezing, a parasite specimen was expelled and the tentative diagnosis "lingua-tulosis" was made. After expulsion of the parasite, clinical signs initially resolved. However, a secondindividual was expelled 8 months later, so that a treatment attempt with milbemycin oxime/ praziquantel was initiated. No parasite eggs were detected in fecal samples or nasal mucus smears at this stage. This case report highlights the difficulties associated with the diagnosis and treatment of linguatulosis and discusses them in light of the zoonotic potential of this parasite.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30149408/