Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with pneumothorax caused by Spirometra tapeworm infection
By Simpson, Christopher et al.·Published in Molecular and cellular probes·2012·Faculty of Veterinary Science, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Molecular diagnosis of sparganosis associated with pneumothorax in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with exercise intolerance and rapid breathing was diagnosed with pneumothorax, which means air had leaked into the chest cavity. Despite attempts to relieve the condition with a needle, surgery was needed to explore the chest. During the surgery, the vet found numerous small white nodules in the lungs and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, the dog's owners chose to euthanize the dog during the procedure, and a post-mortem revealed that these nodules were caused by a larval stage of a tapeworm. This condition is known as sparganosis, which can cause serious health issues.
People also search for: dog breathing problems · pneumothorax in dogs · sparganosis treatment in dogs · dog exercise intolerance causes · tapeworms in dogs
Abstract
Pneumothorax was diagnosed in a dog presenting with progressive exercise intolerance and tachypnoea. Needle thoracocentesis failed to resolve the pneumothorax, and an exploratomy thoracotomy was performed. Upon inspection of the thoracic cavity, numerous white nodules (2 to 4mm) were present throughout the mediastinum, parietal pleura and the lung lobes. The owners of the dog elected intra-operative euthanasia, and a post mortem examination was performed. At necropsy, structures consistent with the plerocercoid (larval) stage of a tapeworm were identified in association with inflammation of the pleural cavity. Molecular methods were used to identify the parasite as Spirometra erinacei. Molecular diagnosis, along with the clinical presentation and pathological findings, allowed the diagnosis of proliferative sparganosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21983346/